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"I didn't sleep the whole day away." Ryu laughed, his tongue sticking out just between his teeth in an adorable smirk.No, he hadn't slept the entire day away. He'd spent quite a bit of the day watching Naoko sleep, watching anime, and slipping in and out of the room to grab little snacks here and there while Shou and Ko were out. It had only been later in the day that he had grown tired enough to succumb to sleep...but none of this really needed to be put out there for anyone else to know.

"No, I'm not sick, Ko-kun. Just...catching up on all the sleep I know I'm going to miss after vacation is over." the violinist smiled at the boy. Man, if that wasn't the truth, though. Once vacation was over, sleep would become a rarity. Especially now that he was working on a solo project again, among many, many other things.

Nodding at Naoko in understanding, Ryu ate rather quietly, listening to all the other conversation that was going on at the moment. So...there had been an attack on Azriel. Well...it wasn't like that man didn't practically ask for it, in his own way. The music he sang and the shows he performed...they were disturbing, at least to him. That kind of darkness was bound to draw the attention of...disturbed...people. Still...something was off. He could just...sense it. Either way, he agreed with Naoko. Best they stick together, for now.

For a moment, he wondered how Jun was doing? He hadn't seen or heard from the vocalist today...should he be worried? The thought soon passed, however. If any of them could hold their own, it would be Jun, surely. More likely than not, everything was just fine. At least, that's what the violinist told himself.

"I don't know what I spent the whole day doing." Ryu grinned and winked as he whispered over to his lover. He was sure to keep things quiet as Ko certainly didn't need to hear anything to make him question the two men's relationship with one another.

"Yeah, you have no idea." the violinist said around a mouthful of food, picking up his cup and gulping some tea to wash everything down.

"Language..." he whispered to the pianist as the blond cursed to himself. Another thing he didn't want little Ko picking up on was foul language. He knew that he and Naoko both could be pretty bad about that, at times, and, though Ko wasn't his child, he did feel some level of responsibility for the kid, especially since the boy had begun calling him "Uncle".

"Don't stress out, 'kay, Na-kun?" Ryu smiled his warmest smile, letting Naoko know silently that everything was going to be ok.

"You really do seem to enjoy animals." Ishihara said with a smile, sipping on his chai and moving out of the way so Shou could get to the pot without having to walk around him. "When I do retire, and if I open a fish store, you'll have to be sure to come in and see all the new fish I get. As for a shark of my own... well..." You wrestled with the idea of telling the boy or not.

After all, if Naoko was taking him to the aquarium...

"I actually do have my own shark. She's an Epaulette shark, named Lette." he fished into his kimono for his wallet, took two pictures out and handed it to Ko.
One image was of You standing on a step ladder, hand feeding his shark, and the other was of Lette herself swimming around in the tank. "I love her, even if she does eat up about 40,000 yen from my paycheck each month in maintenance and food." the man laughed, because most people would think him insane.

"If you could have a pet, Ko-kun. What sort of pet would you have?" he asked curiously, not knowing about the boy's mice.
















"Easy for you to say..." Naoko replied with a sigh, sitting up again and leaning over to Ryu. "Besides, Ko doesn't know English. I don't think cursing in English would be as bad as in Japanese now, do you?" he asked with a wink. "But really... we'll all be so busy again soon... it's not as fun being busy solo. I'd rather we were all working on Shou's next album." the blond spoke with a wink Shou's way.
He knew their "fearless leader" was itching to be in the spotlight again... and it was true.
Everything was more fun as a group than alone... cooped up in the studio.

"You'd be surprised how much more intelligent a child actually is compared to how smart you perceive them to be. I promise you, the boy will pick up on things you'd never expect if you aren't careful." the violinist spoke softly, glad that Ko was too wrapped up in fish-talk at the moment to even pay attention to them.

"Oi, you know good and well that I'm going to be dividing my time between my solo project and working with you and Shou. Plus, I have to train an alternate violinist to be able to pick up my place if I have to go on a solo tour or be absent for any reason. My hands are actually getting quite full...and here I thought they had already been filled for a while." Ryu chuckled. How true it was, though. When he thought he had been stretched thin, he had really had it pretty easy. Now...well, now he was very truly working at his maximum. It would prove stressful, he was sure, but it would be very, very good to get back to his old fans, and his old music, as well as to create some new.

"Goodnight, Shou!" Ryuukaze waved over his shoulder to their "fearless leader", then shook his head at Ko's cuteness as the boy pulled his Uncle back to show a picture of Mickey. Sharks and mice and animals of all sorts...it left Ryu wondering, how was Yumi doing with Chiyou and Nakai?

I can no longer return to those days free of bloodshed
These deep scars rooted within me will not disappear...


There wasn't much for Jun to do, locked up in his room as he was. The television had nothing on of any interest to him, and his hand still hurt quite badly from practicing with an unsuitable guitar.

Sitting up in the window gazing out over the parking lot seemed to be the only option left to him, besides sleeping, and, well, at the moment, sleeping just wasn't on the list. His nerves saw to that.

Now, whether or not this was a blessing or a curse, well, that remained to be seen.

