"I know I'll probably say something out of place now…" Ken rebuffed between teeth while tugging angrily from the wire that connected his guitar to the amplifier.
"It wouldn't be the first time." Tetsu replied sounding deliberately uninterested. "Go ahead. Shoot."
"I'd shoot you if I had a gun here, man!" Ken yelled, encountering Tetsu's sarcastic laugh for reply. "I really would."
"Ken… I rarely ever ask you to do something like this, man."
"That's probably because somewhere inside your dictator's head you know I'm not the right person for this kind of job."
"Maybe." Tetsu answered and shrugged smirking. "But you are the only one at hand right now."
"Why can't you ask Haido to do it?" Ken screeched nervously, and kicked the wah-wah pedal out of his way before walking his guitar to its case.
"Ah, man…" Tetsu sighed. "I've already answered that a gazillion times. Because Haido is too busy self-pitying and angsting against the world."
"Smartass. I should have done the same. Dammit." Ken hissed annoyed.
"Why can't you do it? It's a simple request!"
"And why can't YOU do it?"
"It wouldn't be the same, dude. It wouldn't at all."
"Listen, Tetsu… we are not babies. Nobody here is a pre-schooler in need of a lollapalooza of a demonstration of love and seamless integration. Got that? What you are asking me to do is simply stupid!"
"Humor me, please?" Tetsu asked smirking and tilting his head to the right. He had a look that was half tired and half demanding.
"You know I'll have to!" Ken protested.
Tetsu gave Ken a piteous stern look. "Of course I do."

The conversation met a sudden end and the air became rapidly heavy. The music playing a few minutes before suddenly turned into the ruffling of instruments being put into cases, wires being tucked away, and annoyed rebuffing coupling with equally annoyed sighs.

"I hope to hear all about it tomorrow." Tetsu hinted while walking towards the studio door with a plastic smile on his face.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Ken replied, pulling down from his wool cap and angrily tugging from his backpack, jerking it from the floor to his right shoulder after hanging his guitar case from his left one.
"He probably thinks I've nothing better to do than playing mentor." He mumbled while walking out.

It was almost dark, and the winter cold scurried inside Ken's layered sweaters and coat reaching his bones. He blew warm breath on his hands and pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket.
"Why this sick obsession to make laruku a family, huh? This is how he manages to keep his stupid order… In the end, he's nothing but a paranoid who's always making up conspiracy theories and crap. This is a job! A job!" Ken protested inside his head while lighting up a cigarette. The cold wind kept blowing the lighter flame away and he had to turn his back to the street and shield the flame with his hand in order to light it. "It's a fun job, a lot better than office-work… but it's still a job and we are all pros!"
Ken cursed silently watching the faceless crowd rushing under the cold. It was beginning to sleet, and the sky was as somber as Ken's mood.
"And of course there's the question of how I'm gonna explain my wife that I'll go spend some 'quality time' with a co-worker… on a Saturday night… in this cold. I'm sure she will be delighted." Ken smirked disdainful. "Man… tonight was perfect for a cozy, romantic, fuck-a-thon with the old lady… she's probably expecting me to… Damn!
I'm gonna buy her something… she's gonna kick a tantrum when I tell her."
Ken finished his cigarette and walked heavily towards a convenience store two blocks away from the studio. He had gained quite an amount of experience at buying "apology presents" for the ladies in his life.
"I don't know what the hell Tetsu is thinking… I'd understand if I had been in some way unfriendly to Yukihiro, but no! I haven't! I've been very friendly and very nice to him! And I don't know where Tetsu gets the idea that Yukihiro needs this! Man, Tetsu's a greedy and fussy bastard! Yuki's our drummer! He'll gradually get into it!" Ken protested silently and hurried his march, partly from the cold and partly from anger. "It's not like he's a schoolboy! There is no need to do things this way! Damn Tetsu… 'Make him feel he's a part of the laruku family…' God dammit… What the fucking hell am I supposed to do? Pinch his butt and wink at him asking 'your drumstick or my wire, dude'?"

