I wrote the first draft of this chapter while playing Angry Birds Seasons since I got stuck a lot. It was weird but it turned out that the game helped me a lot to write :P Yet, I apologize for the flaws since I am too lazy to read carefully what I have written for this chapter.

CHAPTER 37

"Wh...what are you saying? I can't..."

"Are you freaking deaf now? I am saying I want to disband HEAVENS," the old man said coldly.

No, this one was the coldest remark that Eiichi had ever heard from his father. Usually, the geezer would beat around the bush which Eiichi could not stand it. Most of the time, he wished his father to come straight to the point because the man's words or orders were selfish or only beneficial solely to the man.

But this time, it was different. Eiichi desperately wished that his father would use flowery words to ease his heart first before announcing the news that would destroy a big part of his life.

It was about HEAVENS's future. These people went through painful and strict training and diet routine for the brand so why Otori had been so ignorant about the band whose songs had topped the charts for a lot of times after STARISH's downfall?

STARISH... Tokiya... That was when his mind painfully but conveniently echoing those two taboo words.

"Does that bastard agree to work with you?" He said slowly. He might want to shout but this time, he had given his father one last chance to at least announce the disbandment nicely.

"Mind your words, Eiichi. Who do you think you're talking to..."

"I am asking, does that bastard agree to work with you!?" Eiichi exploded with rage as he fought the tears that welled up in his eyes.

"Don't call him bastard when he's way better than you!" Otori shot up from his seat, facing his son who was as tall as him.

"So, you do know who I am calling bastard. You do know who I resent the most for all this time. You do know those frigging things but why are you so ignorant about it..."

"That's bound to happen. When you're always compared to someone who you will never on a par with, you end up resenting him the most. Plus, does it make any difference if I side with my son who is always the loser in this battle? You wasted everything I invested for you so can you imagine how disappointed I am? Luckily, Eiji does not end up like you. Unlike you, he makes my life easier."

"So, does it mean you will only keep Eiji with you?" Eiichi asked in disbelief. His fair-skinned face was red from all the emotions that were waiting so hard to explode again since they were triggered by Otori's malicious decision. "What about others then?"

"Well, he said to keep Eiji with me because his talent is exceptional. Tokiya is right, though. I bet they will be a good partner, just like the duet project between STARISH and HEAVENS a few years back."

Tokiya with Eiji...

"I am asking you, what about others..."

"God is up there for a reason, Eiichi. You shouldn't treasure your friendship once you join this industry. Do you think they will appreciate you even when you give them everything? No. Everyone is greedy in their own way. They work hard because they want to survive on their own. Even for your teammates, do they work hard for the freaking HEAVENS? No, they want to shine alone. Human beings are mean and greedy by nature, Eiichi. Just look at Tokiya. He works hard on his own so without STARISH, he still can survive. You should follow his lead..."

"Don't you ever mention that bastard again!"

It was too fast. Otori could not comprehend what happened as he felt a pair of strong hands throttling his neck. He struggled but his body was pushed violently against the wall. Eiichi who stood behind his desk since a few minutes ago now was right in front of him, all looking daggers at him.

That was the first time he had seen the intimidating Eiichi since he was used to coercing the frightened Eiichi.

"Why would you disband HEAVENS, Dad!? Why are you so cruel to us!? We had done everything to satisfy you but why you still want Tokiya!? Aren't we good enough for you!? How about the others, then!? You had separated us from Shion and Yamato and now, you want to separate all of us!? Why are you so cruel, Dad!?"

"Help! Somebody, help me!" As cruel as Eiichi had claimed, Otori never bothered about what caused the violence from his son. Instead, he wanted to save his life the most. There was no way he would allow Eiichi to kill him when he almost got Tokiya to work with him.

"Why are you always doing this to me, Dad!? Why!? I am your son for crying out loud!"

Eiichi could not hear Otori's answer on why the man always wanted to ruin his life when he felt he was pulled away by two security guards who were always

"Let me go!" It was frustrating since both of them were as big as him even he could tell they were struggling as their grips were tighter around his arms.

