The plot for Tokiya and Masato's movie was taken from a Korean movie, Midnight Runners. :)

CHAPTER 17

Since the first assault, it took all for Tokiya to brace himself every time he had to 'entertain' Saotome's clients. Even it occurred seldom owing to their packed schedules, all the experiences of being assaulted had managed to wreck all of him. Every day was a taxing battle for Tokiya in order to fight for his urge to stay in bed without doing anything, let alone meeting people. He knew the Lazybones Tokiya was not the real him but he could not help it.

It occurred to him that he wanted to sleep for a year instead.

Before he knew it, all those multiple problems that he had suffered from had caused him to lose his smile. It was usually formed after he met STARISH and Haruka but now, to laugh at their jokes itself was a tiring crusade. He lost his interest to spend time with them and preferred to sleep since his body was dead beat all the time. Strangely enough, his energy level remained the same and it was so frustrating for him.

When Saotome finally announced that the no-relationship rule was lifted, it only made Tokiya's heart sunk more to his abyss of despair. He was already informed that the lifted rule was for everyone's freedom except for his.

He would never have any future with Haruka. Even he was not sure of her feeling towards him, at least he could try to win her heart but Saotome had managed to affix another harsh reality in his life.

And now, he was still unable to smile even when they sat in a circle in their training room. It was after their dancing practice and Otoya suggested to everyone to talk about their future plan. Yet, Tokiya spent the entire time by staring at the floor blankly, being oblivious of the fact that Haruka was having a hard time to restrain herself from gazing at him. Their position which was coincidentally opposite did not do any better for Haruka's heart and mind.

Come on, Haruka. Keep your promise. Don't stare at him, the composer's mind anxiously reminded her.

Meanwhile for Tokiya, when he did not seem like he could not care less about his teammates' future plans, his ears were all open and his mind was happy for them. The only problem that he had now was to react properly since he was too emotionally drenched.

So, Ren has currently courted a model after being a ladies' man for years.

Haruka wants to be a composer forever.

Otoya wants to be a judge and coach for dancing competitions.

Cecil still wants to be an idol and hopes that STARISH will last forever.

Masato also wants to be an idol for a long time and already has a girl in his mind.

Syo said, if he's married, he wants to have twins.

And Natsuki being Natsuki. He wants to continue hosting children shows.

That's nice. Everybody has their own plans.

But the moment that affected Tokiya the most was when they accidentally talked about Masato's current schedule which was full of programs with children from orphanages, schools, and various variety shows.

"You look awkward with the kids," was the first comment from Ren regarding Masato's interaction with the children in general.

"Really?" The others except for Tokiya exclaimed in disbelief.

"Masato looks natural to me," Haruka added, followed by short nods from others.

It quickly delivered a cheesy but wonderful feeling for Masato once Haruka's compliment echoed in his mind.

"Thank you, Haruka. But to be honest, I was so awkward. I was lost and I didn't know what should I do," Masato confessed, followed by a heavy sigh. "I never played with kids that much before."

"Wow, I don't know that," Natsuki commented. "Does it mean you don't really like children?"

"Rather than saying I dislike them, I guess I am neutral?" Masato suggested. "My childhood was spent with adults especially my father's staffs and friends so I am kind of... yes, I am awkward. I guess I am the type of guy who only adores children after he has his own."

"That makes sense," Syo agreed.

"I guess our boss gave to you that kind of schedule since he wants you to appear sainted for the children as well. It's bound to happen that someone like you is expected to set a good example for them," Ren supplied.

Meanwhile, since I am the Stripper, the frigging boss literally banned me from seeing children, Tokiya mentally remarked.

Again, Tokiya did not know how long was he spaced out until Natsuki's up-close and perplexed face reached his sight.

"Tokiya?" The big guy pointed out. It was his habit not to respect personal boundary and Tokiya had gotten accustomed to it but since the assault, he found it unacceptable.

He's too close!

"Hmm?" The blue head looked around, eyes with different colors were all holding him out of curiosity.

"What about your future plan?" Masato asked. "I bet a smart person like you will have the most unique plan."

"Not really," Tokiya said, accompanied by awkward chuckles.