"So you see… this guy, Yukihiro, who is going to work with us from now on… he's new to the band… Sakura left us a few months ago… yeah, you remember Sakura… the skinny guy… dead-white skin, black clothes… smokes a lot… always has a dirty joke ready… yeah, him. Well, Yukihiro will take his place and… hm… well, we should make him feel comfortable with us, and a part of the laruku family… So… it's strictly business… I'll go clubbing with him tonight, without any previous or further notice. Our fuck-a-thon is… fucked… and I'm fucked… and this is all Tetsu's fault so go bitching at him!" Ken rehearsed in front of the mirror at the lobby in the building he and his wife lived in.
"All right… I gotta soften it at the end…" Ken mumbled and nodded.
The elevator bell startled him. He rapidly grabbed his belongings and rushed inside it.
"I should probably make up a better excuse…" Ken thought, resting his head against the elevator side wall. "That is… I should lie. In this case, a lie would be a lot more believable than this crap. If I tell her the truth she'll go berserk… Uh-huh… I don't want her to start getting suspicious and start nagging at me again. Yeah… I'm gonna tell her my father has an ulcer and he's gotta be operated on… No, wait… that's easy to counter-proof… I'm gonna tell her Tetsu has an ulcer and he has to be operated on, and the future of the band is menaced by Tetsu's ulcer.
Yeah… that's a believable one.
No, wait… that's not too believable, she knows Tetsu eats rather healthy… I'll better tell her Hyde has an ulcer and he's being a sissy about it and he wants us all to gather around him for consolation plus he needs witnesses to his last will because a bird told him he will die… yeah. That one is believable. Everyone knows Hyde is a nutcase."

Ken entered his apartment walking wearily. He dropped his belongings on a chair and turned on the light.
"Tadaima!" He announced tiredly, and pulled a box wrapped in glossy paper from under his coat.
"I'm home, pumpkin!" He called again.
An empty silence replied.
He walked towards the dining room table frowning, and noticed a piece of paper on it. He rapidly took it and read it.
"Kennie dear, My dad has an ulcer and he has to be operated on. I'm not gonna be at home tonight. There are leftovers in the fridge. Take care."
"What?!" Ken tapped his foot on the floor fuming. "I did all that brainstorming before trying to come up with a good excuse and all I get is this lame attempt of justification! Where is my fuck-a-thon!? I demand my fuck-a-thon!! I demand it now!!" Ken yelled angrily at the note.
"Uh… wait… this is convenient. I'll slaughter her tomorrow, but this is certainly very convenient… for the family…" Ken screwed the note into a ball and tossed it away. He stroke his chin and smirked wickedly. "All right… she will understand if I spend the night at some buddy's place. I'll call Yukihiro and carry out Tetsu's demand. This plan can't go wrong! In the first place, at least I'm not gonna get bored watching baseball on TV and jerking off to the voice of the girl in the commercials; in addition I'll comply with Tetsu's request, and finally, I won't have to do any apologies to my wife! With some good luck I'll get my fuck-a-thon tomorrow too! Man, it hurts to be this smart…" Ken grinned satisfied and walked over to the telephone. He took the little address book by it and looked up Yukihiro's number. "If he's not at home, I'll go clubbing." Ken stated firmly.
"Hello. I'm not here. Leave your message." A deep voice responded suddenly.
"Huh? What a talkative guy." Ken thought. "Hey, Yuki! It's Ken. I was wondering if you have some free time tonight. I'm at home, or you can call my cell-phone, OK? But call me. It's important. Don't forget to call me…"
"Hey." A voice on the other side interrupted.
"Yuki?"
"Yah."
"Oh! Good! The telephone said you were not there."
"I was busy."
"Your telephone lies."
"What's the matter?" Yuki answered distractedly.
"Got some free time tonight?"
"Sure. What happened?"
"Oh, nothing… just…" Ken trailed off.
"Huh? You are the guy who checks on people's free time share?" Yuki answered amused. "Are you getting enough vitamins, vegetables and free time, sir?" He went on mocking a funny voice.
Ken laughed wholeheartedly.
"Actually…" Ken started still chuckling. "I called to invite you to… well… go clubbing with me."
"I don't drink." Yukihiro answered dryly.
"I'm sure you do… now and then."
"I really don't have the time to…"
"Oh, come on… I AM sure you want to get acquainted with your fellow band members, right?"
"Sure. We'll do that at some other time. I've a lot to practice and Tetsu said he'd check on some stuff I've composed."
"Bullshit. Let's go for some drinks and chicks and…"
"Thanks anyway." Yukihiro cut in.
