"Iori, you're going to that theme cafe, right?"

After I6's dance practice in the afternoon, Mitsuki approached his little brother. Iori had gotten much better so I6 now had a mini concert scheduled for next month.

"Yes, Nii-san. It's been a while since I last saw Kujou-san. I'd like to check on him."

Iori had a small smile on his face. It was a smile that Mitsuki absolutely adored as Iori would always try to hide it. However, Mitsuki was not so taken by it this time.

"Riku has been hurting you, hasn't he?"

Iori who was crouching and packing things up froze on the spot. What Mitsuki said was sadly true, Riku had been a little more mentally unstable since Kujou Takamasa was arrested. His doctor said it was from extra trauma since Friend's Day. Not to mention that Riku had lost his career as an idol. It was not like Iori was not used to seeing Riku being so lifeless, then all of a sudden losing control of his emotions before they started officially dating. Their relationship had always been unpredictable. It was just that Riku had been having trouble with it a lot lately and that simply tired Iori out.

Mitsuki noticed that Iori had been acting strange. The younger boy would normally be talking about Riku excitedly without realising it himself. Sure, he was still happy, but there was a noticeable difference. There was tiredness and a hint of pain in Iori's eyes. At least his dear brother could see.

"Iori" Mitsuki touched his little brother's shoulder when he found the boy looking at him without replying. "I will tolerate anything but violence."

Iori gave Mitsuki a reassuring smile when his brother made it clear he was worried about Riku abusing him physically. "Don't worry, Nii-san, Riku doesn't hit me."

Mitsuki shouted this time. "Don't lie to me! Nanase said you two fought that day." Mitsuki's body trembled as he was trying to hold back his frustration.

Iori stood up and took his Nii-san's hand. He looked right into Mitsuki's eyes. "It's very rare for Riku to be in that state. I can say he is an idiot who doesn't know how to deal with a lot of things, but he is innocent and kind at heart. Plus, he has been getting professional help." Iori spoke with his analytical tone, showing Mitsuki that he was not blinded by love.

Still, Mitsuki was not very convinced.

Iori let go of Mitsuki's hand. "Why don't you come with me, Nii-san? That way, you can see for yourself."

The younger boy appreciated how much his brother cared about him. The same went for Iori who truly cared about Mitsuki. Even though it sounded childish, Iori wanted Mitsuki to be on good terms with Riku. He wanted to be able to boast to his big brother about how charming his boyfriend was.

~~

The theme cafe was full of customers this evening. In fact, it had gain a lot more popularity since Riku started working here. Somehow, Erin's doll-like expression pleased a lot of young women. Erin made them feel like they were in an anime world and were really his master. Unfortunately, Iori had booked a private service with Erin, so he was not serving anyone else tonight.

Mitsuki's mouth dropped as he looked around. However, he was wearing a face mask so people could not see. "This place looks crazy expensive!" Mitsuki felt like a king just by standing there.

"Right?" Iori pulled his face mask down and smiled at his brother. "I was very surprised when Riku took me here too."

Mitsuki smirked and lightly elbowed Iori, "Heeeeh? Now I know why you fell head over heels for the guy. "

The younger boy's face went tomato red. "N-Nii-san. I d-don't! I jus-"

"Welcome back, Izumi-sama."

Iori was interrupted by the elegance presented before him. Erin stood before the brothers and bowed deeply, letting his waist-long ponytail hang and shine under the light of the pretty chandeliers. When he stood up, his gentle smile went so well with his blank yellow eyes that even Mitsuki was taken by such beauty. Damn, your boyfriend looks amazing.

"Ah, I did not realise we have two Izumi-sama today." Riku bowed lightly again when he noticed Mitsuki. "May I address you as Iori-sama and Mitsuki-sama instead?" As soon as the brothers nodded, Riku led them to the luxury private tea room. "This way please"

The plan was as usual: Riku would serve them starters, main courses, and desserts as Erin. Once the brothers were happy and full, he would join them to chat as Riku for the rest of the night.

Mitsuki stuffed himself with tasty food, not leaving a single grain of rice behind on his plate. He even ate Iori's remaining portions. "The food here is amazing!" He felt very lucky that Iori invited him. "Did Riku cook these?"

Iori laughed. "Of course not." Momo and Yuki would never let him near the cooking stations.

