~~~******~~~

"You want me to WHAT?!"

"U-ukai-san! Please calm down!"

"Can it, Sakano! Repeat it. Now!"

Fujisaki Suguru flinched. He’d known it was a bad idea. He didn’t know the Grasper keyboardist that well, and to ask her something like this…

"I…" he stuttered.

"Repeat. It."

"Ah, yes!" He swallowed hard. "I want you to be a fortune teller at my school festival!"

There. It was said, clarified, and repeated. Now would come the hard part. Her answer.

"Why me?"

"Wh-what?"

"Why me, Fujisaki-kun?" Noriko asked, leaning forward.

"Ah, well... You see, we had a fortune teller, but she backed out because she wants to spend the day with her new boyfriend, and well…." He blushed slightly. "You see…"

"Ah! That’s so cute!"

"Huh?" Suguru and Sakano (who had come as moral support) blinked.

"Young love!" Noriko gushed. "That’s so adorable! But still," and she was suddenly business again, "you shouldn’t back out of an agreement. That’s bad business sense." She turned to Suguru. "So, you came to me because I’m reliable and so very gorgeous, right? I’ll do it."

"You will?! Ukai-san, thank you!"

"Heheh. Piko-piko Nori-chan to the rescue!" She grinned and winked. "You came to the right place, Fujisaki. I happen to be an expert fortune teller!"

"Really?!" Oh, this was too good!

"Yep! I learned how to read tarot cards when it was popular. That was around ’96, I think… And Touma’s brother-in-law, the little one with the Ryu-chan fetish, he read the fires for me once at Touma’s wedding!"

"And this makes you an expert?" Suguru muttered. Somehow, things didn’t seem as bright as they had a few seconds ago.

"So leave it to me!" she smiled.

Suguru felt faint.

~~~******~~~

Touma tapped his pen on his desk idly. The lyrics weren’t coming today. He wanted a new single, hell, a new full album, for Nittle Grasper, but he was blocked like an amateur.

Like Shindou-kun still got.

Of course, the temperamental singer was the reason he was pushing himself. Ryuichi might be convinced that Shuichi needed Grasper out of the way to shine, but Touma was of a second opinion. With the other record companies releasing nothing but crap, a competitor had to emerge from somewhere, to push Bad Luck into a) concentrating for a change, and b) pushing themselves to stay the best. Not that they could stay the best with Grasper active again, but maybe seeing the second spot for awhile would get them to work harder.

But with Touma unable to write, Grasper wouldn’t have new songs.

Normally, he would sit with Ryuichi and Noriko to bounce ideas off each other, but Noriko was MIA at the moment and Ryuichi… Ryuichi would say "But Shuichi is shining! We can’t shine brighter than him!" and wouldn’t help.

Touma didn’t understand how Ryuichi could sit back and not sing. The Ryuichi he met in college would have given up his microphone when they pried it out of his cold, dead hands. Was Shuichi’s shining this important to him?

Touma scowled down at his paper. Such thoughts were useless. He scribbled out the sparkling SD Shuichi he’d drawn in his margins, and tried to get to work.

Only to be interrupted by a knock at his door, which was immediately followed by Noriko.

"Hi!" she trilled.

"Noriko-san. Where have you been?" Touma snapped.

"Eh? Oh, calm down, Grumpy. I was with Fujisaki-kun."

"Is that so?" He tried to hide a scowl. "I needed you here, Noriko-san. I want-"

"I’m going to be a fortune teller!" she interrupted, gushing. "That’s what he wanted, you know. He needed a fortune teller for his school fair, and of course he came to cute little me!" She giggled.

"School fair?" Touma blinked. "But… I want to start a new single…"

"Aw, Touma! It’s only three days away! Can’t we get serious after? I need to practice my tarot readings!"

"Eh?! Noriko-san, are you-" Touma remembered her stint in tarot reading. She’d practiced on him and Ryuichi in the bus while on tour, and had gotten a reading for Ryuichi so bad, it had reduced him to tears. Repeatedly.