Ken sighed over the phone and changed his tone rapidly. "Listen, Yuki… Do me a favor, will ya? Tell Tetsu that…" He then stopped and considered his words. He didn't want to ruin the plan. Telling Yukihiro he was only asking him to join him because Tetsu had asked was a little insulting.
"…yes?" The voice on the other side chirped dully.
"Tell Tetsu that…" Ken started. "…that he's a workaholic and you are not his slave, dammit! Come have some fun tonight. I'll buy you soft drinks, OK? If you get bored I won't take it personal and I'll accept it like a man."
Yukihiro burst out laughing on the other side of the phone. "Aw… man… you sound like you really need a drinking buddy…"
"My father in law has an ulcer…" Ken said distractedly. "I'm rotting in boredom here. It'd be nice if you could…"
"Listen… I'm in no mood for clubbing tonight. It's cold and it's about to snow at any minute. Why don't you come over and we practice some songs… have some idle conversation… play some videogames… etc.? Huh? I bet that's gonna keep you entertained. I'll get you some booze if you promise not to puke on the carpet."
"I promise." Ken said and nodded. "But I'll bring the booze."
"Well… thanks… that is nice of you… I'm…"
"I know you are on a tight budget." Ken commented casually. "Tetsu would…" Ken stopped suddenly and took his hand to his mouth mentally cursing himself.
"Hm? Tetsu would… what?"
"Tetsu would probably… er… make me buy the booze if I was crashing his place too, so I don't mind. Yeah! That's it!" Ken congratulated himself happily. "I don't mind!"
"Uh… Are you sure you aren't drunk already?"
"Not at all, buddy! My wits are at their brightest!"
"All… right…" Yukihiro answered dubitatively. "So…"
"I'll be there in… say… half an hour."
"All right." Yukihiro answered laconically.
"Umm… You don't happen to have any porn movies or…"
"I don't." Yukihiro snapped.
"…And you would think it's not civilized of me to bring some over… right?"
Yukihiro didn't reply right away. "I thought we would discuss music."
"Uh… yeah… yeah, of course… yeah…"
"Well. I'll be waiting." Yukihiro said. "Bye now."
"B---bye." Ken replied and hung up. "He's weird… No wonder Tetsu likes him. He's a weird dude. No booze, no porn… Wait a minute… what if he's some sort of alien creature from outer space trying to invade the Earth and…?" Ken scratched his head and then slapped himself mildly. "…I seriously gotta stop listening to Tetsu's anime accounts. It's unhealthy."

Yukihiro opened the door swiftly, and greeted Ken with a warm smile.
"Yo, man. How's it going?" Ken grinned.
"Not bad. Come in." Yukihiro replied and gestured with his head towards the inside of the apartment.
"I tell you man… it's raining frozen cats and frozen dogs outside." Ken jeered and took his raincoat off, placed it on the hanger by the door and proceeded with his shoes.
"I thought you'd bring your guitar…" Yukihiro observed lighting a cigarette and offering one to Ken.
"No way, man. Not in this rain. My baby could catch a cold."
"Your guitar could catch a cold?!" Yukihiro repeated in surprise. "A little attached to it, aren't we?"
"It doesn't matter, really." Ken said. "I've brought another friend." He smiled and with a clanking sound, he pulled a bottle of whiskey out of his bag.
"Oh." Yukihiro watched the shiny dark bottle for a second and then raised his eyes to meet Ken's. "You don't mind if I drink diet Coke, right?"
"We can mix it." Ken said and shrugged. "So… let's have a buddies-night."
"Buddies-night?"
"Yeah… dirty jokes, porn, booze… Do you think we can call some escort service?"
"Er…" Yukihiro was aghast. "Is that what you guys do on rainy winter nights?"
"Well… Not always. Tetsu gets drunk right away so it's no fun… except when we do nasty things to him while he's drunk. Hyde takes a while to get drunk but when he does he pukes and recites poetry. It's pretty pathetic." Ken started his account while making himself comfortable on Yukihiro's sofa and uncapping the bottle of whiskey.
"Oh… I see. I bet Sakura was your drinking buddy." Yukihiro said and snickered.
"Uh…" Ken blinked and raised his eyes to Yukihiro.
"It's alright. Sakura is a friend of mine. I know him well."
"Well… lately we wouldn't drink together that often… but there was a time when… yeah… it was fun to go drinking with him." Ken answered measuring carefully his words.