"Take him away as far as possible from me. And you, Eiichi..."

The said man stared vacantly at his father who was suddenly wearing his rational mask.

"Please tell your teammates what I told you before I announce the date of the news conference. We'll meet again to discuss further your future."

Otori was an utter liar and Eiichi did not need to be a genius to sense it. There was no meeting at all. There was no future for him with the agency anymore. Otori was saying that to cover up from his staff that he just destroyed a big part of his son's life with a certain inconsiderate act.

After being sent out from the president's office, Eiichi wandered aimlessly along the corridor. The next thing he noticed was he was already in an empty practice room.

It was smaller compared to their current practice room but he always ended up in the spot whenever he wanted to vent on something that only he could know.

It was old. As old as his memories with his teammates when they were still rookies.

"My... my name is Mikado Nagi! Please take care of me well," Nagi's nervous voice during their first meeting clouded his mind. A week later, he learned that Nagi had idolized him during their training period and found it such an honor to be in the same team as the president's son.

"Wow, I can't believe I can debut with you, Eiichi! All this time, I've always looked up to you and I wondered if I could get any closer to you. And today, it's all answered! Our connection is so strong," was what Van had remarked. It was the same case with Nagi but Van was more upfront, and talkative since their first meeting.

"Your singing is great," was Kira's first remark to him. The guy was well-known to be a guy with almost no words and that was the longest sentence that Eiichi had ever heard from the guy.

"Thank you so much, Eiichi. I thought that I wouldn't do well but you always took care of me. Your father raised you so well," was what Shion had said.

"I hate to say something cheesy like this but... Compared to Ryuya, I think you're more like a brother to me, Eiichi," Yamato remarked before coolly got himself a bottle of water from the refrigerator in order to hide his embarrassed face.

Shion, Yamato... I am sorry. I can't keep our promise, he thought. Normally, he believed that crying would be the most pathetic thing to do for a grown man but now for HEAVENS...

For those two members who had left HEAVENS earlier than expected because Otori got rid of them...

He forgave himself for shedding tears. He collapsed on the floor as his body could not fight the overwhelming emotions in him any longer.

That was when something occurred to him. He impatiently fished out his phone from his pocket, scrolling a certain person's social media. The recent timeline was full of STARISH's pictures, having fun in Tokiya's house. There were a lot of sweet comments from his friends and fans too.

While my band is going to be disbanded thanks to him, he's... what? Having fun with his friends? With STARISH?

How easy your life can be, Tokiya? You stole everything from me.

I can't take it anymore. I can't wait anymore. I want you to know that your life is easy until now because you have Masato so...

I'll kill him for sure. If I get rid of him, your life won't be easy anymore, Tokiya. Never.

With a clear plan in his head which he found it hilarious even it did not take place yet, Eiichi let out loud the laughter that could tell everyone how when each day passed, his sanity went up in smoke.

"Please..." The blue eyes shone desperately as they shifted between the two people who stared back in ultra speechlessness.

"No," his wife and friend said simultaneously. He knew than everyone that if it was not because of his sick condition and the fact that they cared so much about him, they would clobber or lecture him for being stubborn.

But, Masato was still Masato no matter how critical his condition was. His ultra-positivity and downright ignorance when it comes to his constitution got the best of him, especially for Harumi.

For his daughter's upcoming birthday which was on the same date as Tokiya's concert. It was a half coincidence since Tokiya was planning to set the concert date on the same day with any of their birthdays and Harumi's just happened to be the closest one.

The wrong part from the idol was when he incidentally announced that he was going to find something nice for the little girl during his free time. Since then, Masato kept pestering him to bring the scion along until it led to this current circumstance.

The circumstance where Tokiya and Haruka were standing next to each other, folding their arms across their chests as they stared sternly at him.

"But..."

"Is the side effect of his illness is being so stubborn, Haruka? If that's so, I can understand why he is currently testing my patience now," Tokiya said, softer but more intimidating than his usual tone.