"Are you sure that’s wise?"

"Of course! I’m going to practice hard!" She got quiet, a small frown on her face. "I don’t want to make Ryu-chan cry."

"Noriko-san…"

"But!" She brightened, her lavender curls bouncing. "I’m going to work hard, and be the best fortune teller ever! Ho ho ho ho!"

Touma suppressed a flinch at her laugh.

"Look out, Fujisaki’s high school! Here comes Nori-chan!"

~~~******~~~

Suguru shivered, pausing.

"Fujisaki-kun, are you all right?" Sakano asked him.

"Y-yes. I just got a shiver. I’m fine."

"Oh. Good." They continued in silence down to their studio. "Fujisaki-kun?"

"Yes?"

"Why did you ask Ukai-san to be your fortune teller?"

"Huh? Oh. Well, you see…" he sighed. "I didn’t know any other girls."

"Oh. Well, that explains it, I guess."

"Yeah. I guess."

~~~******~~~

The next two days were a blur of preparation for Noriko. She dusted off her old tarot set and started practicing. She scared Saki once, but after the girl was reassured the Death card isn’t really bad, she calmed down. She refused to let her mommy practice with her, though.

Finally, the day of Fujisaki’s festival came. Noriko was up and at the fair grounds bright and early. She was dressed in tan and purple, with a fringed scarf and lots of bangle bracelets. Her hair, still that pale blue-violet, was pulled to one side, and she wore a wrapped scarf tilted over the other side. Suguru was glad to see that she was getting into the part, even if it he hadn’t been going for a pop idol gypsy look.

"Ukai-san!" The boy waved her over to her tent. "Here you are." There was a sign over the entrance that read "Miss Hieko’s Fortune Telling."

"What is that?" Noriko demanded, the bracelets on her arm jingling as she gestured fiercely to the sign. "That won’t do at all!"

"But Ukai-san! The sign was already done!" Suguru sputtered.

"No. You there!" She pointed imperiously to one of the gaping high school boys. "Get me some paint, will ya?" She fluttered her eyelashes. "Please?"

"Y-yes!"

When he returned, Noriko flipped over the sign and scribbled on it in pink and purple and yellow. "There! Perfect!" she announced. She made the boys hang it back up as she directed them from below.

"Hehe. Piko-piko Nori-chan’s Gorgeous Fortune Telling is ready for business! Hee hee!"

Suguru’s shoulders slumped. "Aren’t you going overboard with the piko-piko stuff?"

Noriko whirled on him, fires dancing in her eyes. "What did you say?! Do you want me to make you my tea-boy?!"

"N-no! I’m sorry!"

"Then be quiet, and let me work my magic, okay?" She grinned and winked.