"You are out of luck, man." Yukihiro laughed. "I don't drink that much."
"Well… it's never too late to get initiated." Ken grinned happily, a half-smoked cigarette dangling from the corner of his mouth.
"Uh… yah… well… I suppose I'll take a sip." Yukihiro obliged and sat by Ken.
Ken rested the bottle cap on the small table and looked at Yukihiro in a questioning manner.
"Huh?"
"I don't mind drinking from the bottle, but I think for starters, you can bring a couple glasses… if you don't mind." Ken observed.
"Oh! Right! Right! I'll go get them." Yukihiro said and bolted towards the small kitchenette. "Hold on while I wash them."
"Sure." Ken said and leaned back. "Well… it's not that bad. His party quotient is next to zero but… we all gotta start somewhere."
"Here." Yukihiro returned with two plastic cups from 7-11.
"Huh?"
"Hmm… these?"
"I'm… a little… short of glassware…" Yukihiro excused himself in embarrassment.
"I see… well… I don't mind. Let's do the initiation ceremony."
"The… what?!"
"Since you never drink."
"Oh… I drink occasionally. Just… not a habit of…"
"OK, humor me. I wanna think this is your first time drinking and I am sort of your alcohol-mentor."
Yukihiro laughed out loudly. "All right, man. Let's pretend I have never touched liquor before, if it makes you happy."
"Good. Good boy."
"Boy? Last time someone called me that… it was my grandma…" Yukihiro laughed again.
"How old are you, by the way?"
"Don't worry. I'm old enough to drink." Yukihiro kept joking.
"Oh, good. I don't wanna get into trouble with your parents." Ken joked and smirked. He served two glasses of whiskey and gave one to Yukihiro. "All right. Kanpai!"
"Kanpai!" Yukihiro answered and sipped from the glass while he watched Ken gulping his down.
"To the laruku family!" Ken cheered.
"Ugh…" Yukihiro shuddered. "Not too tasty."
"You are drinking like a sissy. Be a man and gulp it."
"You wanna get me drunk."
"No. Man, trust me!"
"I thought we would discuss music."
"Come on! Can't you have some fun? All work and no fun make Yuki a dull boy."
"I'm fine with dull. I can do without the excitement for the moment…" Yukihiro said before he gagged.
"So… I figured you wouldn't have cable TV, porn channel and a scrambler… right?"
"How perceptive." Yukihiro laughed after trying to gulp the whiskey and gagging again.
"And since I am such a perceptive guy, I brought some porn vids."
"All right. You forgot one tiny detail."
"What?" Ken asked pouring himself a third glass of whiskey.
"I don't own a VCR either."
Ken dropped his head feeling miserable.
"Sorry. Can we work on the songs now? Oh, by the way… it doesn't taste that bad when you gulp it. Can I have a second shot?"
"Help… yourself…" Ken muttered. He had already done so.
"Thanks." Yukihiro said grinning and poured himself a second glass of whiskey. "It kinda makes you feel less cold, doesn't it?"
"Yah…" Ken replied in discouragement.
"Well… As I was saying, I showed Tetsu some drafts that I had, and he said he liked them. He said they were promising and blah, blah… so he asked me to develop them a little further, which is what I am doing… er… what I was doing earlier."
"Uh-huh…" Ken gulped his fourth glass of whiskey.
"And I thought… well, this is a good chance, because you'd be able to tell me if something doesn't fit the mood and the style of L'Arc en Ciel. Right?"
"Ri…ght…" Ken trailed off.
"Cool! So let me show you." Yukihiro said. He poured himself a third glass of whiskey, gulped it and stood up.
Suddenly he dropped himself back on the couch.
"So…?"
"We have a situation here…" Yukihiro mumbled.
"What situation?" Ken replied in annoyance. It was already too evident that his plans were ruined.
"The floor is spinning…" Yukihiro replied in a low voice. "And it's soft…"
Ken gave a look at him and after a few seconds he burst out laughing.
"It's not funny… I bet the manager will get mad… uh… for some reason…" Yukihiro replied anguished.
"You are drunk!"
"No… I'm sober… I'm alright. The floor has a problem, not me." Yukihiro replied hastily.
"Yeah, right…" Ken couldn't stop laughing. "You are completely drunk! Man! It only took two shots of whiskey!"
