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 Posted: Wed Feb 17, 2010 10:24 pm
Time to wake up... Swimming to consciousness was a slow battle.. Rather like trying to push through a packed house at a live, or moving through mostly-set-up cement... Difficult and time-consuming, and it wore out the mind as though he were performing some physical labor, though he was doing nothing more then waking. He pushed the darkness of sleep and the influence of too many drinks aside, needing to wake up. He needed to wake up...
As he left the black of unconsciousness, thoughts poured through his mine. Disjointed, flickering things that were vague and then sharp, flashes of images here or there, scents or smells or the memory of taste and exhilaration, bodies familiar and strange alike... Music, bold or tortured, sensuous or soothing... The joy of the stage and the song... The utter exhaustion that felt so damn good because they'd made so many happy.. Sleeping on the bus, crashing in a hotel room, waking up early and doing it all over again. And again. Costumes, hair and makeup, laughing at inside jokes, mocking each other in good humor.
Man... You really need to learn to say no when Uruha proposes a drinking game or three, Takanori... The woozy thought was the first to spear through his brain, followed by a series in short order. Definately need to learn to say no... Ouch, damn my head hurts...
Why the hell is it so damn bright?
What the heck am I laying on?
And why do I feel like...
"AHHHH!" The last thought turned into a scream that was released as he jumped to his feet, instantly sober and conscious and hating everything. There was no way to keep the sound in, in fact, it was a miracle he hadn't just expired on the shock. This had to be another dream, right? It had to be.. And it sucked. Because here he was shorter then usual -if that was even possible-, in the middle of a very strange land under a very bright sun, and, and and..
Deep brown eyes made pale gray by contacts drifted to the ground, widened, then closed. There was no way in hell he was seeing what he thought he was seeing, right? That just wasn't possible. So he kept his eyes closed for a moment, shook his head, then opened them.
Yep. Those were paws. Oh hell. The realization had him wincing, pinning his ears. Oh boy. Ears? Moving?
The breeze was strong and sure, and smelled like sunlight and grass and warmth that should have been only a feeling but somehow was a scent anyway. The sand was a pleasant heat beneath his paws, not that he could enjoy it as he gazed at the furry limbs, still covered by his beautiful black lace gloves. His silver bracelet chimed as he shook one foreleg, and he shook his head at how keenly he heard the sound.
This was beyond bizarre. He was a giant.. Giant...
"Cat." He muttered weakly, sitting down with a faint thump, tail curling around until the feathered end poked at his paws. "I'm a cat."
He tilted his head, considering the strange appendage, and the feathers, noticing the streaming flakes from his ears and how he could feel the movements of the animals beyond. "This is just too weird. Way, way, way too weird."
And suddenly he was on all four paws again, head stretched up, eyes wide. None of it really mattered.. At least, not nearly as much as this new question. "Where is everyone?"
Reita. Kai. Aoi. Uruha. Where were they in all of this? Where were his brothers? Where was his band?
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Posted: Wed Feb 17, 2010 10:45 pm
The... things, growing from behind his new set of ears was odd, and so was the feathers, but Kai had gotten used to those quickly enough, finding it was easier to think of them as part of an outfit. Now the ears and paws were a whole other thing... And the tail. Poor Kai kept accidentally stepping or whipping said tail around, and it was not fun. But he'd had a few days to get used to them, and was slowly learning what to do, and what not to do.
But he was out on his daily jog, or was it a run? A lope perhaps, like a horse? But he was a lion... Either way, Kai was out getting his exercise, like he did when he only had two legs. It gave him a sense of normalcy, even if coordinating with four legs rather than two was anything but normal for the drummer. It was all the normal he could get though since he'd appeared in this odd place without his beloved drums.
His daily jog though came to a sudden and screeching halt when he heard something that sounded like a scream. Kai's ears perked, his hopes rising. That scream... it was familiar. Looking hopeful, Kai hurried towards the sound, running faster than he had during his daily exercise. He only stopped when he caught sight of who it was that had let out that bloodcurdling scream. Blonde hair, satin red jacket, lace gloves... Ruki.
"RUKI!" Kai found himself exclaiming, a grin spreading on his elongated maw as he closed the distance between the two. He literally pounced the smaller male, shorter now than he had been when they were humans.
