Reality is an Illusion
Chapter Three – Ripples

7:00PM, Friday, March 30
Saitama, Japan – Asia

“Marriage proposals… offers to bear my children… adoption wishes… what the hell? I already have parents!” The man dropped the letters he was flipping through incredulously. “Keiji, am I crazy, or are these people are utterly insane?”

Keiji shrugged nonchalantly before answeing. “That’s just how they choose to show you their large amounts of love and affection.”

After a moment of thought, the man nodded in agreement. “I suppose you’re right.” He paused and then smirked. “Looking at it that way reminds me why I became a rock star: the large amounts of attention. I’m just so amazing, you know.”

Jiro Kagayaki, an abnormally tall Asian singer sat talking with his best friend, and fellow band member, Keiji Leal. To his adoring fans, he was known as Akarui-tono, the up-and-coming Japanese sensation. However, there were some moments when his fan’s “well meaning” actions only served to disturb him.

“That narcissistically childish mentality of yours is going to be the death of you one day.” Keiji pulled a magazine off the table and began to flip through it in disinterest. “Hurry up, would you? I don’t think we have all day.”

Completely ignoring Keiji, Jiro kept talking. “I mean, as much as I appreciate their support, it’s so creepy how… enthusiastic… some of them become.” Jiro shuddered as a couple different memories flashed quickly through his mind. ‘The truth is that it’s those individuals that keep me from personally contacting anyone.’ He mentally shrugged. ‘Well, they brought it upon themselves, I suppose.’

Determined to pave a new path in the name of Japanese culture and music, Jiro had made an effort to branch away from other singers in the Japanese rock industry. Having originally started on the path of finishing college to work as a successful businessman somewhere in the world, Jiro had impulsively taken a music course to curb the amount of stress he was routinely under. Three months later, he had changed his major, beginning to think about dropping out of college to pursue his passion in music.

That had been last year.

Now, Jiro, Keiji, and three other individuals had formed a group that aided ‘Akarui-tono’ to greatness. Thinking back on those years, Jiro smirked to himself while brushing his red-streaked black hair behind his shoulders. ‘Music is the best thing that could have happened to me.’ Amazingly enough, his parents had supported him infinitely, something that he had desperately needed during that time period. ‘I can honestly say that I love my life, because it’s undeniably perfect.’

Jiro was brought out of his thoughts as Keiji tapped him on his nose, repeating a gesture from their childhood. “You zoned out there. You all right?”

Jiro’s answering grin was instantaneous. “Am I ever not?”

Keiji raised an eyebrow at the challenge. “Are you conveniently forgetting all of the times you’ve passed out at home, at rehearsal, and on the stage?”

“No…” Jiro had widened his eyes, completely destroying any doubt that he was lying. Knowing he had lost, he quickly changed the subject. “What are we supposed to be doing today, anyway?”

Jiro’s pale, half-Swedish best friend raised his hand and started listing off their options. “Well, considering we have a concert that technically happens tomorrow afternoon, we need to do the final preparations for the whole international deal, and, I suppose, appeal to the crazed fans who want us for themselves.”

Jiro gasped in mock dismay, narrowing in on the last statement. “Are you saying that we don’t appeal to them already?”

Keiji laughed and responded. “We always appeal to them, my friend. We are the cream of the crop, irresistible, and all-around amazing. There’s no need to even worry.” He looked to the mirror, examining his image for a moment. “There’s no way they can ignore this look.”

“Ah, your words are wise. I’ll have to keep them in mind.”

“And this is the part where I’m supposed to say, ‘But, thinking this way will paint you as a playboy by the rest of the world!’” Keiji exclaimed in fabricated shock.

“Hey… who cares what the rest of the world thinks? I’m just doing what the fans want. If some of them have a problem with my pursuit of the female gender, I’m certain that there’re others who won’t care. Those are the only ones who matter.”

“If you actually were allowed to have a girlfriend…” Keiji trailed off and shook his head. “I don’t envy you, my friend.”

Jiro set down his fan mail and shot Keiji a look. “Yeah, man… I envy you. For one, you’re allowed to have a girlfriend, and both you and Denji have managed to snag the two girl-members of the band!”

“What can I say? We’re just that amazing.” The two shared a laugh, ignoring the constant buzzing that came from the fan in their apartment, content in each other’s presence.