Somehow, Suguru didn’t trust her when she did that.

~~~******~~~

"Touma?" Ryuichi poked his head in Touma’s office door. The blond was at his desk, as usual. But…

"Ah! Touma!" Ryuichi rushed over to the prone figure in the chair. "TOUMA!"

Touma awoke to an attack hug from Ryuichi. "Eh?"

"Wah! I’m so relieved! I thought you were dead! You were all hunched over when I came in! Touma, you scared me!"

"Ah, sorry."

"Really! You should apologize to Kumagoro! He was about to call the hospital!" Ryuichi waved his stuffed bunny around.

"I’m sorry, Kumagoro. I must have fallen asleep at my desk last night. Forgive me, Ryuichi, Kumagoro."

"Kumagoro says you’re forgiven, because he knows you work hard to make the company big." Ryuichi blinked, looking down at the papers spilled across the desk’s surface. "Eh? These aren’t company papers. These are… lyrics nanoda!" He smiled widely. "Does Touma miss making music?"

"What?"

"Touma misses making music while we’re on break nanoda! Maybe Touma will sing, too?" Ryuichi directed the question at Kumagoro.

"Ryuichi…" Touma warned. "Huh? What happened to Kumagoro?" he blinked.

"Oh… eheheh." Ryuichi blushed, holding the splotchy stuffy. "Remember that cute blue jacket he was wearing the other day?" Touma nodded. The singer and his bunny had had matching jackets on. It had been incredibly cute. "Well, Kumagoro got all dirty when we wear playing in the park, so I washed him. Except…" He hung his head. "I forgot to take his jacket off and now he’s all splashy and blue."

"Ah… Well, maybe Noriko can help you. She has a little daughter. I’m sure she has some tricks to get stains out."

"Really?! Yay! Where is she?" Ryuichi darted around the room, peeking under furniture as if she were playing hide and seek.

"Um… I think… Today’s the day of Fujisaki-kun’s school fair. She’s being their fortune teller."

"What?! But… They’ll all die if she reads their fortunes!" Ryuichi popped one of Kumagoro’s ears in his mouth and chewed.

"Ryuichi… She told your fortune and you haven’t died," Touma pointed out.

"Not yet anyway!" Ryuichi glommed onto Touma again and bawled. "I got the Death card three times! In one reading!"

"I still wonder how that’s possible…"

"But, we have to find out the secret of curing Kumagoro," the smaller man sniffled. "So we need to see her." He bounced into Touma’s lap, grinning suddenly. "Can we go to the fair? Please? Kumagoro wants to have fun at the fair! And get his cure!"

"Off! Yes, we’ll go. Just… stop jumping on me, Ryuichi!"

"Oops."

Suguru wanted to melt into the ground as the fourth set of girls emerged trembling from Noriko’s tent. They were all terrified. And some of the staffers were looking at him funny, because he was the one who brought her.

‘Maybe I should have given up…’ he sighed. ‘It’s not to late to close the booth. I’m sure she’ll be just as happy signing autographs.’ He stood up straight. ‘Right. I’ll go tell her.’

"Fujisaki-kun?"

Suguru turned at his name being called so shyly.

"Hi-hieko?!"

The girl who was supposed to be in the tent telling fortunes stood before him, looking at the ground. Her dark red hair hid her face. "Hello, Fujisaki-kun. I just… stopped by to see how things are doing… you know?"

"Um, yeah. They’re fine. We’re doing great," he lied, his cheeks pink.

"Really? I’m so glad to hear that!" Hieko beamed, looking at him with her eyes bright. "Thank you so much for doing this for me, Fujisaki-kun! You’re the best!"

"Ah, it was nothing. Don’t worry about it." He waved as she ran off to join her boyfriend. ‘Great. How am I going to back out of this now?’

~~~******~~~

"Oh? What’s this?" Noriko smirked as she saw Suguru and that girl. "Is little Fujisaki growing up?" She bit into the snack she grabbed. "Hm. Maybe I should specialize in love fortunes… Hey, Fujisaki!" she called out.

"What?!" His hair stood up on end. "Oh. Ukai-san! You scared me."

"I have an idea."

‘No! This can’t be good!’ Suguru’s mind screamed.

"Love fortunes!"

"What?!"

"You heard me. Everyone wants to do well in love. So now, Nori-chan is going to give them a little push! Starting with you!"

"EH?!"

Noriko leapt onto a table and called out to the crowd. "Hey everyone! Piko-piko Nori-chan here! We’re now specializing in love fortunes! Let me give a demonstration of my power! Fujisaki-kun! Step up here!"

"Noooooo!"

~~~******~~~

Touma and Ryuichi saw the crowd gathering. Since human instinct is to check out the cause of commotion, they followed.

"Fujisaki-kun! Step up here!"

"Noooooo!"

"Noriko?" Ryuichi asked no one in particular. The pair looked above the students’ heads to see their bandmate dragging Suguru up onto the picnic table she stood on.

Touma took off his hat. "Farewell, Fujisaki-kun. We shall all miss your sanity."

"Touma!" Ryuichi giggled. "That’s not nice! True, though. Right Kumagoro?" The bunny nodded its head, with Ryuichi’s help.