"Surprisingly it's not but yes, I can see your point, Tokiya. He is testing mine as well," Haruka was poker-faced, reminding Masato of the moment when he was the daredevil for attacking Saotome with a whiskey bottle.

"But I don't do this for my sake. It's for Harumi. I want to choose her birthday present at this time. It's frustrating when I don't know what kind of birthday gift that my own daughter likes. That's why I want to shop for it with Tokiya. He has the know-how anyway."

"For God's and your sake, you're not in a condition where you can go out as frequently as you can, Masato. Your doctor said..."

"My doctor said l literally have no hope to get back on my feet, Tokiya. My body will get weaker no matter how many hours I rest. The least I can do when I still have time is making my daughter happy."

There he goes. The cheesy and dramatic lines that hopefully will make no one can argue about, Tokiya thought. He was ignoring the sudden hatred that he would find himself in every time Masato brought up his constitution issues.

The scion was awfully calm about it.

After that, it was supposed to be fully the best day for Masato since he could learn what kind of present Harumi loved the best.

"Oh, you want to buy her a doll? Then, I suggest you choose this one. She already has the sister so I bet she wants the younger sister too. It'll make a full set," was what Tokiya said.

It was strange when a father learned from his friend about his own daughter's preference but he had no choices. He was a sick father with memory loss.

But, now, when Masato was left alone in an almost empty restaurant since Tokiya went to the washroom, he knew he should listen to his wife from the very beginning. He swore that he would apologize to her right after he went home.

It was not because he was alone that he felt insecure. Instead, right now, the sight of a familiar and well-built figure stood before him making the chill crawled down his spine. Like him, the guy was in disguise so his first guess was the guy was an artist like him before the man did not take time to reveal himself.

Tokiya chose a much-hidden spot for them which was why Otori Eiichi who was currently smirking at him did not hesitate to take off his baseball cap and face mask.

"You..." Masato's voice was stiff as he could feel his heart beat faster. Since their intense encounter in the hospital, he could not bring himself to see the guy as a friend from the same industry.

This guy was just plain dangerous. That was what his instinct told him.

"Why are you so surprised, Masato? It's only me," the guy said. Unlike the moment when he was a bit desperate to gain Masato's trust back after getting caught for strangling Tokiya in the hospital, this time he did not need the scion to trust him.

Rather, he wanted to be the beast for Hijirikawa family. He wanted Masato to recognize him as a threat that would give him nightmares mercilessly.

"What are you doing here?"

"Doing some window-shopping. HEAVENS got a lot of free times, thanks to someone," Eiichi said, eyeing his surroundings for a while. It was perfect for what he would do next. "I believe you're not alone. Do you come with your wife?"

No response from Masato. His eyes might appear his annoyance and suspicion but deep inside, he was concealing the shiver that he could not help but to feel every time Eiichi crossed his mind.

Dear heart, stop pounding.

"Ahhh, maybe with Tokiya then," Eiichi said. He loved how Masato did not hesitate to show how uncomfortable he was. "I thought I saw you and him together in the toy shop. Perhaps, did he help you buy something for your children? What a sweet friend you have here, Masato. He even has a lot of articles about Harumi and him before. Do you know that?"

"Please cut to the chase, Eiichi. I am not in the mood where people can talk rubbish," Masato said, almost raising his voice but he convinced himself to calm down. There was no proof that Eiichi was harmful in general so he did not see the point of being loud which would eventually attract any waiter towards them.

"Cut to the chase, huh?" Eiichi pushed back his glasses but it made Masato balled his fist because Eiichi's stare got more mocking. Call him dramatic or ridiculous but he was convinced that the man before him was mentally challenging him to snap in the public space. "Okay, then. What I want to say is... I think you should be careful with Tokiya. I thought I don't want to say this since it involved Haruka as well but..."

"Get lost," Masato whispered, closing his eyes as he could not stand Eiichi's sight anymore. Who was Eiichi trying to kid? Suddenly throwing a piece of absurd advice about his long-time friend like that... was really serious thinking that Masato would believe him? "If you want to do something clichéd like defamation of character, I am sorry to say that your method won't work to me. He went through a lot of defamation but guess what? All of them are not true. People used to claim that he acted like a slut but it turned out that he was exploited."

