CHAPTER 8

"Woahhhh, it's so pretty, Daddy!" Harumi exclaimed, staring at her image in the big mirror with a fulfilled smile. Her small hand touched every single curve of the neat braids around her head. Mitsuki who was standing beside the bed while holding a drawing block just stared at her sister with bright eyes.

This was one of Harumi's favorite moments with her father. Before Masato fell sick, he always styled her hair every morning before going to school. It had become the main reason for her to keep her hair long. She loved it when her friends praised Masato's dexterity.

"Then, do you want me to braid your hair with this style tomorrow?" Masato asked, smiling back at Harumi's reflection.

"Yes, I would love to!"

"Pretty. Oneechan pretty," Mitsuki said. She was standing on her toes so that her short hand could reach the braid. "Daddy, this is pretty."

"Do you want it, dear?"

"Yes!"

"Okay, come here," he lifted Mitsuki to sit between his legs. Unlike Harumi, it was harder to comb the girl's hair since she could not sit still. She was always animated and sometimes, she would giggle when the comb tickled her neck.

This was something that could not be replaced. It was always nice whenever Masato spent a bonding time with the girls every night. His sickness should never be a deterrent to him. He would ensure that not a lot of things in his family would be changed just because his health condition got poorer each day.

They spent some more time together, with Mitsuki insisted to draw his face. Yet, it ended up with a few crappy drawings which led her to cry hopelessly in Masato's arms. The entertained Masato and Harumi managed to coax her to stop crying before Haruka sent both of them to sleep in their bedroom.

After pampering the girls with goodnight kisses, Masato rested against the headboard. He reached the blue mp3 player which was a gift from his teammate, Otoya. It contained all STARISH songs which hopefully would help him to retrieve his memory. He put on the black earphones, slowly relaxing as 'Mirai Chizu', one of STARISH's old song echoed in his ears.

"So far, your memory lasted about a week or two."

On the spur of the moment, His doctor's statement crossed his mind.

It has been more than two weeks, right? Strangely enough, I still can remember everything, he thought.

He really did not want to lose this memory again. It was so priceless.

"We still can't identify your disease."

Seriously, where did it come from? How come my body suffers something like this? He pondered, staring at his legs. The disease had callously limited his agility. Every time he was alone in the room, he tried to move his legs without having to cling to anything but he would collapse after two or three steps. So, as the alternative, he would use the furniture as his support. He still embraced the hope that someday, his legs would recover and he did not have to cause more trouble to Haruka. His heart sank every time the petite Haruka had to use her scarce strength to support him. Her body must feel ached due to his heavy frame.

He did ask her to pay a caretaker for him but she said...

"I can't trust a stranger to look after you. Plus, I still can compose songs at home unless I have to attend a meeting. I can monitor your progress and maybe... when you see me every day, you will easily remember me every time you lose your memory again."

She did have a point. Plus, his friends always volunteered to look after him.

Suddenly, he could feel the bed dipping slightly before a soft kiss was pressed on his beauty mark, below his eye. As soon as his eyes snapped open, a pair of golden eyes came into his view. A loving smile followed suit, which was a blessing for his eyes.

"Are the girls asleep already?" He asked, softly. His hand settled through her silky hair, stroked it down to her neck.

"Yes, they are," she replied. Masato had started to be more comfortable and affectionate to her so she could not ask for a better gift than this one. "You seem to enjoy the music. What are you listening to?"

"Original Resonance," he answered, removing and rolling the earphones. He placed it on the table, together with the mp3 player.

"Oh, the song with Tokiya," she supplied, smiling at the memory behind the song. She was inspired to write the song after she observed them working together in order to come up with the lyrics. The song suited them well, not to mention their sweet voices, also blended harmoniously.

"Is Tokiya always that talented in singing?" Masato asked. It sounded skeptical but he had his own reason.

"Yes, he is," Haruka confirmed. "Back then, he was noted for his singing skill and considered as the main vocalist of STARISH."

"Oh, really?" Masato's eyes sized up. To his mind, the position really suited the guy. "But, he doesn't sing nowadays, right?"

"Yes, he doesn't," Haruka lost her smile right away as another reality hit her mind.

"Why?"

"I don't know," Haruka shrugged. "Most probably he is just too busy with his movies but come to think of it, he loves singing so much. The Tokiya I know would try his best to find time for singing, especially with you guys."

"I see," he remarked. It was a bit frustrating when he started to care more about the guy but his lack of memory weighted him down from searching for the reason why Tokiya abandoned his singing career.