~~~******~~~

"Now. Introduce yourself!" Noriko commanded.

"Ukai-san!" Suguru hissed, blushing.

"C’mon!"

"He-hello, everyone. I’m Fujisaki Suguru."

"I’m sure you all know him as the super-talented keyboardist of Bad Luck (although no one is as talented as me, ho ho ho ho!)! But today, Suguru-chan is a high schooler just like you! And, just like you, he will have his love fortune read by me, Nori-chan!" She grinned and struck a pose. "Now, Suguru-chan-"

"Don’t call me that!"

"Suguru-CHAN. Give me your hands!" She grabbed them before he could protest. Holding his hand between hers, she closed her eyes. "Mm… I see a flame kindled in your heart… She doesn’t know yet, but if you chase her to the end of the rainbow, she will. Tonight. Before the stars cease to shine. Definitely!" She opened her eyes. "Suguru-chan! Kindle the flames! Leave your lonely dreams and let your burning love shine into space!"[1]

"Y-yes!" Suguru found himself replying as the crowd cheered. Noriko’s passion was contagious. As he looked into her eyes, her lips curved into a smile, and she winked.

~~~******~~~

Touma shook his head. "She’s using our song lyrics…"

"Only a little," Ryuichi said, grinning. "I think it’s beautiful! Suguru-chan grew up right before our eyes!" He chewed on Kumagoro’s blue-splotched ear as his eyes filled with tears. "Oh! Our little boy’s all grown up!" He sniffled.

"Ryuichi?" Touma looked at him. "Fujisaki-kun isn’t our little boy."

"Eh? Oh. Hehe, I got so caught up, I forgot nanoda." He sheepishly rubbed his head. "Hey, Touma… Can we get our fortunes read? Please?!"

"You remember that’s Noriko? The one who drew the Death card for you three times?"

"Yeah, but she’s so much cooler when she doesn’t have those things!"

Touma sighed. He watched her as she told starry-eyed high school girls close and whispered to them, making them blush and squeal with happiness.

"She’s going to be busy for awhile," he said. "The crowd isn’t thinning at all."

"But I want to know if I’m going to be lucky in love! Touma!" Ryuichi whined.

"Later," Touma sighed. "Madam Noriko is very busy right now."

"Silly Touma! Her name is Piko-piko Nori-chan!" He laughed. "Let’s get candy apples or something until she can see us! Kumagoro is hungry! He has to be fed, so he can have energy to see Piko-piko Nori-chan to get his cure," he said seriously.

"Of course," Touma nodded. "We have to get Kumagoro’s cure for the blue splotchies."

"Mm! And find out when Ryu-chan will be loved back!" He grabbed Touma’s arm and pulled him towards the food section.

Noriko sighed with relief as she flopped into a chair. "Whew! Fortune telling is hard work!" They had finally gotten a break, and she was hiding in her tent.

Suguru smiled at her. "You did a good job."

"Of course."

He twitched slightly. ‘Still can’t take a compliment….’ "Well, thank you." He dropped into a low bow. "Thank you so much for helping today! Thank you, Ukai-san!"

"Heh. No problem. It was fun!"

"It was nanoda!" Ryuichi had his head poked in the tent flap. Through the opening, they could see part of someone who could only be Touma. Anyone else would have their jacket up on their shoulders properly.

"C’mon in!" Noriko grinned. Ryuichi bounced over to her. Touma followed more sedately.

"So what brings you two here?" she asked after squeezing Ryuichi breathless in hello.

"We need to see Piko-piko Nori-chan!" Ryuichi said desperately. "Kumagoro’s sick!" He presented the blue and pink rabbit.

"What did you do?!"

"I… washed him with his jacket on," Ryuichi admitted.

"Ryuichi! Well, let me see him." She took the bunny gently. She ran a hand over his head, feeling the fuzz. "Hmm… He was washed, but not dried."

"Yeah! I saw the marks, and I remembered what you said when I got orange soda on my concert blouse. ‘Don’t dry it until you’re sure the stains are gone!’ But I can’t bleach Kumagoro like my shirt!" His lip trembled. "Can you do something?"

"What? Yeah, of course. My husband does stuff like this all the time. Kumagoro can come home with me tonight, and we can get him all pink again."

"Really?! Wah! You’re the best!" He threw his arms around her.

"Don’t be stupid. Of course I am!"

Touma smiled. Those two never changed.

"Hey, Touma?" Ryuichi looked up at him.

"Yes?"

"Can I talk to Noriko? I want to have my love fortune read!"

"Ah, of course. That’s very private, isn’t it?" He smiled as Ryuichi nodded. "All right. I’ll wait outside."

"Thank you, Touma! Touma’s the best, too. Right Noriko?"

"Yep! Now, what’s this about wanting a love fortune?"