"Uh… three…"
"Whatever! Oh, man… you are just like Tetsu!"
"Don't do nasty things to me!" Yukihiro warned.
"I won't, I won't… Tetsu would kill me if I tried to."
"Well… if he hasn't killed you yet when you admit to having done nasty things to him…"
"He's a sissy… he used to just sit there and cry when he found out."
"Poor Tetsu…" Yukihiro mumbled while holding on to the couch's armrest.
Ken kept laughing and poured himself another glass of whiskey.
"It won't beat me… I'm stronger than that…" Yukihiro said, already unable to control what came out of his mouth, and what should have stayed in his mind.
"You look beaten already, man… why don't you just sit here with me, keep drinking and we share some funny stories, or…"
"I… gotta… show you… the songs…" Yukihiro struggled to walk towards his drumset in the back of the room.
"It's not like I'm in any state to discuss music, really." Ken commented. "And neither are you…"
"Shit…" Yukihiro cursed and dropped himself to the floor. "I think I'll puke… funny because I didn't eat anything at all today…"
Ken turned around and gave him a concerned look. "You what…?"
"I'll puke… but I won't make it to the toilet…" Yukihiro answered in a pained voice.
"Man, I'll help you reach it." Ken answered and propped himself up rapidly.
"This is so embarrassing." Yukihiro protested angry at himself.
"It's alright, man… it's alright." Ken reached him and helped him up. Yukihiro was incredibly light. "Where's the toilet?"
"Th-there…"
"OK. Let's go slowly."
"I'm… so… ashamed…"
"You shouldn't be. Uhm… How's that you didn't eat anything at all today?"
"Huh?"
"You said that."
"I… did?"
"Yes, you did." Ken opened the toilet door with one arm while holding Yukihiro with the other.
"Oh… well… I don't know…" Yukihiro reached the bowl and gagged intermittently.
Ken sat behind him.
"Tetsu will kill me… yup… he will…" Ken mumbled to himself.

Yukihiro lied sidelong on the floor behind the sofa. He breathed noisily and snickered occasionally.
"Man… I'm so embarrassed…" He muttered now and then. "…helluva first impression you got from me."
Ken sat by his side, holding on to the almost empty bottle of whiskey and sighed.
"It's not like I first met you, dude… I had a good impression of you already, so don't worry."
"I wanted to look very professional…"
"It's all my fault, dude." Ken snapped and gulped down another shot of whiskey. His mind was elsewhere. If Tetsu found out (and he would find out) that he had embarrassed Yukihiro when he was specifically asked to make him feel comfortable, he'd have to put up with one of Tetsu's hissy fits. Those that could only be matched by his wife's.
"I'm feeling better now…" Yukihiro sighed and tried to roll on his side and lie on his back.
"No, no… stay on your side!" Ken urged him and held him by the arm.
"I'm alright… besides, this is uncomfortable…"
"Hey! You should know better than that! You might…"
"I'm not gonna die à la Jimmi Hendrix, K?" Yukihiro propped himself up, and rapidly held his head in pain.
"I'm gonna take you to your bed, man. You need some rest. I'll take care of you until you get better… maybe tomorrow you'll have a headache..."
"So, it's already tomorrow." Yukihiro interrupted. "…or the headache is early."
"F… fine… I'll get you some hangover pills… something to make you feel better. With some luck you won't remember a thing tomorrow, and… I can try again to…"
"Oh… that'd be a lucky thing. Anyway, you needn't do a thing, Ken. I'm alright now, I just have some midget hammering inside my head, but I suppose he'll get tired sooner or later."
"Shit… shit, man… shit." Ken cursed shaking his head. "Let me help you take that shirt off. It reeks of vomit."
"Fuck… this is my favorite shirt."
"I'll buy you one just like this… it's all my fault." Ken said and helped Yukihiro.
"Your sweater and shirt reek of vomit too."
"I'll take them off after I've put you in bed. By the way, where is the…"
"Sofa. That's my bed." Yukihiro snapped.
"Good. You'll do a lot of sleeping in the sofa when you get married. You are already training for it." Ken observed as he helped Yukihiro towards the futon.
Yukihiro lay himself down after taking off his shirt and curling it into a ball. He threw it against the bathroom door and dropped himself down sighing.
Ken didn't say a word. He took off his sweater and shirt and tossed them aside. He crawled towards the sofa and sat on the floor, resting his head on the border of Yukihiro's bed.