"Huh, let me guess!" Otoya exclaimed, enthusiastically pointed his finger at his roommate. "You want to read all books in Kita-ku Central Library after you retire from your job. Or... you want to further your studies..."

"That's not even close, Otoya. I just want to keep working and I don't have a plan to retire," he said. The vocalist of the group really tried to match their upbeat energy but he could not afford to do it. Instead, he just wanted to leave the training room and sleep.

This is just stress, right? It'll disappear soon, right?

So, he really wants to keep working and be just like what Ringo-san and Hyuga-san said, Haruka's heart whispered. She could not help but feel hurt again even she was supposed to respect Tokiya's decision.

"But I am curious about your ideal type, Tokiya. You have co-starred with a lot of actresses so is there anyone who catches your interest? Perhaps, do you prefer someone chic like Tomochika?" Syo asked. The others could not help but lean towards Tokiya, immersing themselves in the suspense.

Yet, Tokiya just shrugged. "I'm not sure."

"Well, how about someone innocent and cute like Haruka?" Syo's sudden exclamation while pointing at Haruka sent the composer flinched and gasped.

This time, Tokiya's reaction was far more interesting. Instead of answering the question right away, he stared at Haruka, seemingly looking for a suitable answer.

He had no idea how the stare from his perfect blue eyes was so mesmerizing for the girl. She could stare into them all day but due to Ringo and Hyuga's warning, she diverted her attention to anyone but Tokiya.

"I don't know. I guess I don't have an ideal type," Tokiya said at last. It was flat but Haruka could feel something heavy tugged her heart.

She knew her hope for Tokiya was destroyed but still...

It was hurt. The way Tokiya blankly looked at her, it was upsetting.

"I am sorry, guys. I am so sleepy right now so I'll leave first," Tokiya said, sluggishly stood up before walking out of the vast training room.

The confused circle of friends had a lot in their minds about Tokiya's recent behavior.

"Do you think he's disturbed about something? Yes, he's not always talkative but today, he's so quiet. He didn't even join our conversation," Syo said, glancing at the door.

"I think he has been very moody since our movie shooting. I still feel bad about them, though," Masato confessed, staring at his black sport shoes.

"Do you mean how people keep dubbing you both as The Stripper and The Saint?" Ren asked which was swiftly answered by Masato's weak nods.

"To be honest, that's not fair. What do they think they're doing? Calling someone The Stripper especially for a prim guy like Tokiya. Of course, it would upset him a lot," Otoya remarked as he grimaced. He sympathized his roommate a lot but knowing their job, they were supposed to accept however the public perceived them.

"And that Kouda-san kept playing The Stripper card. He literally forced Tokiya to shoot a shower scene and other things which I rather not mention here in front of them," Masato said, especially eyeing Otoya and Haruka. "I can tell that Tokiya was angry even he still did it. To me, those scenes were not essential and quite... explicit for children when the movie is supposed to be about two trainees from a police academy. I understood when Kouda-san said that shower scene was necessary because they wanted to show our bruises after the fighting scene but to make only Tokiya did it... is it strange?"

"Well, it's maybe because you're The Saint so our president protects your image to that extent," Natsuki suggested, only to gain a frustrated sigh from the scion.

"But they just can cut the scene if it ended up strange, right? Not to mention they took a ridiculously long time and many takes to complete it. Kouda-san kept saying stupid stuff like since I wasn't allowed to shoot the scene, Tokiya would cover for me like..."

"Seriously?" Cecil added as he grimaced at Masato's story. "He said that? What a lame excuse! He sounds like he's so desperate for rating."

"That's the reality of the showbiz, Cecil. Not all is sunshine and rainbows," Otoya said as he smiled bitterly.

"The worst thing is when I tried to step in, Kouda-san insulted us back, saying that idols shouldn't be fussy and talk back to their producer," Masato supplied. The anger that he felt when he faced Kouda slowly flowed through his veins back.

"Well, he is certainly true. We're employed by them so we're expected to obey their order well," Ren remarked. "While I understood what you felt, sometimes you have to control your temper, Masato. Especially when Tokiya himself was fine with it."