"Maybe you can encourage him to sing back, Masato? At least if it doesn't fit his schedule, maybe he can sing together with you here and I will play the piano. You know, just for fun."

"Huh, me?" Masato pointed at himself. "Why, though? Himura-san said to me that since I am Tokiya's twin, I would be the right person to advise him so that he will take care of his health and what not but to be honest, I don't think so."

"Why not?"

"Because I just met him once," Masato reasoned out. "I don't remember anything about him. I don't know what he has gone through to the point of quitting something that he loves. I don't know. For some reason, something told me that he's not happy with his current job."

"You noticed that too?" Haruka's eyes sized up. She moved next to Masato, covering the duvet over their waists.

"Yeah, I did. My first impression of him is he is so different from the other guys. They are like the happy chatterboxes but Tokiya... he doesn't talk or smile a lot. It feels like something has pressured him from enjoying himself. Or is he just that kind of person? A stoic, perhaps?"

"Yes, you can say that," she said while playing with Masato's fingers on her lap. "He got more open with us but most of the time, he tended to bottle up everything. It's just his personality."

For the rest of the night, Masato found himself thinking about Tokiya. Maybe it was too early for him to come up with a conclusion but he was positive that there were a lot of things about STARISH that were still hidden from his knowledge.

Why the other guys avoided from talking about him as if he's no longer a part of us? He questioned in his mind. Did they hide something from me?

He really wanted the memory of their past now.

The second blow pushed his face to his right side. A red liquid gushed from the corner of his lips but it failed to stop Otori from vomiting all his frustration to Eichii. Otori's fatherly side was always strange and eerie. He never had this cheesy feeling where his heart would sink as soon as he realized that he hurt his son.

Rather, the only thing that he could focus on was how to make Eichii knew that his mistake was unpardonable that he deserved worse than the blows.

"You have never done a good job, Eichii! Never!" Otori yelled as the two pairs of purple eyes stared into each other. The sight of his pathetic son was so despicable that it would possibly bring more antagonism to him.

To him, it would be a divine if Tokiya was his son. He would utilize the guy for his own benefit, taking a revenge on Saotome whenever he wanted.

Unlike Eichii.

Never once, Eichii or HEAVENS made him proud of their achievement. No matter how many awards or recognitions they obtained after blood, sweat, and tears, Otori's definition of attainment was when HEAVENS could make STARISH die out which would cause a cataclysm for Saotome.

He never realized that he was like a disturbing comedy for Eichii because Otori also never succeeded in achieving his wicked goal. Back then, the legendary singer had tried to brainwash Tokiya to join his company but it turned futile. Then, he ordered Eichii to mess Otoya up. Being blessed with an extraordinary dancing skill which was also one of the main reasons for STARISH's popularity, Otoya was also the easiest target to manipulate due to his naive personality.

But, just like Tokiya, Otoya's strong sense of loyalty with his teammates had stopped him from going astray. The twins' collaboration in movies, theaters, and concerts afterward did not make the situation any better. So, other than Eichii, he was also the merriest person in the world when Masato fell sick.

This time, he forced Eichii to co-star with Tokiya with the hope that his son would overpower the guy with his great acting skill.

Yet, Saotome seemed to know more what he was doing when Masato was supposed to be on hiatus.

As expected, everything was downhill all the way. Everyone, just everyone's attention turned to Tokiya and Masato. The reunion of the famous twins had made a very big impact and instantly received blanket coverage.

As for Eichii, it took all for him to not let the monster in him showed itself. It took all for the guy not to be off his rocker when Tokiya and Masato had been everyone's center of attention. Sure, he had a small group of fans who still swooned over him but they quickly went to the twins' direction which telling him right away that they were not really loyal to him. It also seemed like everybody just told him to quietly disappear from the interview so that all the concentration would go to both the blue heads.

He could not stand the situation any longer so he left shortly after the autograph signing, only to face Otori's enmity afterward.

"Even Masato was added last minute, you are expected to overshadow them but what have you done!? You just sat there like a loser! And now, you claimed yourself and your stupid group can match their level!? Shame on you, Eichii!"

The familiar burning flowed through his veins. It was a taboo for him every time Otori insulted the group of people whom he shared the same passion with. He looked daggers at his father, matching the guy's whenever he could not control his fury.

"Don't say a word about my teammates, Dad," he said, firmly. He was scared with his father. He really was but he always found himself flew off the handle whenever Otori belittled his teammates. "You can insult me but..."

Another slap hit his face and this time, his already loose glasses flew off. His nose ached from the sudden impact but it was nothing compared to the mental and verbal assault that Otori splattered on him.