The two had met in kindergarten and had been friends ever since. After they met all those years ago, they had been able to trust each other with anything. They were inseparable; no one knew how two people who appeared so different could become such close friends. Of the two, Jiro was the Yin and Keiji was the Yang; one the Dark and the other, the Light.

The two had met under interesting circumstances – one the protector, and the other, the protected. Ridiculed for his half-Swedish heritage, Keiji was picked on in his youth for being different and misunderstood. Bright blond hair and sharp blue eyes were rare features found on any Japanese native, even in the modern day.

One day, on his way to towards his mother’s car, Jiro had noticed a group of boys surrounding something; jeering and cheering loudly. As a curious seven-year old, Jiro had started to head over to the crowd, when his mother beckoned him over to her. Seeing the happy grin gracing her face, Jiro completely forgot about the group, running towards his mother, while chattering excitedly about his day, much to Emiko’s amusement.

The next day, Jiro had shown up early to his class, excited for a new and fun-filled day of school. Fully equipped with the lunch his mother made for him, Jiro anxiously awaited lunchtime. However, his enthusiasm quickly changed to confusion when he looked to his right and noticed a small, blond haired boy sitting quietly at his desk, not eating. After a moment of deliberation, Jiro pushed his desk towards the other boy, sliding his lunch over, as well. Dull blue eyes blinked at him in confusion and Jiro grinned toothily.

“Want to share my lunch? My mom made it for me, and she’s the best cook in the world, so, you should get some, too.” Jiro’s logic appeared not to have an affect on the other boy.

In a dejected tone, the youth pushed the food away and responded. “It’s not fair for me to take your food. You should be able to eat it all.”

Jiro was not one to be deterred, and, he had never been refused before. “But then, you would be hungry, and I’d be a bad person to not let you eat lunch. Where is yours, anyway?”

The hungry boy’s reply was said hesitantly. “Ah, well, I didn’t come with one.”

At his response, Jiro grinned brightly, and wrote a note on his hand, reminding himself to ask his mom for two lunches. “Well, that’s no fun. I’ll just have to bring you one everyday, too. But, since I don’t have two today, you can eat half of mine.”

“But-”

“Nope! I’m giving you my food, and you’re going to like it!” Having said his piece, Jiro separated his food into two halves, gently pushing one of the sides towards the boy. After a moment, the hazel-eyed youth slowly started eating, glancing in shock at the tray as he noticed how tasty the food truly was.

“Wow! You were right; this is good! What’s your name?” Apparently, eating had loosened up the boy’s tongue.

“Jiro Kagayaki! And, you?”

After getting over his shock at having met the most popular child in his class, the boy gave a slight smile, and held out his hand. “I’m Keiji; Keiji Leal.”

“Well, Keiji, want to be my friend?” Keiji smiled and nodded, and the two went back to eating lunch, forming the foundation for their strong friendship.

It was a few weeks later when Jiro had finally found out why Keiji never had a lunch – it was always taken by bullies that Keiji wasn’t strong enough to fend off. Like every other day, Keiji was standing outside the bathroom, waiting for Jiro to finish up, when a group of older students came and started taunting him. Unaware of the situation happening outside of the door, Jiro walked out of the bathroom, to a scene where Keiji was being held up against the stone wall by the front of his shirt. The group that surrounded him laughed loudly at his feeble attempts at escape.

Immediately, Jiro had charged towards the one holding his friend up, determined to save Keiji. The older students just chuckled in amusement, before starting to target Jiro, as well. After some time, the bullies eventually tired of the struggling youths, hauling them over to a closet and locking the two boys inside. Scared, confused, and hurt, the two waited for someone to find them. It was at this moment that Jiro vowed to never let anything like this happen ever again to those he truly considered friends.

Jiro had no idea how much time had passed, but, eventually, he heard his name being called on the intercom system. At this point, he started screaming, and pounding on the door to the closet, with Keiji joining in after a few minutes. Later, when they were both about to give up hope, the door opened, and they tumbled out onto the linoleum floor. Bruised, tired, and hungry, the two had looked at each other before launching themselves at Emiko, who, confused and worried, could only envelop both of them in a hug. From that day on, Jiro and Keiji were brothers in all but blood, and, because of their close friendship, the Leal and Kagayaki families became irreversibly connected.