"I know this is not important but nowadays, Tokiya looked disgusted when I tried to hug him," Natsuki remarked. He pushed his glasses from going down his nose before an upset sigh followed. "I noticed it happened since he worked for the movie."

"As for me, when I asked him to teach me kanji, he said he was tired and I had to work hard by myself sometimes," Cecil said. "While what he said is true, it still made me feel hurt. Maybe it's because he looked colder than usual."

"He even looked annoyed when Otoya and I insisted him to play soccer with us," Syo stated.

"But as his roommate, of course, I have seen the weirdest thing out of us," Otoya supplied. He bit his lips for a while as he was organizing his thoughts. "Sitting at his desk while doing nothing is one thing but when Tokiya is fully-covered all the time when we're both guys, I started to feel like 'does this guy think I am a pervert or something?'"

"Okay, that's really strange. It's not like he was never topless when we're around before," Syo exclaimed with his regularly loud voice. "What about when we were in hot spring before? He was fine with that!"

"Guys, I suggest we should refrain from talking about things like that since Haruka is here," Masato pointed out. He tended to observe the girl so he could tell when she was ill at ease at the certain topic that they brought out.

"Oh, my. I am sorry," they apologized right away and almost in chorus. All of them except Ren and Masato bowed before their respected composer, much to the girl's panic.

"It's... it's okay, guys! I think it's my fault for joining this conversation when this is supposed to be STARISH's problem..."

"What do you mean, Haruka? You're part of STARISH too," Masato remarked, feeling slightly offended. "Without you, STARISH wouldn't exist and we won't be as close as we are."

"Masato is right. You deserve to know every little thing about us but if we make you feel uncomfortable, don't hesitate to tell us," Ren said, sending a wink at the girl.

"O...okay," Haruka said, feeling flurried at the sudden gesture.

"Yeah, that includes when you feel that you want to slap Ren for winking at you," Masato remarked, sending the others laughed.

They were laughing but their hearts and minds were still clouded with Tokiya.

When all of them were heading for their rooms, Haruka called out Masato right away.

"Yes, Haruka," Masato replied, curving in a smile. They were standing right outside of STARISH's training room.

"I have something to talk about Tokiya," Haruka initiated. Her mind was jumbled up with her care for Tokiya and the warning from Hyuga and Ringo.

At least I can do this much since I am still his friend, right?

"Yes?"

"I am just thinking that the best person who can console Tokiya is you, Masato," Haruka said, finally could sort out her thought.

"Huh?"

"Well, I mean... since Otoya said that Tokiya refused to share his problem with him, I think maybe Tokiya will be open with you instead. I believe you can hold a deep conversation with him."

She's really worried about Tokiya. Well, who won't, though? Masato thought as he observed her face. For some reason, Haruka did not look as cheerful as she was these days so it concerned Masato the most.

"Don't worry, Haruka. I am planning to talk it out with him soon. Since we all suspected that it was caused by our movie shooting, I hope that at least he'll be open with me," Masato said, holding her shoulder.

Haruka smiled and Masato swore he would do anything to see such a beautiful feature from her.

"Thank you, Masato. I hope this is only between both of us. I don't want others to misunderstand my intention when I asked something like this from you."

"You're welcome. Don't worry, Haruka. My mouth is sealed."

"Huh? Me?" Tokiya asked, pointing at himself. He and Masato were in their waiting room for an interview but instead of talking about their works, Masato directly asked him something that he struggled for these days.

"Yes, you," Masato replied swiftly. He was activating his typical mode; talking like closing a deal with his king-from-historical-drama posture despite handsomely wearing a black jacket. "Do you actually feel stressed out with the twins concepts and Kouda-san's movie? Please tell me, Tokiya."

Masato's slightly dramatic approach was responded by Tokiya's perplexed face. His head was tilted as he munched a cookie that he brought from the dorm.

"No. Why should I? They're just a job, right?" Tokiya asked back. "By the ways, do you want cookies, Masato?"

"No, thanks."

Come to think of it, since when Tokiya loves to eat something childish like cookies? But, wait! It can support my points in case he acts defensive, Masato thought as he dangerously eyed the cookies packet in Tokiya's hand.

"You want it, right, Masato? Just take it!" Not only his palate but Tokiya also strangely had a childish attitude and being over cheerful today.