"Get out of here! I don't want to see your face, you loser!" Otori yelled as he pointed at the white door. His eyes were about to bulge from all the screams and blows.

'The loser one is you. You can't even beat Saotome-san's success and instead, you made us even the score' was what Eichii wanted to say but...

No, it's okay. The time for Otori to learn that his eldest son was not a loser did not come yet.

After slowly picking up his broken glasses from the floor, he staggered towards the corridor. That was when he could feel the aches spread through his face. Since Otori was a sturdy man like his son, his bashes would certainly give more injuries. His eyes only fixed ahead, did not bother to throw any last glance at his father. He was beaten a lot before so he had grown accustomed to his father's sides. One of them was Otori never felt even a slight guilt. Instead, he would eye Eichii like he was the most disgusting creature in the world.

Luckily there was no one around so he did not have to hide his bruised face.

Or so, he thought until his purple eyes caught the sight of Kira, his quiet but very observant teammate. From the way Kira stared at him, it was obvious that Kira was expecting him or...

It was obvious that Kira just heard the insanity from his father's office.

Why Kira, out of them? I wonder if he heard everything, he thought. His big hand quickly covered half of his face.

"Eichii..." The way Kira said his name answered the desperate questions in his head. He knew the guy for years so he could easily tell his tones apart.

"If you worry about HEAVENS, seal your mouth. Don't even say a word to others."

"But..."

"Don't worry, Kira. I can bear it as long as he doesn't touch you guys," he said, indirectly stated that Otori was not a doting president who would never hurt his underlings especially for a petty reason. After all the abuse, he was too tired to sprinkle the amazing but fake facts about his father.

Meanwhile, as his yellow eyes could grasp Eichii's bruised nose, Kira's shoulders dropped. His assumption had always been right. Eichii, their leader was shouldering a certain and disturbing burden.

It was late at night but it did not stop the four members of STARISH to hang out together. They might focus more on their personal life and solo projects but the friendship that was sustained since 17 years ago just glued them together. There was an unspeakable oath among them; maintaining their friendship no matter what happened.

Even somebody had grown distant from them.

Unlike Syo and Cecil who were sitting next to each other in order to speak ill of each others' clothes, Otoya, the only redhead in the group was slurping the curry quietly. A wide grin spread across his face every time his tongue savored the sweetness.

"Otoya, you're not even a customer. Why are you eating like one?" Cecil remarked after decided that he won his argument with Syo; the guy's wardrobe was worse than his. The discord from the small guy no longer won his attention. "Your wife is the chef. I bet you eat hers every day, right?"

"That's why I am eating like this," Otoya said, still with his famous grin that could make people question his age due to the childish aura that he emitted. "It never feels this heavenly unless it's her cooking."

Plus, the answers that he threw to them... They were all sweetness and light. At last, nobody could stop him since he accidentally made other people feel impure. Yes, he was the co-owner of the restaurant but it did not stop Otoya from eating like their regular customers.

"Where is Natsuki by the way?" Cecil looked at Syo while stirring his tea. It was the habit of the youngest member of STARISH, asking where was everybody going since he loved it the most when all of them were together.

Except for the twins. Of course, they could not hang out together because of a very solid reason. Since the restaurant was just founded, Otoya had provided a VIP room which could fit seven people. It was something that Cecil and Syo could not comprehend until now.

"Why seven? It should be six," was what Syo asked when he was informed about the room. "I still can understand if you said it's for six people even Masato is in that condition, though."

Otoya just smiled at him which Ren deciphered it as, "Otoya hopes that someday, he'll join us as well."

"You wish," Syo made sure that nobody could hear him.

"Why are you always asking me about him? He's still in the studio, shooting his children show," Syo answered, grumpily.

"Oh, sorry for asking you. I thought that you don't know that he's shooting a children show," Cecil said sardonically. Until now, Syo still could not accept the simple fact there was no one in this world would know more about Natsuki's whereabouts other than him.

"If he's here, he would disappear and join Otoya's wife in the kitchen," Ren, another scion in STARISH other than Masato remarked. "It's always fun whenever he's around. He has the ability to make you guys get a stomach ache from all the cooking."

"The only one who thinks it's fun is you, Ren," Syo said. His face contorted with a very angry expression but unfortunately, he still looked adorable. "The rest of us have suffered greatly from his cooking but he still has a nerve for asking 'what's wrong with me cooking for you guys?' That guy can be so stupid sometimes!"