~~~******~~~

Ryuichi chewed on Kumagoro’s ear as Noriko sat and tapped her chin with her finger. "Why? You never cared about love before."

"I was happy making music with you and Touma. I didn’t need someone. Well, I did, but… Anyways, Kumagoro is lonely!" He made the stuffed rabbit go into a sad pose.

"What aren’t you telling me?"

"Wh-what?!" His eyes widened as she got very close.

"You wouldn’t be this hesitant if everything was fine. You have someone in mind already? To be your someone special?" He nodded. "But here’s something wrong? What? Is she married?"

He flinched away from her.

"I knew it! Ryuichi, I’m sorry, but I love my husband-"

"Not you, Nori-chan! Nori-chan is my friend, but I really want someone to love me like Shuichi loves Yuki-san. Completely and with everything they’ve got!"

"That won’t happen if they’re married."

"It’s possible."

"I guess…" She grinned. "Now, tell me who it is!"

Ryuichi turned pink. His lips moved, and he whispered softly.

"You’re kidding." He shook his head. "Mika won’t be happy."

"She already shares him with Yuki-san! I won’t take up anymore of him than I already do."

Noriko smiled. "You really like Touma."

"Uh-huh! He’s my Be There Anytime person!" he said brightly.

"You’re kidding right? Mr. I have to drop everything and moon over Yuki Eiri?"

"He’s not that bad!"

"Yes he is! But, if you really want, I’ll help you. I’ll even talk to Mika, if you need it."

"Really?!" She nodded. "Good! Mika-san scares me."

"She’s not that bad, silly. She’s just tougher than most girls. Like me." She flexed her arm. "See?"

Ryuichi laughed. "Thank you, Noriko!"

"No problem! I promise I’ll help you catch him! Now, let’s get out there before he wanders off in search of Yuki."

"Noriko!" But he laughed, the shine back in his eyes.

~~~******~~~

Touma took a seat on the picnic table outside the tent. The fresh air was nice, and the yakisoba had been very good. It was still very tempting to get another serving. He would have to suggest it to Noriko and Ryuichi.

Ryuichi… He was acting odd about this love fortune. He must be feeling lonely. He was still single, constantly surrounded by people who had someone to go home to.

"That must be it," Touma said softly. He watched the smoke curling up from the grills. "It looks like it wants to touch the clouds… Like you could walk on it…" He started humming to himself.

"Yay! Touma’s singing!" Ryuichi clapped. "Pretty! It reminds me of Noriko’s fortune for Suguru-chan!"

"Huh?"

"Rainbows! Suguru’s fortune was all flames and rainbows!"

"Oh yeah. I forgot." Noriko grinned sheepishly.

"I want to sing!"

"Eh?" Touma and Noriko blinked at Ryuichi.

"I’m totally happy! I want to get up on stage and sing! Where’s a stage?" He began running around, looking for one.

"I wonder what made him so energetic…"

Noriko laughed, her movement making her over-sized gypsy earrings jingle like bells. "Maybe he had a good love fortune."

"Did he?"

"Not telling! It’s a secret!"

"Really, you two…" But Touma smiled.

"C’mon. Let’s find him a stage before he starts climbing electric poles."

"Oh, too late."

"Ryu-chan!"