"A TV…" Ken mumbled running his fingers through his hair in anxiety. His plan to accomplish Tetsu's demand was evidently going awry.
"So… wanna watch something in particular? I mean, other than porn…" Yukihiro asked wielding the remote control.
"Nothing in particular. Anything will just do." Ken said pouring the rest of the whiskey in one of the plastic cups.
"You'll keep drinking?"
"I'm not drunk yet."
"What's the point of getting so drunk?"
"Oblivion."
"What do you want to forget?"
"Orders…"
"Funny… you always look so genki…"
"We all have our problems." Ken said and shrugged after gulping down the rest of the whiskey. "I've a second bottle… and a third…"
"What are those problems hunting you?"
"Wife… career… parents… Tetsu…"
"Tetsu?"
Ken shrugged for all answer.
"Tetsu is a nice guy." Yukihiro replied distractedly.
"So… what are yours?"
"Mine…? My what…?"
"Problems…"
"Oh… those. Well… there are several categories."
"I can relate to that."
"There's… money problems… relationship problems… career problems…"
"Man, this is why I love liquor."
"…oblivion?"
"Loosens you up."
"Oh, I see." Yukihiro muttered.
Ken leaned his head against Yukihiro's stomach and rubbed the top of it slightly. "For a starvation victim, your stomach is soft…"
"Hm?"
"So… you have a girlfriend, Yuki?"
"Hmm… Not nowadays."
"Why not? You are good looking."
"They don't seem to think so."
"I thought… when I got married… that the most evident advantage was readily available sex."
"Oh… What happened?"
"Stuff…"
"Hah… well… lately I don't get much of it either."
"A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do. I feel like a teenager hiding in my parents' closet to jerk my load off to some porn magazine."
Yukihiro laughed loudly.
"I'm spending more time with the band than with my wife… I don't know who nags more, Tetsu or my wife."
"Poor Ken…" Yukihiro snickered and patted on Ken's head.
"Don't do that, man… don't do that when I'm talking about sex if you don't want to end up getting laid."
Yukihiro laughed again. He felt lightheaded and carefree.
"Have you ever… hmm… how to put it… hmm… Have you ever done it with a guy…? No offense…" Ken asked all of a sudden.
"Nope. You?"
"Yeah."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah… I have."
"Oh."
"So… You say you never did it with a guy?" Ken asked grinning.
"Never."
"Really?"
"I swear."
"Kissed…?"
"Nope."
"Ever felt girly, Yuki?"
"I… don't think so…"
"Are you still drunk, Yuki?"
Yukihiro laughed wholeheartedly.
Ken turned and looked at Yukihiro squinting his eyes.
"W… what…?" Yukihiro asked still laughing.
"One more drink and I'm all over you, man."
"I can fight." Yukihiro argued and kept laughing.
"But you are drunk."
"Not that drunk."
"Why would you fight, Yuki? You might like it."
"I'm… I'm not gonna like it."
"I'm a suave lover."
"I'm sure you are, but I'm not that kind of guy." Yukihiro replied and burst out laughing again.
"It's a pity… I could rid you of your celibacy…"
Yukihiro laughed again "I'm not that desperate."
"But I am. Aren't you curious?"
"I… I don't know…"
"Let me get you another glass of whiskey and…"
"Oh, man… no. I don't wanna puke again."
"There's nothing in your stomach already."
"There was nothing in it before either."
Ken poured two glasses of whiskey and handed one to Yukihiro.
"There. Gulp it like a man."
"…says the guy who wants to fuck me." Yukihiro mumbled and obeyed.
Ken grinned and swallowed his drink fast.
"You know both Tetsu and Hyde are bi… didn't you?"
"I heard some rumors." Yukihiro said and dropped his arm over the border of the sofa, landing his hand and the glass between Ken's legs.
"… and if you are a friend of Sakura's, you probably heard a lot more than rumors."
"He's reserved."
"So he never mentioned… parties…?"
"He might have…" Yukihiro trailed off.
"The laruku way…"
"What do you mean?"
"No groupies. All business is solved within the band."
"Huh?"
"As I said before, I'm here to initiate you, Yuki."
"Get outta here, man…" Yukihiro laughed.