Except for Ren, they were unwillingly reminded of a series of horrifying events once Natsuki set his foot into any kitchen. Mysteriously enough, no matter how many times an expert cook like Masato taught him, Natsuki still did not get it under his thick skull. The horror lasted since 17 years ago and sadly, Natsuki's cooking skill did not prove any better.

But, the most exasperating part was...

"And for some reason, Ren always can escape from those uncool situations like getting a stomach ache," Cecil pouted, eyeing the oldest member in STARISH in envy. "Even the cool Tokiya also suffered from food poisoning."

"I know, right? That guy is so sensitive to unhealthy food. I have never seen anyone's face can be as blue as his because of someone's cooking," Syo said.

Ren lifted his eyebrow at their remarks.

These guys... they said they hate Tokiya but they naturally said his name whenever we reminisced about something like this, his mind said.

"So, what's the reason for you to call us out here?" Ren interposed, finally bothered enough to lean forward after settling himself against the chair. His cyan eyes pierced at Syo, the reason for their late night rendezvous.

The small face of Syo slowly contorted into what Ren called as Syo's infamously dissatisfied face.

"I believe you know what it is, Ren," Syo said, gazing knowingly at the said guy. "I mean, what happened right now to Masato and the supposed to be T of STARISH."

"Oh, do you mean the interview?" Ren asked back, almost immediately.

"Yeah, I watched that!" Otoya exclaimed, finally leaving his curry alone. Excitement glinted in his red eyes. "Tokiya is so sweet! I did feel bad for Masato but hey, Tokiya was there so I knew it shouldn't be a problem. They looked so good together!"

"Of course it shouldn't be a problem," Syo said, sarcastically. He was not pleased with how positive Otoya took it when the situation did not agree with it. "That guy is a real pro anyway. He can change his persona from the greatest angel in the world to the worst demon in the world."

"No need to say it like that, Syo. That's mean," Otoya said, softly. He was clearly frustrated when he thought that they were supposed to talk about it nicely.

"Well, Otoya... you know that Syo and I hate each other, right?" Cecil said, his thumb pointed at Syo. "But if I agree with him which is obviously a rare occasion, you can say that we're absolutely right. We all know how great Tokiya's acting skill is. We have lived with him for years before he decided to move out and ditch us."

"Plus, that guy's perfectionism is creepy. He'll do anything so that nothing can mess up with his works. That guy is so hateful!" Syo supplied.

"Hateful? But just now, you guys were the one who mentioned..." Otoya was startled by a pat on his arm. Ren who was next to him was gesturing to him not to scold Syo and Cecil back.

"So your point is?" Ren asked. He had his own conclusion about Tokiya but until he met that guy face-to-face, it was always early to draw it out.

"My point is, all this time, we tried so hard to hide the truth about Tokiya from Masato since we were positive that they never met each other. But now, since he had met Masato, he had left some impression to the guy. I can see that Masato was amazed by his so-called professionalism. For sure, Masato will keep asking why that guy doesn't seem to get along with us," Syo reasoned out. He did not care if anybody would say that he just spoiled the fun for tonight since he believed, Masato was the first priority now.

"And of course, the last thing that we want it to happen to a sick guy is to make him worried about us. We all know Masato, right?" Cecil added.

This. The real problem.

"Then, we should patch up with Tokiya. Just forget that nothing happened between us in the first place," Otoya suggested. Red eyes sized up with a hope that at least somebody would see eye to eye with him. At this kind of moment, he desperately needed Natsuki with him since the other three still harbored resentment against Tokiya.

But, his pure intention to make all of them united again just brought up the tension even Ren's reaction was still much calmer.

If only everybody has the same mindset as you, Otoya...

"Seriously, Otoya! Why do you even bother to be chummy again with the jerk!? I know he's your ex-roommate but it doesn't mean you have to forgive and forget what he did to you, to us! Just because he's popular, that doesn't give him a right to insult us! Did you forget that already!? Seriously, a pacifist like you shouldn't make friends with a disgusting stripper like him! It doesn't give you any benefits!"

"Syo..."

"A shameless guy like him doesn't deserve to be a part of STARISH. He was voted for the Heart-throb title because of his excessive fan services. If he's so proud of the cheap popularity, to hell with him! I don't want to be associated with someone like him!" Cecil remarked. It might sound too harsh for Otoya as he quickly lifted his head, looking daggers at the foreign guy.

Here we go, Ren knew he had to step forward to pacify them. The three youngest members in STARISH got along well but they would jump down each other's throat once the issue with Tokiya was mentioned.