~~~******~~~

The festival committee was more than pleased when they found Sakuma Ryuichi wandering around in search of a stage.

"Really? You’ll sing for us?!"

"Lucky!"

Touma smiled indulgently at them. This was definitely a perk of stardom. The students would be pleased, and they would get to play. No matter what anyone thought of bloodthirsty President Seguchi, inside him was still the same Touma that formed Nittle Grasper for the sole reason they would be performing- to make music. That was why he didn’t want to retire and let Shindou-kun do all the shining.

Ryuichi deserved to shine more than anyone.

"Quick, get everything together! Oh, how are we going to announce this!?"

"Calm down!" Noriko said to the festival council girl. "I’ll handle this." She grabbed a megaphone from one of the grill booth boys and leapt onto a table.

"She’s doing that a lot today, ne?" Ryuichi said. Touma nodded.

"Hey everyone!" she shouted. "Piko-piko Nori-chan here! Guess what?! Nittle Grasper’s here today, and tonight, we’re going to perform for you! That’s right! Touma-kun, Ryu-chan and I are inviting you all to a Nittle Grasper Special Jam Session concert tonight! Right before the fireworks! I want to see you all there, okay? Help us shine!"

"Shiny shiny!" Ryuichi shouted happily.

"Looks like you won’t have to worry about advertising," Touma said to the festival council as they stared at Noriko, still on the table with her hands on her hips, laughing.

~~~******~~~

Suguru stared at the woman on the table. What had he let loose on his school?

"Isn’t this great, Ishirou? Nittle Grasper’s here!" Hieko’s voice came from behind him. He didn’t turn around.

"Nittle Grasper? That’s that band you like?"

"Yes. Nittle Grasper. And Fujisaki-kun’s band, Bad Luck."

"Oh. They’re that band with the gay singer, right?"

Suguru fumed. His band was more famous for Shuichi’s antics than their music.

"I guess, Ishirou. But I really like their music. Shindou-san has a nice voice, and Fujisaki-kun…" Suguru tensed. "I saw Bad Luck before, when they opened for ASK at Zepp Tokyo. It was so cool when Sakuma-san joined them on stage! But I think, Fujisaki-kun has really added something. They’re even cooler now!"

"Whatever you say…."

Suguru resumed fuming. Hieko was a fan of his- of HIM, not Shuichi, not Hiro, HIM- and that… that uncultured brute was dating her? This wouldn’t do. No fan of his should be with someone who didn’t love music! It was… It was unnatural!

But… She liked him. There wasn’t anything he could do. Suguru sighed, and went to get something sweet.

~~~******~~~

This, of course, did not go unnoticed by the gypsy on the table. Ever since she ‘read’ Ryuichi’s fortune, she had been plotting. What was another plot to work in? She could get Ryuichi what he wanted (Never mind that he was married; she was sure Mika wouldn’t mind too much, once she got used it. Maybe), and she would get Suguru-chan a girlfriend. Maybe the kid would loosen up.