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Posted: Wed Feb 17, 2010 11:16 pm
No reason to have an absolute melt down.. They could fix this, whatever 'this' was... If he could just get back to his friends, that would fix half the mess right now. But he wasn't one to be alone, especially in the middle of nowhere in a strange form without anything recognizable in sight. This land was nothing like his home, nothing like anything he'd visited either. It was hot and bright and there was no sign of people or buildings or anything but rocks and trees and faraway mountains.
"What the heck am I going to do in the middle of nowhere dressed up like a giant cat without a single sight of any of my friends or-!!!" The thought never got finished, as he was interrupted by the call of his name and a sudden pounce.
Tumbling sideways, he wound up laid out on the sand, staring up at the Den Mother drummer, who looked quite damned pleased. And for a moment, Ruki could completely understand, as he felt like they'd just gotten scheduled for another live at Budokan.
"KAI!" He grinned, wrapping a paw around in an approximation of the hug. "Damn, I'm glad to see you.. I'm glad to see anyone... What in the heck is going on? How did this happen?"
He flailed out from under the other, sitting up and shaking the sand from his clothing. Normally he would have been freaking out at the threat to his wardrobe, but again, he was too glad to see Kai. "Are you alright? You know, aside from being..."
Another wave of his paw. Yeah, words kinda failed for this one..
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Posted: Wed Feb 17, 2010 11:26 pm
The drummer was only too pleased to have found Ruki, the last of the group to arrive... wherever it was they were. Kai was grinning, beyond happy. So happy in fact he forgot to be careful of the vocalist's clothes, one of his favorite outfits.
"Where have you been!? We were wondering if you were lost or just hadn't shown up yet!" Kai replied, rolling off of the other male as Ruki flailed. Kai sat up, shaking out his dreads to get whatever dust or sand had gotten in it. His chains clinked as he settled down on the ground, a big smile on his face. "No idea what happened. Just... woke up like this. With... these," he replied, waving a paw. Damn the things were big.
"And I guess I'm okay... weirded out a bit but okay." It could have been worse, much worse. Though... "Aw Ruki! That's right! You don't like cats..." Kai exclaimed, ears hanging down from his head. Poor Ruki... "A-are you okay? Or... will be okay, I guess. Though no, you wouldn't be, not when we're big cats... A-I'm just going to shut up now," the drummer rattled before zipping his mouth. At least he had wandered upon Ruki. That was good a good thing! ... Right?
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Posted: Wed Feb 17, 2010 11:54 pm
Ruki couldn't be bothered to fight the faint smile that appeared in response to Kai's own grin. Kai had that way about him, and in fact the dark-haired male always had, that if he smiled the way he was currently -dimple and all- you smiled back.
Even if -apparently- your life was totally screwed up and around as you were a giant cat -read: Ruki afraid of cats-, in the middle of nowhere -read: Ruki liked his cities just fine-, and up until recently -read: Kai pouncing him- you had been dead alone in said uncomfortable scenario.
"Where have I been?" He muttered. "The heck if I know.. I have ridiculous headache, and I don't even really know where we are so there's no telling where I've been... And I certainly didn't do a freaking thing that would register as 'Why yes Ruki, if you complete this task, you will be turned into the freaking Lion King and set loose in the wild. Enjoy!'..."
He rolled his eyes. "Great, none of us know what happened, or why it happened, or where we are, or why we are giant cats..."
He inched away from the brandished paw. "That's as big as one of your damn drums, I swear."
And of course, he was still smaller then everyone. Well, smaller then Kai, which he was sure meant that he'd be smaller then the others, when they found them. If they found them.
"At least you're alright." He sighed, trying to find the good in the situation. He leaned against the other for a moment, smiling wanely. "Kai.. Just stop trying to help. At this point you'd be making a break for the kitchen and letting one of the others take over... But I have a feeling that's over too, eh?"
No more of Kai's food... Or playing his guitar.. Or seeing fans.. Or.. Or.. Lives. Or new CDs... They were giant cats. Damn, he hoped this wasn't really permanent.
