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 Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2013 11:10 pm
What I want, I get...
No matter the method------------------------------------------------}:-  Matsumoto Izo
Chairman - SMASH
The itsy bitsy spider...
"Of course you can sleep while they do your nails." Izo said with a slight smile. "Come on...you can even sleep in the limo if you'd like. We've got a drive ahead."
Realizing Katsumi was exhausted he took the young man to the car quickly and left him inside the limo while he returned for the box of goodies and paid for their stay. He made his own reservations for the next year. Just as he had done many years before.
Coming back to the car with their desserts, he set them inside and waited as the driver prepared for their departure. Glancing over at Katsumi he finally answered that question, "Sort of. A harp is a stringed instrument with a wider range than cello or violin. You pluck and strum it but not like a guitar." He reached over to stereo in the back and pushed a few buttons. Soon, soothing harp music filled the back seat. "This is the sound...."
Izo leaned back as the limo took off. He had a feeling Katsumi would be asleep soon enough.
-:{------------------------------------------------No matter the cost.
...Prepare to pay up!
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Posted: Wed Jan 23, 2013 12:43 am
Put in the limo, Azriel didn't even move except to pull his coat over his body like a blanket. Dark eyes closed as he tilted his head back, trying not to fall asleep.
It seemed like an eternity but then Izo returned and the bat focused on his words... then sweet music filled the limo. Some part of his soul knew that sound... but he'd never been able to put a name to it before.
Warm... and exhausted, Katsumi couldn't stop his body from leaning against the spider. His eyes slipped closed as sleep started to claim him, the music calming his angry heart.
"Let me stay here... this last time... Matsumoto-san..." he whispered softly, knowing that such an action would likely bring trouble in the future.
Right now though... Katsu didn't give a damn that his father had betrayed him into hell nor that the spider had saved him from it years later. Right now... Azriel just wanted peace of mind... if but for an hour.
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Posted: Wed Jan 23, 2013 7:28 am
Sadness sinks, and look, the night comes to an end.
"You know, NAKO-san, I generally don't put too much stock in tabloids. I kind of figured they were merely sensationalizing something that was, in reality, nothing. Apparently, that was a mistake on my part. Even so, when you've read blatant lies about things like Narcissus having a love child all the way to Shou being a reptile alien in disguise, you kind of tend to assume there's no truth to be had in those things." the guitarist quickly dismissed the notion, thinking quickly the best words to say, rather than blurting out, "Yeah....I probably shouldn't have done all those horrible things to you back then."
Deceiving Naoko the way he was now, well, he knew this was wrong, too. In principal, at least. Regardless, he justified it as being necessary and in both of their best interests. Otherwise, his guilt might have just gotten the better of him.
"Alright, alright...friends, then. I'll stop saying sorry, I won't promise anything, and we'll start off fresh, ok?" Suzaku couldn't suppress a deep chuckle. The pianist was so damn cute sometimes. Very picky, and very...different, somehow. While he knew that Naoko had been going through a lot in the recent past...there seemed to be something more recent that had changed...that he couldn't quite put his finger on...and it ran deeper than this new look.
"Hai, I'm a new hire with Ohayou. Unfortunately, I don't have any previous recorded work, but I'd be happy to play for you sometime if you are interested." he offered politely.
"I actually have my guitar in the trunk of my car, if you've got enough time left."
Let's go searching for you ----------------------------------------------------------- And your warmth, in a world yet unseen.
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Posted: Wed Jan 23, 2013 10:20 am
A wickedly amused smirk came to Naoko's lips. "How do you know Shou-san isn't a reptile alien in disguise?" he winked, finding that idea hilarious.
Then again... no one had ever seen the man without makeup.
Except himself.
Except Ko and Yamada.
Except... Jun.
"I'm one of four people who really know what's under that makeup and the masks and there's no way in hell I'm saying if a tabloid's got it right or wrong." the pianist joked, taking another sip of his hot latte. "But a love child of Narcissus-san... hmm... that would probably piss off his 'special someone' if it WERE true now... wouldn't it?"
Amber eyes flicked over the table and for a moment, it seemed like Naoko was trying to look through Suzaku. "I half expected you to say that you promised not to promise anything." he laughed then, brushing a few stray hairs away from his face and into place with his nails. "But yes, I'd like that very much. I get too many apologies or looks that scream of an apology, and too many damn promises for me to think they're real anymore. Well... except a child's promises." a smile came to Naoko's lips then. "Those anyone can trust."
The pianist glanced to the clock on the wall. "I have a few more minutes and that's all. I promised Shou-san and his nephew I'd bring them back some drinks and a SMASH limo is picking us up for dinner before the party so I can't be late. Maybe next time then, ne?"