Thus, a beautiful, consistent friendship was created.

From that time, Keiji grew both in size and strength, and now, rather tall and very lean he had a perfect athletic build. As they were the ‘Leaders’ within the band, they were entitled to what their fan base thought about them. The ladies made it clear that while Keiji was handsome, Jiro was the better of the pair.

Standing a little taller than his friend, Jiro had the same build as Keiji, however, he made more of an impression on the ladies, both through his appearance, and arrogant charisma. Mostly, however, they were drawn to his uniquely colored eyes; gray orbs that appeared emotionless. His family had had a field day trying to figure out the enigma his eyes presented. Some genetic testing, frantic phone calling to distant relatives, and many check-ups with numerous doctors later, his parents gave up and labeled his eyes an anomaly. ‘Oh well, the fans find my eyes, and thus, me, attractive. That’s all that matters in the long run.’

“Want to go to the park for a bit before we head to the airport?” Keiji knew how refreshing a quick trip could be for the two of them, especially right before a concert.

“But of course.” Walking outside, Jiro and Keiji stopped to watch in ill-hidden amusement as their fellow band mate, Denji Goro made out with his wife, Yuuna.

With a bad-temper and a muscular body, Denji was known as the drummer in their band. As per his nature, he disregarded all of the decisions made by the band, ignoring the fact that he loved it like a son. His most recent show of defiance, however was shaving his hair off immediately following the announcement that every member would be required to get colored streaks in their hair for the upcoming concert.

Basically his polar opposite, his wife, Yuuna was sophisticated and levelheaded in all situations, especially in those in which her husband wasn’t. Within the group, she was one of the two female band members, as well as the only keyboard player. At the moment, her previously professional–looking green-streaked hair was a mass of disarray thanks to the loving attentions of her husband.

The two of them were locked in a very heated kiss that seemed to have no intention of ending, and, realizing this, Jiro coughed loudly to startle the pair apart. Holding Yuuna in a possessive hug, Denji glared for all he was worth at the interruption. “Did you need something?” The dark tone in his voice was blatantly obvious.

Keiji’s ‘cat-ate-the-canary’ grin was unrepentant as he ignored the hint. “Not really. We just decided to stop by and have a little chat. I’m sorry, were you busy?”

Completely ignoring ­­Denji, Jiro uncrossed his arms and smoothly fell into a flashy bow. “How are you this fine morning, Yuuna?”

Yuuna smiled slightly at the adorable twenty-one year-old in front of her. “I’m quite alright, Jiro. What are you up to?”

“We had just decided to head out to the park, when we came across this situation. It was just too brilliant an opportunity to pass up. Sorry, Denji. We’ll just be on our way.” With one final wave, Jiro and Keiji left the pair of twenty-five year olds to their own devices.

After a pause, Keiji spoke up, “You do know that, one day, karma is going to have a field day with us.”

“Ah. But, that day is not today, my funny friend.”

As they walked, Jiro pulled back his hair, knowing that it would get in the way of whatever they would be doing. Getting nearer to the park, Keiji suddenly broke into a run, issuing an unspoken challenge to Jiro. Never one to back down, he gave chase, determined to win their impromptu race.

Entering into the park, Keiji abruptly stopped moving before diving out of Jiro’s way. Unprepared for his friend’s actions, Jiro faltered in mid-run and tripped down the hill, into the tiny, man-made lake that sat in the center of the park. Spluttering in indignant rage and disgust, Jiro began hurling obscenities at Keiji’s laughing face. After he realized that his curses were useless, Jiro hauled himself out of the water and settled for childishly ignoring Keiji.

Hisano Natsu, Keiji’s pink-and-black-haired girlfriend had been quietly lounging in the park before the two came careening into her peaceful relaxation. As the final member of the band – and the only other female – she held the position of bassist. With her slight figure and unbelievable memory her instrument choice had been ridiculously easy. Sitting up, she sent dismayed look towards Jiro. “What’s that for Keiji? Like, thirty wins?”

Jiro’s response was quiet, “Only if you’re counting.”

Having edged a safe distance from Jiro, Keiji smiled brilliantly while exclaiming, “Well, as a matter of fact, I am! It’s actually thirty-three wins. Thanks for reminding me, Hisano!” With a smug salute at Jiro’s glare, Keiji sat down, sprawling himself into Hisano’s lap.