As he looked out the window, he watched a car circle around and park, then he watched as another car pulled in. The driver of that car proved to be....Shou's assistant? Yamada-san? What was he doing here now? What on Earth was going on? First, it had been Ishihara showing up, now Yamada...

The dark star's train of thought was cut short, however, when he noticed a man get out of the other car, pointing a gun into the darkness as a red dot appeared on Shou's assistant's chest. Someone has a laser sight pointed at Yamada!

Oh...s**t! Jun thought, a million things running through his head as he saw Shou's assistant look up and realize the danger he was in. None of those thoughts had time to process, though, as the attacker silently shot Haru, taking him down.

Reacting on instinct and adrenaline, Hayato charged out his door and across the hall, not even bothering to knock, but instead forcing the lock with a brute strength he had nearly forgotten he was capable of.

"Yamada-san! Outside! He's been...." Jun froze, looking at Ko's shocked expression as he gazed at him from his seat at the table.

"Naoko...take Ko to my room, and bolt the door." he looked sharply at the pianist, ordering him in a tone of voice that Naoko would recognize immediately. He meant business. This was serious.

Ryuukaze was as caught off guard as everyone else seemed to be, but the gravity of the situation was quite obvious to him. Ushering Naoko across the hall, he closed the door on the pianist and the child without a word to either of them. There wasn't time. Whatever was going on, it seemed to be life or death.

"You have to go to him, now!", Jun demanded of You, bellowing like a bull by this point.

"Yamada has been shot!" he added, trying to suppress the panic that he felt rising in his chest. This was somebody very important...perhaps not to him, but most certainly to Shou. that, and if someone had harmed Haru, then Shou was in just as much danger, if not more, in Jun's mind.

Glancing up at Ryu, who stood in the doorway now, red eyes aflame, he swallowed his uncertainty and began giving orders.

"Ryu...you and him, parking lot, now! You've got to get to him! I've got Shou!" he yelled, immediately rushing to his beloved's side, grasping his hand tightly.

"We have to get you out of here, Shou. Both you and Ko...everybody. We've got to move..." Jun insisted, his dark eyes seeming pitch black as he looked directly into the blond's amber gaze, reflecting the intensity he was feeling inside.

I can no longer return to those days free of bloodshed
These deep scars rooted within me will not disappear...







"I doubt I need to tell you what will happen if you fail."


Those words continued to echo in Jun's head even after Ishihara You had left the room. If he failed, what You would do to him was the least of his worries. If he failed to protect Shou and Ko...then he would end his own life. He knew that without even thinking on it. There was no question there. Defending Shou and Ko...hell, even Naoko and Ryu...was a natural instinct in him now. His life was for them. They were....they were the only family he had, now. They were the only people he loved, without a doubt in the world.
Jun didn't need to be told to protect them. He would lay down his life any day of the week.

Rushing Shou into the bathroom, Jun locked the door behind them and made Shou crouch down in the bathtub, the safest place in the entire room. He was a damn good shot, though he preferred using his fists in an up-close situation. Cocking the gun, he glanced over at Shou.

"Care to tell me exactly what's going on, and why I wasn't informed earlier?"

In the room across the hall, Ryuukaze stood with his back against the door, the wakizashi in his hand, his grip on the small sword so tight that his knuckles were white. On full alert, the violinist's hair seemed to be standing on end, as though the man were producing an electrical current from his own body. The air around him seemed to nearly crackle and pop from the energy. Ryu cut quite the formidable figure now, though when he looked at Naoko and Ko, his expression softened a bit. He was there to protect them, and he wanted them to be aware that he would keep them safe.

"It's ok...don't be afraid. I'm not gonna let anything bad happen, and you know it!" he smiled warmly, secure in his promise that he would defend these two, come hell or high water.

"Where did the shots come from?" Ishihara asked as he peeled You's heavy wool coat off carefully.
Inside, You breathed the biggest sigh of relief ever as he found that his partner had been smart enough to wear a bullet proof vest. Haru was unconscious, not actually injured.
"Stay with him and try to wake him up." You spoke, peeking over the car door at the area across the street.
He had to get there... but how?
Quickly, Ishihara took his yukata off, at least down to the waist. He unstrapped the bullet proof vest from Haru, intent on borrowing it, before redressing. "Help's on the way. Eight minutes. Make damn sure no one enters the onsen until I get back. NO ONE."

Without any more explanation, gun in hand, You sprinted across the street. His gun was up, pointing in the direction the driver had said the gunfire had come from.

The shark was about to start a shootout if it came down to it... but no one.... no one... threatened his lover and got away with it.
















"It'll be alright, Ko-kun. See. Ryuu-niisan's going to protect us, just like a big guard dog. Guess he doesn't look so much a puppy now, ne?" Naoko spoke softly, keeping the boy in his arms against his chest... obviously wanting to keep the child safe at all costs. "And Jun-niisan will keep Shou safe and sound..."

That portion didn't sit well with the blond at all however. Shou should be with them... Sai should be right there... not... not...

Amber eyes closed as Naoko steadied himself. His brother was fine. He was fine. Nothing else was going to happen.

If it did...

If he lost Sai again...

The pianist's grip on Ko tightened slightly and Naoko caught Ryu's gaze with his own worried eyes.