"I said, I don't! What's with you eating cookies all of sudden? Are you out of mind?"

"What? Which part of 'eating cookies' is out of mind? I am a human being so of course, I want to eat them sometimes!"

"That's the most ridiculous excuse that I've ever heard! You had been gloomy these past days and all of sudden you're cheerful like you're possessed by HAYATO's ghost. You have been hiding something, right? Tell me!" Masato's violent mode whenever Ren got on his nerves was suddenly switched on. He pounced on Tokiya, grabbing the guy's white collar.

"Masato, my neck..."

"Everyone's worried about you, you know. Tell me!" Masato urged, ignoring Tokiya's choke.

Much to their shock, the door was suddenly open, revealing a crew who could not help but gasp at their violent posture. The panicky Masato quickly released Tokiya's poor collar, internally cursing himself for being too enthusiastic with his interrogation.

"Yes?" Tokiya was much calmer since apparently, he was not the 'culprit' in this shocking situation. Little did they knew, he felt like he just lost a neck since Masato was so strong.

"Well, hmm... I just want to say that the interview will be postponed for 30 minutes due to technical problems," the guy with a black shirt and baseball cap explained.

"Okay, thanks for the information," as soon as Tokiya replied in a very friendly manner, the crew quickly bowed before closing the door.

"You're The Saint, Masato. Not God of Death. You should be careful with your image," Tokiya said with a low chuckle. "But I guess we can cover it for you later in the interview."

"That's not my concern now. Let's face it. How am I supposed to think about my image when my friend has been so weird these days?" With still crossed arms over his broad chest, Masato faced his friend. "Seriously, Tokiya. Do you feel stressed out?"

"No. I am eating cookies."

"But the others told me that you're spaced out a lot and you had been very moody. Even Haruka is also concerned about you."

"Oh, really?" He might sound cruel but Tokiya had avoided the girl most of the time so he was startled to hear her name again. "I guess I was just tired with the schedule and want to enjoy my me-time. I am still an introvert who sometimes wants to rest from seeing people anyway."

"I see..." Masato nodded. "But for some reason, Kouda-san looks fishy to me."

The sudden comment almost made Tokiya choked on his cookie.

"Kouda-san? What do you mean?"

"I know this will sound offensive and that's why I don't share this to others. I wonder if Kouda-san is interested in guys..."

Tokiya's face turned as white as paper.

"Wh...what?"

Calm down, Tokiya. Listen to him first.

In the midst of soothing himself, Tokiya's hands started to tremble. It was caused by not only the assaults but also the possibility that his friends would find out about Saotome's wicked plan.

"I apologize for being rude but I don't like the way he stared at you," Masato explained. His serious but funny expression was no longer there. "I know sometimes guys can feel amazed by each other's abs or muscles but the way he stared at you... I don't know. It makes me feel uncomfortable. Or is he just so caring towards you since you are his junior?"

You sure have no shame, Kouda-san, Tokiya thought. Trembling while literally burning with anger was a torture for his frame.

Now, the crude Kouda just burdened him with another pain. It was more insulting for Tokiya when he, the victim had to cover up for his attacker but like in every situation, he had no choices.

"I am sure he's just caring. He and I are like... brothers."

Thanks for his acting skill and Masato's shallow knowledge about a good relationship between seniors and juniors in showbiz, Tokiya managed to convince his friend.

He was so exhausted by all these dramas. He tried his best to lead a noble life but troubles always managed to find him.

He did not know for how long he could say 'I am okay' to his friends.

Masato and Ren's friendship was unique and could pass as a sitcom. While they understood each other the most, they also had a tendency to pick a fight with each other. In a rare occasion, they would be in cahoots especially when they wanted to bash their senior, Kurosaki Ranmaru for belittling STARISH. The childhood friends were the best partners when they were in a good term but also the best comedy duo when they decided to get on each other's nerves.

Today was no different even Masato decided that Ren was the most useful friend he could ask when it comes to his decision to confess his love to Haruka. Sadly for him, the others were too innocent and did not have much experience in dating. Masato even blamed himself for not collecting much dating experience before dredging up that he only studied in all-boys school for years.