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Posted: Thu Feb 18, 2010 11:06 am
Kai, feeling rather awkward at the moment, just pouted, leaning his head on the smaller male. "Guess we are in our own little Lion King setting, huh? It's been ages since I saw that... I hope we don't meet any evil uncles of ours..." he mused aloud, before he wrinkled his nose at the vocalist.
"Oi! My drums aren't this big!" he defended, pouting. "And they certainly are nicer looking than... these... things," Kai mumbled, staring down at his paws. They were big and furry and useless. Couldn't cook, couldn't play drums, nothing.
At Ruki's comment, the drummer nodded, looking a little sad. "Yeah... I would be. But I can't since... well... no kitchen. And I don't know where the others got to. I wish they'd just stay put." Kai had tried to convince the others to stay close to the vacant place he'd found for them to call their own. But nooooo. They all wanted to wander and try to figure out where the hell they were. Which led to them all separating and going their own ways. "We'll figure this out though." Somehow. Hopefully.
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Posted: Thu Feb 18, 2010 6:23 pm
"For the record." He offered softly, smiling weakly in the hopes it would lift Kai's flagging spirits. "You being here helps, Kai... Just so you know."
A glance around proved that there were still no other familiar figures in the distance, and the thought made his spirits sink even as his shoulders drooped. Well, Kai was a good start... A vocalist and a drummer, two out of five...
"Seems like that's the case." Ruki murmured, not minding too much at the contact. He even turned his head enough to rub a cheek against Kai's hair, reassuringly. "And I doubt we have any evil uncles... Much less evil uncles who are now giant cats, just like us... Much, much less uncles who are giant cats who are here of all places."
He glanced around the area again, brows lowered in thought. Art and Creative Director though he might have been, most of his talents lay in the creation of artistic elements, not creatively solving 'I'm a Giant Cat, Now What?' problems...
"Your drum set is rather large." He argued mildly, glancing at the furry appendages as Kai considered them himself. "Well... They're not that bad, Kai-kun..."
He waved his own around, eyeing the lace-covered fur, and noting how much smaller his own paws were then Kai's. "Man.. All this, and I'm still smaller then everyone else."
He huffed, pouting faintly, then shot the drummer a smile and gave him a playful push with his nose. "I'm still glad to have someone recognizable to talk to... And we'll figure something out..."
He glanced around, then stood with a stretch and a faint shake. "How about we walk, Kai? Maybe we can figure things out while we hunt down the rest of your escaped children..."
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Posted: Thu Feb 18, 2010 7:15 pm
"Really?" he asked, ears perking a little. Kai just wanted to be helpful. And he knew he was no Reita for Ruki, or an Uruha. Or Aoi. Just... Kai. Den Mother and drummer, for what it was worth in the current situation. Not to helpful though for the time being.
A purr escaped Kai at the rub he got from Ruki, pleased. "True... I wonder who lives around here though. I haven't really seen anyone..." And he hadn't eaten much either. Hunting with his clothes was not exactly stealthy. The chains clinked and jangled whenever he moved, and his hair was a big giveaway as well.
"It is big, but not the drums themselves!" he argued right back, making a face at the shorter vocalist. "You're just made that you're still short," Kai mumbled, putting his chin on top of Ruki's head, as if to make a point. "But fun things come in small packages. And you are fun, for all your griping."
At the suggestion of a walk, Kai nodded, liking the idea. Get up, explore and show Ruki what little he knew about their new abode. Hopefully a temporary one.
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Posted: Thu Feb 18, 2010 10:45 pm
Ruki nodded, smiling faintly at the familiar hopeful expression that flickered over Kai's face. He'd worn its like before, and was just too adorable. It was rare any of them said no to Kai, rarer still that the 'no' stuck. All he had to do was pull the puppy-eyed routine, and all of them were lost. No one said no to the puppy eyes. And if that wasn't enough, Kai could always pull out his super-imposing 'Band Leader' persona and scare them all into obeying.
But the truth was the truth. "Yeah, it really does help... You're better then Uruha and probably even Aoi."
He wrinkled his nose at the thought. He dearly loved his friends, all of them. But if he saw Ruki's earlier melt-down, Uruha would be on him in three-seconds flat, cracking jokes at his expense. In fact, he would never, ever live it down either... And while he didn't mind the jokes -most of the time-, he preferred the soft-sympathy of Kai.