Jiro moved further from the lake, resolving not to kill Keiji right then and there. Sitting near the pair, the three exchanged small talk before ­­Denji and Yuuna joined them; the former initiating a fierce wrestling match with the boys and the latter deciding to stay away from the large amounts of testosterone. After about an hour, Keiji challenged Jiro to a race, something that had become a tradition within the band whenever they were at the park. Quickly situating themselves at the far side of the water, the four waited for their signal.

As the only non-participant – on account of her asthma – Yuuna shouted out the well-known rules from the sidelines. “Once I yell start, you’ll all race around the lake. As always, the same rules apply: first person to finish a complete circuit wins.” Keiji and Jiro immediately ignored everyone else, nonverbally taunting one another, as incredibly competitive people are known to do.

“In position?” Yuuna lifted her hand, waiting for a moment to see if they were ready. Nodding slightly to herself, she continued. “Good. On your mark,” Keiji and Jiro looked at each other and grinned. “Get set,” they crouched. “Go!” the hand fell, and they were off.

Confident in his victory, Jiro started off the race with nonchalant strides. However, once Keiji pulled ahead, he got to business and ran like the wind. Not wanting to endure Keiji’s snide remarks about how he “bested” the Jiro Kagayaki, Jiro fell into his natural running rhythm, catching up to and surpassing his friend. Behind the pair, Denji and Hisano were having second thoughts about racing the two.

Barely aware of his surroundings, Jiro quickly completed the circuit, continuing to run to cool down. Reveling in his entirely mental cheers, he sent a smug smile towards Keiji, who finished barely one seconds behind. “I don’t even know why you keep trying. I mean, it is a fact of life that I’ll always be better than you.”

Not having a witty, retorting comeback, Keiji ran next to his friend in silence. Moments later, the other two caught up, and the four finished their cool-down lap together. Immediately after, Denji headed towards his wife, and the group started to leave the park.

As they walked, a slight wind picked up, gently tousling their clothes and hair. At the same time, Jiro’s gaze was drawn to the tallest in the park, where sitting innocently on one of the higher branches, was a gray-tinted bracelet. “What in the world…?” With a quick look at the others, Jiro headed towards the tree.

In one fast, fluid motion, Jiro had jumped towards the lowest branch, climbing up towards the strange bracelet after pausing for a moment to check his balance. Seeing his absence, Keiji eventually found him standing precariously close to the top of the tree. “Jiro? What’s going on?” he shouted to his friend.

“Look! There’s a bracelet up here! I wanted to get it down.”

“Jiro, you’ll fall!” Standing near Keiji, Hisano was worriedly glancing into the dark foliage.

“I’ll be fine. If you’ve forgotten, it was your boyfriend who taught me how to climb trees.” The truth of the matter was that Keiji had dragged Jiro into a tree when they were younger, and then left him to his own devices once they got to the top. ‘The things you learn when you’re trapped thirty feet in the air, with no plausible way to get down. Who knew?’

Finding no other way to reach the accessory save jumping for it, Jiro tested the stability of his current branch and leapt. Feeling, rather than hearing Hisano and Yuuna’s gasps of fright, Jiro grabbed the bracelet before landing back on the branch.

However, as soon as his feet touched the wood, Jiro felt something crawl up his legs before traveling through the rest of his body, solidifying to hold him in place. Jiro struggled against the unknown force, faltering when a pulse ran through the air, sending a shockwave of wind swirling around him. Time slowed down as an air current surrounded him with a comforting feeling.

The moment ended, however when Denji shouted up at him from the group standing at the base of the tree, “Jiro! Get down from there!”

At the sound of his voice, time resumed its normal flow, and, unprepared, Jiro’s foot slipped off the bark, sending the rest of him tumbling after. Amidst the rampant fear running through the four near the ground, Jiro had a sudden thought that he would die a horrible, gruesome death if he hit the ground.

Moments later, the wind that had been gently swirling around him became a torrent of movement, slowing his fall considerably. However, it hadn’t reacted in enough time to prevent him hitting the ground headfirst, and the impact knocked him unconscious.

Predictably enough, the others rushed towards his unmoving body, hoping that his injuries wouldn’t be too serious, but not having too much hope that this would be the case. Kneeling down next to his friend, Keiji pulled one of his eyelids open to check for any hint of a response. To his relief, there was slight movement, however, when he looked closer, he dropped the eyelid, stumbling back in shock.