Once all the plates were cleared away and the tables were wiped, Riku entered the room, closed the door behind him and took off his yellow contact lenses.

Mitsuki did not waste a moment speaking his mind. "Hey Riku, mind if we talk for a bit?" Iori sighed. He should have known his brother had been waiting too long for this. As soon as Riku nodded, Iori got up and was about to step out of the room when Mitsuki pulled his arm.

"Iori, stay." The older brother ordered, so Iori sat back down.

"Is this about Iori?" For once, Riku took a clue.

"Yes. To be more accurate, it's about you two." Mitsuki spoke with a stern look on his face. Riku took a seat on a large armchair at the end of the table and waited for Mitsuki to start.

"Do you love Iori?"

Riku just sat there, showing no reactions whatsoever. He did not even flinch. The only one with wide eyes was Iori. The boy was not sure whether to look at Riku or his own brother.

"I can't answer that."

Mitsuki's mouth dropped in response. He did not want to believe what he was hearing. It should have been the easiest question to answer, yet the boy could not answer it? It was wrong. Everything felt so wrong.

Iori was not hurt. He was crushed. Strength was rapidly leaving his body. He kept his head down. Tears started forming around his eyes. The boy wanted to scream, to tell himself he was only dreaming.

Oh, Mitsuki was boiling alright. "You-!" He clenched his fist tightly. "Don't toy with my little brother's feelings!"

"Toy? Hardly," Riku shook his head. "I don't want to lie. Especially to the people who have helped me. Saying I love Iori would make him happy, but it would mean nothing when I am actually numb on the inside."

"That being said, I have my memory." Riku smiled a little, despite recalling the painful moments. "I remember wanting to cry out loudly when father said Iori was gone." His voice started to shake. "I remember the strong sensation of guilt when I knew Iori was injured because I let him into my life. I said I would never hurt Iori again and yet..."

The high school student bit his bottom lip. He had to cover his mouth to not weep so loudly. Riku had told him what happened, but never like this. Ever since they reunited, Riku had always kept his feelings shut even though he was free. It gave Iori a conflicted feeling as he knew Riku was much more natural during the time after the BLACK or WHITE event.

"It hurt." Riku's tears started to run. "It still hurts. I remember wishing to be by Iori's side. The number of times I fought with father and the guards because I begged them to let me see Iori." Riku talked between sobs. He tried to wipe tears with his clothed arm.

"I'm scared *sob*" The red-haired boy started to hyperventilate. "I'm scared... *ha* *ha* someone... Iori...*ha* will be in trouble...*pant* because of my... emotions."

Iori could not take it anymore. He shot from his seat towards Riku and threw his arms over the older boy's shaky body. "It's- *sob* it's okay, Riku. It's okay now."

Riku looked up at Iori's face. "I made you cry again..."

"...how can I not when you are like thi-wah!" Without warning, Riku pulled Iori's shirt so Iori fell onto his lap. The redhead then rested his forehead on Iori's thin shoulder and embraced the boy tightly. "Baka." Iori rubbed Riku's back. He whispered gently. "No one is going to hurt you anymore, Riku."

Mitsuki could not help getting emotional at the sight of the scene in front of him. For the time being, Riku's answer would have to suffice.

~~

"I don't get why you have to follow me around whenever I want to see my sweet little brother."

Tenn turned to give Gaku a sharp, cat-like glare. Gaku answered with his classic straight face. "Shouldn't it be obvious? Who knows what your crazy brother can do to you?"

"Rude," Before Riku could do anything to Tenn, Gaku had better watch out for what Tenn could do to Gaku. "If you love me, you have to love Riku too."

Gaku was driving Tenn to pick Riku up from the boy's apartment. There was a certain place Tenn wanted to take Riku to. Today was perfect since TRIGGER had the day off. Ryuu wanted to hang out with Sougo and Tamaki so he did not come along. As for Gaku, it was obvious he just wanted to be with Tenn.

When Riku came down from his apartment, Tenn moved from the front seat to the back seat instead to sit with (and cuddle with) his baby brother. Tenn patted Riku's head gently with care. "It's going to be around an hour drive. Have you got everything?"

"Yes, Tenn-nii." Riku gave a mini smile before turning forward to face Gaku. "Hello, Yaotome-san." Gaku simply replied with a cool "Hey, Kujou."