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Posted: Wed Jan 23, 2013 10:40 am
What I want, I get...
No matter the method------------------------------------------------}:- Matsumoto Izo
Chairman - SMASH
The itsy bitsy spider...
Izo felt the young man lean up against him and his eyes for a moment softened from their usual hardened gaze. His arm slipped around Katsumi pulling him in as he let out a slow sigh. "Alright...Katsumi...." For just a short moment, Izo felt like a father. A very strange sensation for the old spider who was far more used to the cold facts of life than the warmer feelings one might find between a parent and child.
As the car continued on, his fingers stroked the soft hair of his son's head and he wished he could have changed his past just to feel that warmth for more than just an hour. He had paid a heavy price, hadn't he. He lost his son to be come this monster. Sold his soul for revenge and power. Cast aside love to build and empire.
And now, he longed for this one soft moment. His dark eyes drifted to peer out the window gazing at the white ice that crackled beyond the glass. His feelings for his son didn't change his outlook on the world around him. He was still a mean wicked spider.
But....he turned his head and smiled as he looked down at the young man in his arms. Leaning over he kissed the top of Katsumi's head lightly. It was still a strange feeling. However, Izo at least thought that for once, his heart might have been in the right place.
-:{------------------------------------------------No matter the cost.
...Prepare to pay up!
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Posted: Wed Jan 23, 2013 11:14 am
Katsumi didn't move, though every once in a while it seemed like his fingers would twitch just slightly. But other than that, the bat slept soundly in exhaustion, warm against the spider that held him.
There were no dreams or nightmares, no memories to haunt him or make him smile... just blissful sleep.
While at first he felt those fingers in his hair, even that feeling fell away as he relaxed and let himself just drift out. He never took notice of the kiss either, though it was a few moments later that the bat's body stirred.
Azriel didn't wake up exactly, but he did turn his head in a bit more toward Izo's chest, the once twitching fingers of his right hand, that had been between his own body and that of the spider, bent up at the elbow. Those broken nails and skin scrapped digits closed around the edge of Matsumoto's coat, holding it in his grasp. This was hardly unusual of Katsu's sleeping patterns because he tended to do the same thing with Hiroki.
Holding onto what he didn't want to lose.
Of course, if Azriel had been awake it could be argued that he held no fear of losing the spider... since the spider hadn't seemed to care if he lost a son. But Katsumi wasn't awake, and there was a lot of truth in Hiroki's own observation that the bat... the kitten... looked far more innocent when asleep.
Perhaps Izo was right in the end really... perhaps Katsu was still a child in many ways. He didn't quite understand the way the real world worked and there were far too many things he hadn't experienced before. Aside from the things Azriel had learned in the PIT, his education was that of a child in many ways as well, except of course in spoken languages. He didn't know history, could only do basic addition and subtraction as the whole of his mathematical skill, and while he knew a few more kanji than he had years ago, the bat still tended to write in kana alone. If that was more out of habit than anything it was hard to say, but Azriel certainly couldn't just pick up a newspaper and read it. But perhaps more than his education and his understand... at times, Katsu had the personality of a child. Angry when he didn't get his way, sad when something hurt him on a level that wasn't exactly a pleasurable pain, and filled with a wonder when shown new things. He might truly have been a boy in a man's body, though he would argue that point until the day he died if allowed. To him, he had never been a boy... and in many ways that was a reality. Still, for all of his childishness, there was a deep darkness in his heart that tore at the innocence which some might have thought he held. He had maimed and tortured, had murdered, had done things that most men would never think of in their darkest nightmares... or dreams, depending on the depravity of the man. He was a creature of the abyss who could manipulate and act and charm and lie. A devil in his own right, offering sweet temptations to fulfill his own dark desires. Azriel was shrewd and cunning, when not shooting off his mouth, and he had the patience, when he wanted to, of a spider who sat in it's web... waiting for that next little meal to come it's way.
Dangerous and beautiful and mad as all hell... Katsumi was an enigma wrapped in the skin of a artist. He wasn't innocent. And he feared only two things in this world; Cold... and Death.
But those fears weren't important today because today neither was he cold nor was he facing death.
Today, right then, holding onto the spider's coat with a child-like grasp, Katsumi was warm and comfortable, content and at peace for the first time in what seemed like long trying days... but had only been a mere few hours.
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Posted: Wed Jan 23, 2013 11:17 am
Sadness sinks, and look, the night comes to an end.