Ken pulled from Yukihiro's arm and locked him in a fierce kiss. Yukihiro didn't resist at first, but after a few seconds, he registered a notion of the situation and tried to pull off.
"What… what did you just…?"
Ken smirked and poured yet another drink to himself.
"I'm… Listen… I'm gonna try to resist you, but I feel like I'm floating here and my stomach is dancing the Macarena, so…"
Ken unbuckled his belt grinning and nodded.
"You are just horny and you are making up stories."
"You are so cute…" Ken observed tilting his head to one side. "…your services will be required from now on, especially when we are on tour… Hyde is very greedy, you know? But Tetsu is insatiable."
"I'm… just drunk… This can't be happening…"
"So, I'm gonna teach you everything you need to know, Yuki… everything… and from tonight on you'll be able to proudly say you are an active member of the laruku family."
"I'm… I'm…" Yukihiro trailed off and held his pounding head. Voices grew further and further, and the sudden sound of his drums beating in the background of a dream gradually seemed to pervade his perception.

Yukihiro woke up to the sound of Ken's cell phone drilling through his ears. He rubbed his eyes and tried to focus on some blurry point in the ceiling of his apartment. His head was hurting like its top had been torn off. He turned on his side and got a glimpse of Ken lying on the carpet beside his sofa, drooling and hugging a bottle of whiskey.
The pesky sound of the TV accompanied a morning that had already turned into afternoon.
Yukihiro refused to remember, and he rapidly took Ken's phone in a desperate need to silence it.
"Hello…?"
"Who is it?"
"I'm…" Yukihiro stopped for a moment. He knew that voice.
"Yukihiro?"
"Yeah…"
"This is Tetsu. I gather Ken-chan is with you…"
"Yeah… he is… He's… asleep…"
"Wake him up, please."
"Uh… you wanna talk to him, Tetsu?"
"Yes, please."
"All right… Hmm… hold on a second."
Tetsu heard a dull thump on the other side of the phone. "Hello…?"
"I'm here… I usually get out of bed like this…" Yukihiro said hurriedly juggling with the cell phone that had dropped together with him on top of Ken.
"… all right…"
"Ken… Ken! Ken!! It's Tetsu on the phone!"
"Not now!" Ken replied in annoyance and hugged his bottle more tightly.
Yukihiro sat up by Ken's side and took a glance at himself and Ken. Something was just not right… probably the fact that they were both naked. He didn't want to register any memories of the previous night, and his mind tried to fight them away as he steered it to concentrate on waking Ken up.
"Ken!! Ken!!"
"Oh, man… just one night with you, and you also start nagging!" Ken mumbled annoyed and grabbed the phone away from Yukihiro.
"What? Who is it?!"
"I'm Tetsu. Stage clear?"
Ken took a quick glance and propped himself up with effort. "Yeah."
"Can we come over yet?"
"Yeah… How long will you take?"
"We are downstairs."
"Man you are eager…"
"What's going on?" Yukihiro asked puzzled. He could have sworn this was nothing but a very bizarre dream.
"Hyde is eager too."
"Come upstairs. Give us five to get dressed."
"No need to." Tetsu chuckled and hanged up.
"What… just what the hell is going on?" Yukihiro asked in embarrassment, covering his nakedness with a nearby cushion and watching Ken put on his boxers.
"Those two sluts are coming up." Ken mumbled. "How are you feeling?"
"Like shit."
"Well… it usually feels like shit the first time… but you know… you can't be a good top if you haven't been bottom at least once."
"What… what sort of wacky thing is going on…?!" Random images came to Yukihiro's mind in a blast. "What… what happened here last night…?!"
Ken opened the door and a few seconds after that Hyde and Tetsu stormed inside the room. Yukihiro thought he'd die in embarrassment.
"Yuki!" Hyde squealed and threw his arms around him.
"Welcome…" Tetsu said sexily after sitting by the Yukihiro's side and nesting his head on the appalled drummer's shoulder.
"What… Just what is…?" Yukihiro asked in disbelief.
"I told you, man. Welcome to the laruku family." Ken said lighting a cigarette. "All business is kept within the band."
Yukihiro watched in shock how Hyde and Tetsu started to undress nonchalantly as Ken closed the door.
"It's been a long wait… to make us work like a family again…" Tetsu whispered on Yukihiro's ear, while Hyde walked naked towards the window and lowered the shutter to keep any prying eyes away from family business.

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