Or else, he did not have to sacrifice his pride in order to ask Ren for love advice.

"Ren."

"Yes, Masato?" Ren replied despite the blue head already said his name four times. The fact that he continued to respond without even feeling annoyed had managed to annoy Masato instead. The blue head knew more than everyone that Ren was teasing him for finally asking something from him.

"Just... just so you know, I am not asking you this because I think you're the best person for me to ask. Rather, I don't have a choice. I don't have a choice, okay!?"

"But it still can't deny the fact that you need my help," Ren said with a smirk. He knew in this desperate situation, Masato would not clobber him.

Urghhh!! It'll be much better if Tokiya can help me in this situation instead. Or else, I won't suffer this kind of humiliation, Masato mentally whined.

"It's about Haruka, right?"

The only blessing in disguise was how easy it was to ask for Ren's advice since they knew each other too much. Long story short, the blue head successfully obtained sufficient love advice from Ren while enduring the guy's narcissism about how important he was to Masato's future.

So here he was, holding a bouquet of flowers while meeting eyes with his beloved girl.

"This... this is for you," Masato said, nervously handing a bouquet of flowers to Haruka. "I hope you like it."

"For me? Thank you so much, Masato," Haruka said, gazing happily at the beautiful flowers. "But what is this for? Not that I am complaining. I love it but..."

"I love you."

Since they were standing by the lake, they could literally hear the sound of cold wind blown to their direction. As if nature also decided to disapprove Masato's speedy confession.

"Huh?" Haruka exclaimed as her golden eyes widened.

Masato was mentally screaming in horror. Sure, Ren advised him to be direct and said something straight from his heart but...

Was it supposed to be more romantic? He sounded more like closing a deal instead of asking Haruka out due to his deep voice and flat tone. It was something that he was accustomed to and he never thought that it was a problem until today.

"Your voice, Masato. Make it softer and melodious. Don't talk like a historical character. One more thing, you should listen to how Tokiya talks. Even he looks aloof but the reason why the girls swoon over him is his voice can melt their hearts. His tone and everything are charming. Or... you can learn from my voice instead. My fans always told me that mine is..."

Recalling Ren's words, Masato quickly recalled Tokiya's voice especially his talking manner.

Yes, that Narcissus wannabe is right. Tokiya looks cold but his voice is sweet.

"Well, I mean," Masato adjusted his voice and for a second, he thought that he was attempting to sing on a stage instead. "I love you, Haruka."

"Huh?" Again, they exclaimed in unison since the remark was awkward in so many levels. Not only Masato failed to mimic Tokiya's tone, he even repeated the same sentence.

"Oh..." Pink dust spread over Haruka's face, making her looked so adorable like a doll.

Come on, Masato. Be descriptive like your lyrics. I know she's adorable but please focus!

With the sudden burst of determination to prove Haruka just how much he loved her, Masato finally blurted out a series of lines that should have been said since four years ago.

"To be honest, I've fallen in love with you since we were in the academy. At first, I adored how you enjoyed music and how wholehearted you're in pursuing your dream. Whenever I felt like giving up, you would always there for me and brightened up my days again. As time goes by, I realized that I didn't just like you but I love you. I would smile like crazy when you smiled like... no, yours is not crazy. It's very beautiful. Just so you know, I am the happiest when we bumped into each other. Each day, no matter where I go, you're always in my mind and I want to be with you. I know this is sudden but Nanami Haruka, let's go out!"

It was certainly relaxing when he could confess his feeling even Haruka was obviously flustered.

"Masato, I..."

"Ah, you don't have to answer right away," Masato said frantically as he noticed that he might sound rash. "You can take your time as much as you want. I will wait for your answer but..."

He took a step forward as his blue eyes were still holding the girl's.

"I have a feeling that you're waiting for someone," Masato said, much to Haruka's shock. "Or maybe I am wrong. But still, I hope you'll give me a chance to win your heart, Haruka. I promise I'll prove you that I am sincere with my feeling," Masato said before abruptly leaving her.

At least, he had Haruka's answer to anticipate instead of jumping into the lake right away out of embarrassment.

I am sorry if Masato and Tokiya looked OOC ;)