"Yeah, he was harassed, exploited and slandered a lot. But, I have evidence that not all sexual acts that he had committed were not out of his consent. One of them was his consent, Masato. He enjoyed it and do you know who was the woman?"

"I said, get lost."

"It's your wife, Haruka."

"Which part of 'get lost' that you don't understand, huh?" This time, Masato's hand reacted faster than his mind as his wife was mentioned in such a slurring way. His sudden movement had rattled the table while his hand was clutching tightly at Eiichi's grey collar despite his thin hand. The pianist was oblivious that he just made the first son of Raging Otori recalled how strong and aggressive he was eight years ago despite his poor condition.

"Wait, wait... please, no need to use violence here. I am here for good intentions. I empathized with you, Masato. With your condition, anything can happen."

"Don't come uninvited and say rubbish about my wife."

"I... I brought the pictures if you don't believe me," even with how suffocated it felt to have his collar clutched, Eiichi was determined to make his plan for that day worked. He took out an envelope of pictures before sliding it towards Masato's direction. "The proof of what they did together is already in your house eight years ago. You just don't realize it, Masato. You just don't realize it since you love the proof like your own life."

The encounter between Eiichi was unforgettable.

Masato was staring blankly at the wall after Eiichi left him before Tokiya came up, looking breathy. They continued their light conversation while having tea and cakes like the day was their most peaceful day.

Yet, they were too quiet as they were on their way to Masato's house. Masato was still bothered about the truth that Eiichi just told and showed them while Tokiya...

He did see Eiichi talking to Masato when he returned from the washroom. He did not clearly hear what their conversation was about but a dangerous man like Eiichi could not be seen with a sick man like Masato. He could sense that his twin was not comfortable with the idol's presence.

"Tokiya!!"

Masato's scream crossed his disturbed mind which caused his eyes quickly registered that the traffic light showed the red color and they almost crashed a car. His foot quickly pressed the brake pedal but the screeching sound from the friction between the slippery road and tires was not the greatest concern. Instead, with how hard and sudden the impact had become before their car could barely crash with another car, Tokiya instantly lifted his arm to protect Masato despite the guy wore a seat belt. It was quiet for a while as both of them were catching their breath, both relieved and anxious from the sudden incident.

"You... Are you okay?" After making sure that the stoplight was still showing the red color, Tokiya drew his attention to Masato, eyeing his friend from head to toe. "Did you hit yourself anywhere?"

"No, I am okay," slightly surprised by the attention, Masato could not say much. If only this incident did not take place right after his encounter with Eiichi, he would not be this shocked and puzzled.

"That's... that's good to hear, then," still catching his breath but his mind was focusing on Masato, Tokiya supplied, "I am sorry. I shouldn't be spaced out..."

While Tokiya was still panicking, Masato could only register how concerned the man looked and how Eiichi's words about his friends echoed in his ears.

"I think you should be careful with Tokiya."

"I have evidence that not all sexual acts that he had committed were not out of his consent. One of them was his consent, Masato. He enjoyed it and do you know who was the woman? It's your wife, Haruka."

"No, please don't apologize again. I am so sick of it and I won't work with you again if you refuse to listen to me."

At last, that was the only set of words that could stop Tokiya from being frantic and guilty about the incident. He ended up apologizing to Masato and Haruka a lot for causing the mishap which affected their working session as well. He and Haruka were discussing the rearrangement of his songs before Tokiya apologized again which caused Haruka to almost lose her patience.

"Instead, please take a look at this song," she said, quickly taking out a piece of music sheet from her file before putting it against the music rack. "It's a new one and I suggest that we make it the main piece of your upcoming album. You know, just another surprise for your fans."

"A new song... what, an album?" Tokiya said, unable to construct proper sentences given Haruka was telling him something so important as if they were talking about the weather. "Nobody told me anything. Plus, why would you compose one more song when we have enough for the concert?"