It would be irritating beyond words to watch Aoi strut around in this new form, looking too at home in the body of a cat for anyone's peace of mind. But they'd made the remarks before how his grace and sense of prowess was not unlike a big cat... Though Ruki believed jaguar was usually the beast of choice, on account of Aoi's dark hair if nothing else. Still, no doubt he entered this place and this scenario and adapted just fine.
Jerk. The thought was pouting, but affectionate at it's core. Ruki doubted he could ever hate his band-mates, not even one as tall and graceful and no doubt as at-home as Aoi was.
So yeah, Kai was higher then them on the list.. Though both Uruha and Aoi were dear to Ruki's heart, they were wonderful friends. He'd known Uruha for quite a long time, after all.. Longer then any of them cared to admit, some days. But Uruha would probably tease him, and he was currently not in the mood for it. But when it came to the list of his band-mates and who he wanted most by his side...
He didn't even want to think that name right now. It was hard enough to stay on an even keel as it was... He didn't need to go and think himself into another panic attack...
"Ten to one, giant cats who've never heard our music." He replied to the wondering, glancing around. A smile darted over him again and he huffed a soft laugh. "Alright, so they're not that bad..."
It was gone as he pouted, flattening his ears and huffing. "Damn straight I'm mad about that, but it's not the only reason..."
He leaned against Kai's chest, glad to have the assurance of someone he could trust beside him. "Thanks for that at least, Den Mother... I'd like to think it was a little more then my amazing music and art-related talents."
How much good were they now? He could sing, sure, but it wouldn't be the same without their music. Damn was he going to miss the music. Best not to think about that right now, even if it was easier then musing over what he really missed. Because damn was there only one thing he was really missing currently, and while it did have to do with music, it wasn't his damn guitar.
"So where is this home you've found? And I bet if you get us to a body of water, I can catch us some fish..." Real Sushi.
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Posted: Thu Feb 18, 2010 11:08 pm
Ruki's words got a big grin out of Kai, definitely making him feel much better. There was a reason he'd been dubbed den mother and leader of the group. And exactly in that order as well. He always made sure the band came first, striving to make sure everyone was alright. But now Kai was going to have to take a different approach to that, seeing as he couldn't flee into the kitchen to make any cake or french toast to brighten people's moods. "Thanks," he said, nuzzling the vocalist, and even purring a little he was so pleased.
"Glad you see it my way. Not all instruments can be as handy as your voice. Or a guitar," Kai huffed, though his expression softened as Ruki pouted. He was so cute when he did that... "And I assure you, Aoi is rather at home as a cat. Though I'd much rather he be human, and us as well." Because it was just awkward being a cat and doing certain things. More like everything. And Kai did mean everything.
"You're a good person with an amazing voice. Just because you're not as tall as you'd like to be doesn't mean you're less of a person," Kai said in a very motherly tone of voice as he even gave the vocalist a friendly lick on the cheek. "Now cheer up and let's go take that walk."
Kai got up to his feet, tilting his head at his petite friend. "You can catch fish? Are you sure about that?" He was usually inclined to believe Ruki but... he was a cat now. Could he catch fish as a cat?
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Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2010 7:45 pm
Ruki shook his head faintly at Kai's grin, smiling as he nodded in return. Thanks for what? All he had done was tell the drummer the truth... Which was his usual course of action, unless he had a specific reason to lie... Like having a secret to hide...
But now was not the time for it.
"For telling the truth?" He teased mildly, nosing Kai back. The purring was something new, kinda cute, actually. "You're welcome, Kai..."
"That's true..." Ruki agreed, remembering back when he played drums... It seemed so long ago, now. Hell, it was long ago, he supposed. "It wasn't all that fun hauling my set around forever ago.. Whether you had hands and help or not. So yes, Kai-kun, I see your point."
He rolled his eyes. Yeah, you had to be blind not to see that one coming. Probably deaf too, it was practically wearing tap shoes. Of course Aoi was well adjusted in this form, it was just his nature.