"You know, rightly, it does not matter what lies beneath Shou's makeup, he is still a splendid musician." Suzaku laughed, "But I have to wonder what the man would look like with lizard skin, now. That would be....very interesting."
Great, now he couldn't stop laughing at the thought of Shou as a lizard...perched on a warm rock somewhere with a little forked tongue poking out. It was so goofy! Naoko had actually given him a fit of the giggles.
The comment about promising not to promise anything only made the laughter worse, until the guitarist was practically doubled over in his chair.
"NAKO-san...come on....stop. Oh wow...maybe you should be a comedian part time." he said, collecting himself after a moment.
"Children? I agree. The innocence of children can always be trusted, and must always be treasured and defended." he was quite serious now. He hoped that Ko was well, and safe. He would walk through fire for that little child, even if it cost him the security of his identity, or even his life.
"Ah, yes...Shou and his nephew. I bet he's a great caregiver. I saw the two on television one time. Very cute." the guitarist brought the conversation back to a pleasant tone.
"Well then, I would love to play for you...next time. Certainly wouldn't want you to be late to the ball, kitten."
Let's go searching for you ----------------------------------------------------------- And your warmth, in a world yet unseen.
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Posted: Wed Jan 23, 2013 11:40 am
"I hardly think I'm funny." Naoko replied, sitting back in his chair, unable to understand why what he'd said was that humorous. Then again, Suzaku could have easily just decided to play nice and be polite to the quip.
"He's... okay." the pianist spoke with a hint of a smile. "Can't cook for s**t though so half the time I'm worried he'll burn the kitchen down. Luckily Ko-kun knows how to make a few things... and oddly enough, to a degree, do laundry too..."
That was still an odd one to the blond because laundry just wasn't something on a kid's plate when you thought about it. Folding it sure but helping get the machine started?
Then again... Ko was very smart.
Suddenly however, a darkness passed over Naoko's eyes... a dangerous glint that under most circumstances would cause a person to look away or, more logically, back away. It was a murderous intent hidden in those amber eyes that had turned to a burnt rusty gold.
"I... am not... your kitten." NAKO spoke coldly, calmly, his fingers nearly crushing the latte cup in his hand. "Do not... under any circumstances... call me that again. Are we clear?"
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Posted: Wed Jan 23, 2013 11:46 am
What I want, I get...
No matter the method------------------------------------------------}:- Matsumoto Izo
Chairman - SMASH
The itsy bitsy spider...
When they finally reached the salon, Izo loathed to get up and move the sleeping Katsumi from his arms. Such a sweet face. The spider didn't want to break the moment but a pedi and mani couldn't be done in the car.
So carefully he nudged Katsumi enough to get him moving and took the sleepy young man into the salon. Once Katsumi was sat in a super comfortable mani pedi chair, Izo knew that the young man probably would drift off in the heated seat while his toes and fingers were softened in the steaming water.
As his nails were done, the stylist worked on Katsumi's hair giving him an alluring cut to go along with his repaired nails. They didn't ask any questions. And Izo sat in a chair close by getting his own treatment although not nearly to the degree of Azriel's with nail polish. He preferred things neat but simple. However, he liked the bit of pampering even for a spider.
-:{------------------------------------------------No matter the cost.
...Prepare to pay up!
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Posted: Wed Jan 23, 2013 12:33 pm
Sadness sinks, and look, the night comes to an end.
The shift in Naoko was profound, and, frankly, frightening.
He hadn't meant to laugh too hard...it was just amusing, to him, seeing Naoko with such sharp wit, now.
He hadn't meant to anger him by calling him kitten...it was just a slip of the tongue. Old habits died harder than he thought.
"NAKO-san..." he hesitated, "Well, I will not apologize, and I will not promise, but I do believe we are very clear. I didn't mean to insinuate that you were my kitten, or to insult you in any other way. There are those, particularly British rockers, that sometimes refer to very attractive acquaintances as "kitten", but if you are opposed to that...then ok. I respect your wishes. Is there anything, besides NAKO, that you would like to be called, or that you would prefer I not call you?"
Let's go searching for you ----------------------------------------------------------- And your warmth, in a world yet unseen.
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Posted: Wed Jan 23, 2013 12:39 pm
Seemed Suzaku wasn't an idiot and Naoko was glad to see that the guitarist remembered not to apologize... and not to promise.
"I dislike being called 'kitten', 'tenshi' or 'angel', and 'doll'... though certainly I've been referred to as looking LIKE a doll... and that's fine. But not addressed directly." the pianist spoke, his voice still cold, though the murderous intent in his gaze was gone as he blinked. "Call me, Naoko if you want or if you want to be more polite... Oumori. But NAKO is fine too." a small smile broke on his face, his fingers relaxing their grip on the latte cup before him. "And yet I only know your stage name, Suzaku-san. It makes it hard to trust when all I have is an alias." Naoko replied with a wink, though if he were serious or teasing, it was hard to tell.