Jiro’s eyes had been pulsing with a glowing gray light that was quickly receding.

Immediately, Yuuna was in Keiji’s vacated spot. “What’s wrong?” Seeing movement as well, she breathed a sigh of relief before turning to her husband. “Denji, he seems fine, but we need to take him someplace where they can check if there’s any damage.”

Sending an odd look towards her boyfriend, Hisano spoke up. “Well, considering how he gets around hospitals, sending him to one might be more detrimental than anything. His parents live around here, don’t they? Isn’t his dad a doctor or something?”

Shakily, Keiji spoke up after rubbing a hand over his face, “Yeah. They live just down the block. Between Denji and I, we can carry him there in about ten minutes.” Visibly calming himself, he continued, “Let’s go.”

As quickly and efficiently as possible, the four picked him up, heading in the direction of his parents house. Trailing near Keiji, Hisano quietly questioned him about his strange reaction. Trying to figure out the best way to tell her, Keiji gave up before just blurting it out. “Hisano, he’s a Ralemo.”

Hisano gasped in shock as her eyes widened. “Oh. Oh… no…” Trailing off, she started swearing in quiet Japanese.

Bitterly, Keiji responded with a tense answer. “That sums up my feelings quite nicely, actually.”

Oblivious, Yuuna and Denji talked in frantic whispers about what just happened. There was no way for them to know, though.

‘How can they know that Jiro’s now part of a war that no one in this dimension knows about?’ Keiji thought frantically.

The four sped on to find help, all of them lost in their thoughts, missing the slight breeze of wind that was surrounding their friend.

~*~*~

Slight sounds and sensations reached Jiro as he struggled into a half-aware state. Hisano’s voice emerged from the jumble of noise, ushering Denji and Yuuna away from Jiro’s bed, urging them to go speak with his parents.

Silence descended on the room for a moment before Keiji spoke up. “So… what do we do now? I mean… do we tell him? Or, do we try to let him live normally?”

“Wouldn’t you want to know what you might be involved in?”

“…I suppose. But, Hisano, it’s Jiro! I can’t do this to him. Why did it have to be my best friend?”

“I don’t know, but, honestly… at least he has us to help him out.” There was more silence as Keiji thought that over. After a pause, Hisano spoke up again, “Is it just me or is it windy in this room?”

“It is, and I think it’s Jiro’s fault, but… I don’t know how to stop it. How do I explain that there’s wind in a windowless room? Especially one that doesn’t have air conditioning?”

“Well, when did it start?”

“Around the time that he fell out of the tree-” Keiji cut himself off before starting again after a second. “Sorry, I won’t mention it again.”

Hisano’s voice sounded kind of shaky. “It’s okay… that was just… one of the scariest moments in my life.”

“I know what you mean. But, back to the matter at hand, I think it might have something to do with the bracelet.” Slight shuffling met Jiro’s ears as Keiji walked closer. “Let’s take it off and see.”

Jiro felt a hand on his wrist, tugging at the bracelet, but it wouldn’t budge. Knowing that he wanted to help his friend out, even in his half-aware state, Jiro sluggishly tugged it off, before his arms fell limply back to his sides, and he fell into a deeper sense of awareness.

~*~*~

4:30PM, Friday, March 30
In An Airplane Flying to California – North America

‘Waking up to noise, and finding myself sprawled halfway on and halfway off a seat is not fun. Ow.’ Slumping the rest of the way off the seat, he quickly noticed that his head and neck were throbbing in pain.

Wincing, even as he tried to ignore the painful feeling, Jiro pulled himself off of the carpeted floor before glancing around, puzzled. Feeling eyes on him, Jiro tensed reflexively, only relaxing after noticing it was just Keiji. “Uhm… hi. Why are you staring at me?”

Keiji looked at Jiro in slight amusement. “Hello, it’s because you’re beautiful!”

“…If you weren’t my friend, I would be very very disturbed right now. As it stands, I thank you for the compliment.”

There was a lull in the conversation that Jiro wanted to break, especially after remembering the incident in the park. However, just as he was going to bring the event up, he finally noticed that he had no idea where he was. “Where am I?”