Now. To get the girl away from that other guy….

~~~******~~~

"Would you stop that? It’s annoying." Noriko scowled as she watched the ‘happy couple’. She didn’t like this boy very much. He reminded her of a high school boyfriend of her own whom she called "Useless Bastard".

Hieko stopped, both her skipping and her singing. "Ishirou?"

"I don’t like that."

"Oh." She forced a smile. "You don’t like music much, do you?"

"I don’t like pop."

Noriko narrowed her eyes. "She was singing Be There, you cretin! We’re not pop! We’re Rock Gods!"

"I suppose you’ll want to go to that concert?"

"What? Oh. Yes. Unless…"

"No, you can go. I don’t care."

"Ishirou…"

Noriko frowned. This was pathetic. She knew that tone. That was the "I’m using reverse psychology on you" teenage boy tone. He’d keep this up until she gave in and skipped the concert. ‘That jerk… Time to intervene!’

"Yo!" she called as she stepped into view. "What a cute couple! You’re coming tonight, right? We could use more cuties in the crowd!"

Ishirou blinked. "Huh?"

"Hi. Nori-chan, from Nittle Grasper. Pleased to meet you!" She smiled winningly.

"Mashida Ishirou."

"And you?" Noriko turned to Hieko.

"A…Asugawa Hieko. Pleased to meet you!" The girl blushed prettily and bowed.

"Hieko, huh?" Noriko pretended to think. "I covered for you today!"

"What?!"

"The fortune telling! Suguru-chan asked me to help out, so you could have a free day! Did you have fun?" She winked at the girl.

"Y-yes! Thank you so much, Ukai-san! I’m so sorry! I didn’t want to inconvenience you!" She dipped into a bow again.

"No problem. I got to practice my tarot reading! It was fun!"

"Oh! You read tarot, too, Ukai-san?" Hieko perked up.

"Yep! I do it for Ryu-chan and Touma-kun when we’re on tour."

"Really?!"

Noriko was pleased to note that the girl was opening up. The boy looked bored.

‘Hehehe. It’s started!’

~~~******~~~

Suguru carried his synthesizer to the stage himself. He didn’t want anyone else touching it. Touma he trusted to treat it right when he played, but a simple high school student could spell disaster for his precious keyboard.

He set it up on the stage to Touma’s specifications, and went to get the second keyboard from the van.

"Ukai-san!" he called when he saw that stupid headwrap she was wearing appear in the crowd. "Ukai-san!"

"Yo, Sugi-chan!"

"Su-sugi-chan?! Now, Ukai-san, as a fellow musician, I would appreciate it if you could take me a little more seriously and… and…" He trailed off. Next to Noriko were Hieko and her boyfriend. "Hello, Hieko. Mashida-kun."

"Fujisaki-kun," Ishirou said simply.

"Hello, Fujisaki-kun," Hieko said. "You didn’t tell me that was Ukai-san covering for me today!"

"Um… I guess it slipped my mind…"

"Fujisaki-kun! Shame on you! You’re a Grasper fan too!"

"What?! Suguru-chan is a Grasper fan!?" Noriko grabbed him and hugged him. "Hehe. Sugi-chan’s a Grasper fan!," she sang.

"I grew up listening to Seguchi-san’s band. Of course I am." He brushed himself off as if he had fallen. "Seguchi-san was my inspiration." Noriko shot him a look. "And Ukai-san is very good too."

"Of course! We’re Grasper, you know!"

"Wah! Touma!" came a distinctive whine. "I fell down!"

"Really, Ryuichi, you need to be more careful around those wires…"

"…Idiot…" Noriko said, shaking her head at her fallen singer.

"Pick me up, Touma!" Ryuichi sat with his arms outstretched.

"Eh?!"

"Just do it, Seguchi!" Noriko snapped. Touma looked at her, an eyebrow raised. "Er, that is…" The blond turned back to the whining Ryuichi. "Whew! Close one!"

Suguru just shook his head.

~~~******~~~

"Ryuichi, I’m serious," Touma scolded as he pulled his vocalist to his feet. "You need to be careful. You could get hurt."

"Yes Touma," Ryuichi said. "I will."

Touma brushed him off a bit. "There."

"Yay! Shiny again! Thank you, Touma!" Ryuichi threw his arms around him. "You’re my angel," he whispered, and kissed his cheek.

Touma’s eyes widened. "Ryu-ryu…."

"Heheh!" Ryuichi bounced away, singing to Kumagoro.

~~~******~~~

Ishirou blinked. "Are all the singers you like gay?" he asked Hieko, his eyes narrow.

She shrugged. "I don’t know. But it’d be cute! Seguchi-san looks so young and flustered!"

"Please don’t tell me you read doujinshi…" Suguru muttered.