"Yeah, I'm sure we'd all rather be human, given the chance and choice." He murmured with a flick of his tail. Yeah, that thing was going to be annoying.. He could already tell... At least it stayed out from under his paws, it would be annoying if he kept stepping on the dumb thing.
"Thanks Kai." He grinned. "Yeah, let's go then."
As he set out at a smooth walk, enjoying the power in this new form if only for a moment. The question made him smile faintly. "There are many painful stories from my childhood that I will probably never share with you, Kai-kun... More then one of them includes summer camp. It is sufficient to say, yes I can fish, and yes I am sure... Let's find some water, and I'll prove it."
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Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2010 8:44 pm
"Yeah," Kai murmured, smiling as Ruki nosed him, making him purr even more. He was always needing to be reassured, even for the simplest of things. And Ruki was very good at doing that.
The drummer grinned at Ruki's admittance, looking rather triumphant. "Told you so," Kai said as he rolled his eyes. Glad that the vocalist saw things his way.
He nodded, agreeing. Kai easily got himself up and followed after Ruki, he wondering if the vocalist even knew where the hell they were going. And at the words Ruki said, Kai pouted a little. "Oh. Okay..." he said, sad that Ruki couldn't talk to him about it. Not that he was about to force the shorter male to spill. But Kai was rather interested in seeing his friend fish. The idea even made him giggle a little.
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Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2010 9:04 pm
Ruki knew that as a group, Kai was probably the sweetest of them all. Granted, Rei had a heart bigger then Japan, but that was after you got past the tough guy image. Kai had always worn his heart on his sleeve, and probably always would. He gave too much, forgetting to hold back for himself, and would help anyone, anywhere, at any time.
It was one of his most charming attributes, so the rest of them fought to protect that aspect of his personality. Ruki had no problem reassuring the other male, doting on the gentle soul that was Kai.
"Yeah." He grinned, bumping shoulders with the other male as they walked. "You told me so..."
The giggling made him narrow his eyes mockingly at Kai, flattening his ears and pouting as best he could. He wasn't sure if the effect was the one he had perfected as a human, but he could imagine it got his point across.
"Are you laughing at the idea of me fishing, Kai-kun?" He sulked. "I can just let you starve... Or make you wait until one of the others decides to try their luck at hunting for us.. I'd love to watch Uruha try to run down a gazelle or something.. That would be one for the camera..."
He laughed at the mental image, short-shorts and all... Oh, but it would be good to see Uruha again. To see all of his friends again.
A faint frown flicked over his face. "This is the general direction of your den, correct? Do you remember any nearby bodies of water? That would be ideal, a den by water..."
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Posted: Sat Feb 20, 2010 12:12 pm
The drummer grinned at Ruki, giving him an innocent look at the accusation. "Maybe. It's not like you exactly look like the kind of guy who'd know how to fish," Kai replied with a shrug, though his face was still filled with mirth. And Ruki's pout only made Kai laugh more - though it was more because the look was kind of cute on the lion face Ruki had.
"Well see if it's better than that mental image..." he chuckled. Uruha hunting. Yes that definitely would be one for the camera. But Kai also had a feeling Uruha would not hunt, that he'd rather see everyone else try.
At the question Ruki posed to him, Kai nodded. "It's up ahead a ways. I tried to get as close to a body of water as I could but I think most were taken..." And Kai did not want to have to deal with a turf war when he was so new.
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Posted: Tue Feb 23, 2010 1:47 pm
"Ahh, Damn." Ruki heaved a great sigh, looking put out for a moment. "Don't tell me that if I feed you its going to blow my entire carefully-crafted, oh-so-spoiled, Rock Star image Kai-kun... I don't know if I can live with the thought of being brought back down from the pedestal I need to be on eye
level with all you amazons..."
He snorted faintly, shaking it off in favor of considering their surroundings again. "So.. Who was the first one you found? Since you're the first one I've seen..."
It would be nice to hear about his friends, since they'd all seemed to find each other without trouble. The youngest, the smallest, and the last, didn't that just suck? Oh well, at least it meant he'd be with everyone soon.
"Close is good.. We don't want to have to fight anyone..." He sighed. What a strange life this was turning out to be. "And we can always move a little later, once we know what the heck we're doing..."
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