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Posted: Wed Jan 23, 2013 1:07 pm
Azriel quite literally woke up long enough to get out of the limo, get into the salon, and be seated in the warm massage chair. He told them that his nails needed to be the same length as the one remaining non-broken nail, with a sharp edge to them and black paint. He didn't want polish on his toes though and he had been to the salon enough times that they knew what to do with his hair by now without him having to tell them.
Glad that it only took a few seconds to say that, dark eyes closed and Katsu leaned back, happy for the warmth and the heated blanket that the staff placed over his lap. After all, he was notorious for wanting warmth, even here.
Before sleep could claim his mind again however, and it tried hard because it was right there just at the edge of his consciousness, those dark eyes opened to see Izo sitting close by. Somehow, it amused the bat to think of the spider getting a pedi mani... and the vocalist slipped into quiet exhausted slumber again as he imagined the man filing at imagined painted nails like some bored secretary.
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Posted: Wed Jan 23, 2013 1:33 pm
Sadness sinks, and look, the night comes to an end.
Nodding, the guitarist took note of all the things he should not call the pianist. Each of them, he could understand the reason for, though he wouldn't let on that he knew.
"Very well then. Oumori Naoko, huh? That's a wonderful name. My name is..." oh, god, he was so tempted now, by that beautiful smile, to just tell him that he was Nagasaki Jun...still here and alive, just hiding. Couldn't he trust Naoko? It would be ok, right? No...he'd better not, for both of their sakes..., "Mamoru Takehiko." he finished the sentence with a smile on his face, not a hint that he had such a writhing turmoil deep withing himself.
Let's go searching for you ----------------------------------------------------------- And your warmth, in a world yet unseen.
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Posted: Wed Jan 23, 2013 2:06 pm
A slight smirk curved the edge of Naoko's lips. "So does that make you a bamboo prince who protects... or one that needs protecting?" he teased, thinking about the name. Purple nails tapped at the side of the pianist's latte. "You're the second 'hiko' I've meet recently, Mamoru-san."
Yes, Naoko liked that...
Aliases were for fans or to hide something, or someone, important.
Names were for people who knew you... who you could trust...
"Are you a natural blond?" the pianist suddenly asked, taking in Suzaku's appearance, seemingly for the first time.
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Posted: Wed Jan 23, 2013 2:25 pm
Sadness sinks, and look, the night comes to an end.
"I think I prefer to do the protecting, most of the time, Naoko." Takehiko smirked, amused at the thought of having to be protected. Did he need to be, sometimes? Maybe. But that didn't mean he would seek out protection. That would just make him feel...cowardly. Although, in a way, that was exactly what he was doing by running off to Ohayou. At least with that, nobody would know.
"Second "hiko"? Might you be referring to Koyasu Akihiko? He's really cool in person. Narcissus is who gave me my job, actually." the small talk helped the guitarist to ignore the side of himself that wanted to dwell on the past. Being asked about his hair color caught him off guard, however, and before he could consider his response, he was blurting out more things he really had no business saying.
"Do I look like a natural blond, Naoko? I mean, thanks, if you think it looks good on me, but no...my natural color is jet black." he admitted, and immediately kicked himself mentally.
Great...that was just what he needed, Naoko trying to picture him with black hair. Even with Hayato "dead", as far as the pianist knew, it wouldn't be too terribly great if he started to draw comparisons.
Or...would it? It might benefit him if Naoko just saw a passing resemblance. He hoped all his cutting and coloring and makeup and styling would suffice and he would never find himself in a situation where someone started screaming, "It's Hayato!", or posting "Is Hayato Still Alive?" in the tabloids. It would be creepy....like how people started to think they were seeing Elvis places long after the man had died.
If the man had actually died. It was funny to think about it...but given his current situation...well, who knew? Anything was possible...outside of Shou being a reptile alien, at least.
Despite his thoughts, he couldn't help but notice the way the pianist was looking at him now...not looking through him like before. It made his cheeks warm just a bit, again, having that golden gaze stare at him so.
"Hm...Legolas, what do you see with your elf eyes?" he asked, teasingly. It was a simple movie joke, one most people would get even if they had never seen the film, given its popularity on the internet. He was just being goofy, though...and almost hoping that Naoko wouldn't look at him too hard, or too long.
Let's go searching for you ----------------------------------------------------------- And your warmth, in a world yet unseen.
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