"For the first question, nobody told you anything because they just finalized it yesterday and they don't want you to refuse it. A pretty smart move, I must say. You will enjoy it anyway since you love singing, right?" she said with a beautiful smile no matter how sly she sounded. Well, for Tokiya, she always looked the most beautiful when she was sitting happily at the piano like that. "And about this last song, yeah, I came up with the idea last night and I thought I want you to be the singer. It'll be magnificent."

Silence.

"You can just save it for other singers who might need just one more song for their upcoming album, you know."

"No, I want you to sing this. It only suits you," she said softly, staring back at him as a sign that she would not take back her words no matter how absurd he thought.

Come to think of it, we did this a lot when we were way younger. Arguing, staring at each other, only both of us in the practice room, Tokiya thought. No matter how much time he spent with Tomochika nowadays and how rare he met Haruka, his heart was still stubborn.

His heart still uselessly loved Haruka.

Realizing the bitter truth, he awkwardly cleared his throat before turning his gaze to the music sheet opposite him.

"Well, if you say so," he said. Typical him, he had a lot to say when he disagreed on something but he could not focus. Not when Haruka was still staring at him as if she knew that her eyes could melt him.

"That's good to hear. For me, that song is just a cheap gift for someone who wants to celebrate my daughter's birthday in the middle of his comeback concert," Haruka said as she pressed the piano keys randomly. "If it's not an honor, I don't know what I should call it, then."

Tokiya's nervousness faded away as he remembered the girl who had won his heart since the day she was born. Their recent conversation on the first day he stepped into the newly established company was still fresh in his mind. He was spaced out alone at a balcony when she joined him.

"What are you thinking about, ojichan?"

"I was thinking about you."

"Me? Why?"

"Hmm... Let's see... I am thinking about you because it makes me happy. If I have a daughter, she will most probably look like you. No, I think she will look the same."

"I know, right? It'll be fun if you have a daughter who looks the same as me. If I have a beauty mark below my eye, I'll look like Daddy and your daughter will look like you."

"There you go, the poker face with the busiest mind ever," Haruka's comment and her smirk had dragged Tokiya away from his deep thought.

"I am... I am sorry. I got carried away I guess," he straightened his back. He swore that his face felt hot from being caught by Harumi's mother about just how endearing he thought the little girl was.

"Mind sharing what you have in your mind?"

"It's your daughter," he said, almost instantly. With a loving smile which had been Haruka's most favorite sight before she learned to love Masato, Tokiya supplied, "Actually, I really want to say this. It's literally the same thing with what I have told Masato before."

"And what is it?"

"To you, I want to say that... thank you for giving birth to Harumi."

In just one go, he totally pulled at her heartstrings. He was oblivious of the fact that such words were so warm for Haruka who had to keep their dark secret for years.

And for Haruka who had to keep the truth of who was Harumi for Tokiya.

"Wh... what did you say?"

"I know this sounds weird and you might think I am creepy when Harumi is not even my daughter."

She's yours, Tokiya.

"I love all the children but to be honest, nothing can beat what I feel about Harumi. My feeling to her is the strangest feeling that I have ever felt. She is strange but special. It just took our first meeting to learn that I am going to love her forever. Do you remember the first time when I met her? The way her small fingers instantly wrapped my thumb, the way she smiled at me... I know this is cheesy but at that time, I thought I could give up anything for her and I would do the best only for her."

That's because you're her father, Tokiya.

Haruka hated these jumbled feelings. Every time Tokiya expressed his love for Harumi, Haruka's mind would echo instantly that he was not strange neither his feeling towards Harumi because she was his child. The child who was the proof of how Eiichi trapped them in Tokiya's house.

Haruka was the woman who Tokiya slept with at the night of Eiichi's birthday party. Haruka was the only woman who Tokiya had no idea that he had slept with, let alone to have a daughter with. She had run away from his house before he woke up, tears streaming down her face as she felt dirty and overwhelmed with guilt for Masato.