It got a tad too quiet on their way to their destination. Gaku had just the perfect idea to kill this awkward silence. "Tenn, take a CD in the back and put it in the player."

Tenn narrowed his eyes. "Why should I do that?"

"Just do it, geez."

Tenn sighed and leaned forward to pop the mysterious CD into the player as instructed. "If this is some weird shit like Galactic Mermaid, know that I will destroy you." Especially when it is played in front of my innocent little Riku.

"Nah," Gaku smiled with confidence. "We are doing karaoke." The pumping melody of I6's latest song, 'Viva! Fantastic Life!!!' started playing. Of course, Riku and Tenn recognised those cheerful beats right away. "Pick 2 members to sing as" Gaku ordered. "And quickly!"

"I'll take Iori." Riku spoke with no hesitation behind his voice, earning a signature smirk from Gaku. "And Mitsuki."

"Yotsuba Tamaki and Osaka Sougo," Tenn quickly answered next. "Hope you die rapping." Tenn had a victorious smile on his face.

"Curse you!" Gaku shouted. It was already time to sing so he could not argue anymore.

Riku had to sing a lot since he took the young centre's part. While Gaku and Tenn were great singers, Riku's voice blended in with I6's song the most. Too bad the youngest showed no expression whatsoever. Gaku messed up the rap bit while Riku sang his perfectly. Tenn laughed. He was suddenly so happy that he put in that CD.

Gaku gritted his teeth. Leopard Eyes intro started to play next. "I'm definitely not messing this one up. I'm taking my own part!"

"Does that even count as a challenge?" Riku spoke. Those words came out sounding like a taunt when actually he was just asking a genuine question.

If Gaku was not driving, he would have slammed something hard. "Damn this kid! Fine! I'm singing Tenn's!"

"I'm not singing Gaku's. Riku, I trust you can make his part 10 times better." Tenn winked.

"If Tenn-Nii says so-ah! Taste you, taste you~" Riku almost missed the beginning.

The three enjoyed singing to a hot track. Of course, Tenn sang perfectly, except for the times he forgot and sang his own actual part along with Gaku.

"Kujou and I passed, Tenn failed." Gaku took the opportunity to declare his superior ability. It worked. Tenn hated the word 'failure' more than anything. What stopped Tenn's frustration was the start of the next song.

Whoa oh oh wo...

Riku would recognise that song from anywhere. It was Kujou Riku's BLACK or WHITE song, "Take the TOP". His eyes widened as he felt like his heart was being squeezed. The fact that he could not sing on stage for his screaming fans anymore burned him.

Tenn saw that Riku was clearly bothered by it. "Hey, stop that!" The older twin immediately lunged forward and pushed the pause button. "Riku, are you okay?" He touched Riku's shoulder.

Riku took a few deep breaths to calm himself before shaking his head. "I'm fine, Tenn-nii. Let's do it."

"There's no need to force yourself," Tenn squeezed Riku's arm.

"Nothing is wrong with the song," Riku gave a sad smile. "I want to sing it."

"But how are we gonna split it?" Gaku asked as if nothing had happened. Riku appreciated that.

"Why don't we all sing together?"

~~

The three had finally arrived at their destination: an isolated, peaceful, and well-kept graveyard. They stayed quiet as they walked along the path in between cut grass to find a specific spot.

The Nanase family grave.

"Is this..." Riku started to speak while inspecting the names on the gravestones.

"Yes." Tenn kept his answer short and to the point. "Our parents rest here, Riku."

The red-haired boy gasped lightly before taking his time kneeling in front of the grave. Tenn also knelt right next to him. The twins closed their eyes. They both talked to their parents in their own way, in their minds. Soon, Riku started to cry, "Mom... dad... *sob*". Tenn gave Riku a reassuring hug and rubbed the boy's back with care. Gaku who watched from afar felt sympathetic for the lives of the separated twins.

Once they exited the graveyard area, "Riku" Tenn called out his little brother's name and came to a stop.

"Yes, Tenn-nii?"

"Your name. Change it back to Nanase."

-----------------------------------------------------

I hope this chapter had enough fluff to fight with the angst XD I swear once I write something angsty, I don't know when to stop.

Comments and votes from you lovely people are always appreciated teehee~ so douzo~!

If you wanna contact me or anything, my twitter is 'kenarkrsun' ^^