With a smile, Jiro sat down in one of the nearby seats. “Well, you see, since you sleep like the dead, the rest of us just carried you on to the plane once we realized that you were perfectly fine. Remember? The concert? Ringing any bells?”

“Oh, right. That. How long have I been out?”

“About ten hours, or so.”

Jiro whistled in appreciation. “Nearly the whole flight. Sweet.”

Keiji coughed awkwardly, and then handed something over to Jiro. “Here. You might want this.”

Jiro took the offered item and looked at it in confusion. “The bracelet?” The gray stones twinkled innocently at him, as he shrugged and put it on his wrist. “I don’t quite know how I feel about accepting jewelry from you.” Ignoring his friend’s sputtering, Jiro looked around for a moment. “Where are the others, by the way?”

“They’ve all been resting for the past couple of hours. But, because we’re nearly there, they need to be woken up…” Keiji trailed off as a mischievous gleam entered his eyes. “Thinking what I’m thinking?”

A matching grin emerged on Jiro’s face, and the two headed off in search of their comrades. “Definitely.” Their search ended rather quickly as they entered the other compartment on the plane, spotting the rest of the band in various sleeping positions.

Denji and Yuuna were curled up around each other, and Hisano was lying spread-eagle on the floor of the aisle. Jiro pointed at her, raising an eyebrow in Keiji’s direction. Keiji could only shrug, glancing fondly at his girlfriend. Taking their respective positions, Keiji raised his hand and silently counted down from three.

Taking his cue, Jiro poked Yuuna in the stomach, causing her to flinch awake with a scream in Denji’s face. At the same time, Keiji pounced on Hisano, opting instead to tickle her awake. “Wake up, sunshine!”

The three groaned in annoyance once they realized what had happened, knowing that they would, unfortunately, be unable to return to sleep for a while. Ever the practical one, Hisano looked at her watch, stopping when she realized it was still in Japanese time. “How much longer do we have?”

Glancing at his own watch, Keiji answered. “We’ll be landing in about twenty minutes, so, it’d be best if everyone got their stuff together.”

“So we’ve got, what, three and a half hours until the concert?” Denji had finally woken up enough to participate in the conversation.

Yuuna, still cradled in her husband’s arms, answered. “Basically.”

Denji hung his head and sighed. “I hate my life.”

“It’s okay. We hate it, too!” Jiro and Keiji chorused together, much to their own amusement.

After getting ready to depart from the plane, the band members sat around, waiting to receive the habitual pep talk from their manager. As the plane began to land, Yama finally addressed them. “I know that we don’t normally schedule overseas concerts the same day of the flight, but I’m sure you guys will be aware enough to do what you do best.”

He gained a few nods, one yawn, and a cheer from the group.

“Also, I just received word from the venue that someone important is going to be in the audience-”

“Who?” Jiro interrupted.

“I’m unsure; whoever it is wishes to remain anonymous. Just be on your best behavior.”

The five chimed in simultaneously, well used to this order. “We’re always on our best behavior!”

“That’s what worries me,” Yama mumbled to himself. By this time, the plane had landed, and the six of them got off. With a big grin on his face, Jiro stretched and smiled. “Ah! Beautiful California! Let’s see if you’re ready for me!”

~*~*~

7:50PM, Friday, March 30
Backstage; Southern California– North America

Nearly three hours later, the group had finally finished with the clothing and make-up adventure that occurred before every concert. Now having to wait, the six of them were lounging around backstage, listening to the unintelligible chatter occurring from the steadily growing audience.

“Got any aces?”

“Go fish.”

“Damn it, Jiro! Do you ever lose?” With nothing else to do, the group had decided to play cards. However, within thirty minutes of playing, Jiro had completely won “Go Fish”, “Blackjack”, “Texas Hold ‘Em”, and “Speed”.

“Well, he does have the unfair advantage of being the only person who knows how to play,” Hisano spoke up from where she was lying on the floor. Keiji had given up a couple of rounds ago, Denji was the only one willing to keep losing, and Yuuna had never cared in the first place, even if she was the one who had the highest chance of winning.

All of a sudden, an amazingly loud sound resounded around the concert hall. Confused, Denji, Yuuna, Keiji, and Hisano looked at Jiro. Grinning happily, he translated while standing up and stretching. “They said, ‘Five more minutes!’ It’s time, kids.”