Until now, it had become the worst nightmare for Haruka who struggled at first to build a new life with a man who was not Harumi's biological father, Masato.

"Really? That's... that's good to hear," Haruka turned her face, praying that Tokiya would not find it suspicious because...

It was hard to keep everything inside. She wanted to cry because she was happy to learn how much Tokiya loved Harumi. At the same time, she wanted to scream at how unfair it was for them. Haruka had lived with the guilt of keeping the secret for so long but she had no choices. She spent a lot of time to convince herself that her decision was the best for both of them.

"To think that..." the crack of the vocalist's voice was unexpected that he did not manage to cover it.

"Tokiya..."

They froze as they could see each other that they were crying. Unlike with Tomochika where Tokiya felt overwhelmed but too numb to cry, tears streamed down his face continuously.

The emotional state of him was caused by the fact that he knew Eiichi hated him. It was also caused by his friends who had worked so hard to rebrand his image through the comeback concert. It was also caused by Harumi and other children.

"I am... I am sorry," they said simultaneously.

What's wrong with you, Haruka? Why would you cry when Tokiya is around, out of people? She thought, desperately wiping her tears as her eyes wandered everywhere but Tokiya.

If this situation took place when they were much younger, she might encourage herself to wipe his tears as well as she hated to see him sad, let alone crying. Tokiya crying in movies and dramas was not rare but to see himself crying for real, it was saddening. Whatever he had shouldered must be so upsetting for a normal person.

But now, the destiny between them had changed. She was in no position where she could secretly kiss him or embrace him when he had a hard time. She was Masato's wife and no matter how close they were as friends, they should know their limit.

She did not want the dark past like how Harumi was born repeated itself again. It would cause a lot of pain to others too.

She looked around before finding herself a tissue box not far from the piano which they were sitting at. She took some of them before handing them to the guy.

"For me too," she said, chuckling with Tokiya at how they both cried almost in unison which seemed like they had no particular reason.

Which in fact, they burst into tears since all the feelings that they had to put aside had broken their hearts.

When they finally calmed down from crying and the embarrassment for their suddenly emotional state, she initiated, "mind to share with me what makes you crying?"

"I... I just feel happy to be blessed with good friends like you guys and also the fact that Harumi exists in my life," he said. "How about you?"

"It's literally the same as your reason."

I am happy to hear that you love Harumi that much since she is your biological daughter, Tokiya. Not Masato's.

They continued working until the time passed 8.00 p.m. Tokiya was back from buying them light dinner before he was served with the sight of Haruka, sleeping with her head rested on the piano lid.

"Haruka..." he softly called, pondering about either he should wake her up or ....

Staring at her peaceful sleeping face since that was what his blue eyes were interested to do. He did not even realize when he took a seat next to her, let alone when his hand reached her hair to push it aside.

Actually, there's more, Haruka. I want to thank you too. Since I've met you, my life has changed a lot. I never thought that someone who was nosy to me ended up being someone who I don't want to lose. I can't help but love you more and more. I kept looking away when you were around because I know you'd never be mine. I kept avoiding you because I know this feeling is useless. You're happy with your husband who is also my friend. I am running away because I want to give myself time to be happy about your marriage when in fact...

It's still painful to see you with him.

And I think this is why I couldn't cry on Tomochika but could do so when you're around. You're so special to me that...

Yet, the thought of who was the man who married to Haruka instead of him startled him. He removed his hand right away, got scared of his own thought.

What're you doing, Tokiya? How could you! She's Masato's wife. You're being insane here for still loving your friend's wife for this long. Pull yourself together, won't you!?

He ended up walking away from the room. His head felt too heavy to bother with which destination his legs intended to carry him. All matters were he should avoid himself from Haruka.

Little did he know, a woman who was supposed to visit him shortly after her work saw everything.

He's not in love with you, Tomo. That's not how he looked like when he truly loves someone, Eiichi's voice ricocheted in her mind in order to justify what her heart had guessed.

Does... does that mean Tokiya is in love with Haruka?

And that's how the tiring soup opera of this chapter ended :P Please let me know what do you think ^^