Keiji’s immediate grin was equally as excited as he high-fived his friend. “That’s what I’m talking about!”

Behind them, the two girls looked at each other in resignation. Hisano spoke up first, while staring at her boyfriend. “You would think they wouldn’t get excited anymore.”

“One would think. This has to be at least their hundredth concert, right, Denji?”

He grunted out an answer while walking towards the stage. “One hundred and eighteen.”

“Thanks, dear,” Yuuna ran forward and hugged him as they started walking together. Hisano silently smiled at the display. ‘They really don’t know how cute they are,’ she thought.

The group walked on stage, gazing again in amazed awe at the beauty of the venue. Four stories high, people were packed in close on the floor, the balconies, and anywhere else where there happened to be space. Lights flashed around all of the faces in a dizzying display of colors, and the on-stage microphones flawlessly transmitted all of the sound to the numerous speakers hanging on the walls. Behind the group on the back wall of the stage was a giant display spelling out, “Akarui-tono One-Year Anniversary Tour”, both in English and Japanese.

As they headed towards their respective instruments – Keiji to his mixer, Denji to the drums, Yuuna towards the keyboard, and Hisano to her bass guitar – the audience members on the floor jumped up, rushing to the gate separating the crowd from the stage. Chanting Jiro’s stage name in unison, he couldn’t help but respond to the crowd.

Running a hand through his hair – especially stylized into three hundred and sixty-five braids for the tour – Jiro walked grandly towards the center stage microphone, already holding his guitar. Currently dressed in a zebra-printed fur coat, Jiro hid his face with a fan while simultaneously twirling a paper umbrella. Standing on the catwalk above him, the technicians for the venue rained flower petals over his head, adding to his magnificent entrance.

Reaching the microphone, Jiro finished his pre-concert performance with a flourish. Snapping the fan closed, Jiro tossed it in the air behind him while pulling his guitar into playing position. Smirking at the crowd, Jiro did a quick check on the other band members to see if they were ready to play.

Ready to begin the first song, they all signaled their readiness, and then waited to start. Not one to disappoint, Jiro strummed the beginning chords of his most recent song, getting lost in the rhythms and sensations performing in front of a crowd evoked. To him, no time had seemed to pass as he finished his first song, smoothly blending it into the next with only a small pause for applause. Content to play until the end of the world came, Jiro’s peace of mind came to an abrupt stop when Hisano moved behind him, subtly kicking him as a reminder that he needed to address the audience.

Hiding a sigh at having to stop, Jiro felt a grin form on his face as he placed his guitar behind him and grabbed the microphone. Considering how much the English language interested him, it was understandable that he was nearly fluent in it. “Thank you for coming here today, to see me! Southern California, how are you doing?”

Seeing how his only response was cheers, he continued on with a wider smile. “I am honored!” Giving a slight bow, he straightened up after a second, waiting for the screams and whistles to die down. “With the next song, I will show you all how much I love you! Scream if you think you’re ready for it!”

Jiro had to catch himself from the stumbling at the sheer volume of his fans. “Wow. Well, I think you’re more ready for it than I thought!”

Jiro chuckled at his small bit of humor and bowed a second time. Turning to face away from the crowd to switch guitars, he silently informed his friends what the next song would be. In a flashy move, Jiro turned back to the audience, eyes immediately darting around the venue to check the general emotions of his fans.

Raising his hand to begin the next song – admittedly his favorite – Jiro’s gaze reached the balcony. Against his will, his eyes were drawn to a girl standing near the railing. Time slowed down as she watched the gray bracelet move down his arm before looking at him. Her blue eyes met his startled ones as he dropped his hand and she collapsed on the ground.

A sudden, dissonant note rang out around the venue as Jiro lost all awareness of his surroundings. He didn’t feel Keiji’s touch on his shoulder, didn’t hear the screams and panicked cries of his crowd, or the feel of himself hitting the ground.

He did, however, feel a sudden wind blow over his immobile body, tugging insistently at the bracelet sitting around his wrist. Then, the breeze died out, and Jiro saw only black.

(A/N: Since I finished writing chapter six, I'm posting chapter three!
Hahaha.
If I actually keep to this system, I (theoretically) will never run out of chapters!
Wow. That's exciting, right?

...
... I think I need to stop posting/editing things at 3:30am.

Any comments, critiques, or opinions are totally welcome! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!)