"Eh?!" Hieko echoed Touma. Her cheeks got pink. "Only the good ones…"

"Please don’t tell me… You read Bad Luck doujinshi?!"

"What? Ah, Fujisaki-kun!"

Noriko laughed. "Get used to it, Sugi-chan. Fan comics are part of this life. I think Ryuichi collects the Grasper ones. He thinks they’re funny."

"He would," the young keyboardist said.

"Well, Sugi-chan and I need to finish setting up. I’ll see you at the concert, right, Hieko-chan?"

"What?" She looked at Ishirou. His expression was carefully neutral, Noriko could tell. "I…"

"Come on! I covered for you today, right? The least you could do is come and cheer for me. Touma and Ryu-chan get all the cheers. I need someone there for me!"

"A-all right, Ukai-san!"

"That’s a girl! C’mon, Hieko! Cheer for me!"

"Go Ukai-san!"

"Louder!"

"GO Ukai-san!"

"More!"

"Go NITTLE GRASPER!"

"YEAH!" Noriko pumped her fist in the air. "Nittle Grasper!"

"And Kumagoro!" Ryuichi added, raising the spotted rabbit as he stopped playing airplane near them. "KUMAGORO BANZAI!"

"Heh. Just like a kid. Cheering for his stuffed animal," Noriko said fondly.

"Sakuma-san loves Kumagoro very much, doesn’t he?" Hieko asked, watching the singer play with his rabbit.

"That’s because Kumagoro loves me!" Ryuichi said happily. "Kumagoro loves everyone. Chu!" He made the bunny kiss her on the cheek. Hieko blushed. "Right, Touma?" The singer zeroed in on Touma, who was setting up nearby.

"Eh?"

"Chu!" He had Kumagoro kiss Touma as well, and hopped into his back, making the keyboardist wobble.

"Ryuichi! Get down! We’ll fall!"

"Nuh-uh. Touma will always be there to hold me up! Chu!" Kumagoro stole another kiss, and Ryuichi zoomed off.

Hieko watched him for a moment. "It must be very fun, being with him…"

"If that’s what you want to call it," Suguru said, his eyebrow twitching. "It reminds me of Shindou-san."

"But, Shindou-san is so funny!"

"He’s irritating."

"But… Shindou-san is the funny one, and Nakano-san is the cool one…" She paused. "And Fujisaki-kun…"

"I’m going," Ishirou said suddenly.

"What?!"

‘Yes, go," Noriko thought. ‘Sourpuss.’

"Ishirou!" Hieko ran after him as he walked away.

"What!?" Noriko grabbed Suguru’s arm. "You’ll be okay, Ryu-chan?"

"Yep! Kumagoro and I will keep Touma company! Right, Kumagoro?" The rabbit nodded. He turned his attention to the busy keyboardist as Noriko took off with Suguru in tow.

~~~******~~~

Suguru finally yanked his arm from Noriko’s grip. "Why are we following them?" he demanded.

"Becau~se! Hieko’s a fan! She needs to cheer for us!"

"That’s not all."

"What makes you say that?"

Suguru cocked an eyebrow. He looked like Touma when he did that. "This is way more than one fan coming to the concert. Spill it."

"Hey! Be nicer to your elders, brat!"

"You shouldn’t keep secrets, Grandma!"

"Why you-"

"Come with me." Ishirou’s voice stopped them in their tracks.

"Ishirou… The concert…."

"You can always go to a concert some other time."

"But… Nittle Grasper will never play at our school again! They’re too big! And they’re on hiatus!"

"Then why are they here?"

Noriko and Suguru popped their heads around a corner. Hieko stood, her hands clasped and her head down. Noriko scowled. How many young girls would learn to stand like that because of jerks like this boy?

"They’re here… because of me!" Hieko said. She looked up at him. "Because I wanted to spend the day with you, Fujisaki-kun had to call in Ukai-san. Because I was selfish, he had to bother Ukai-san to cover for me! I promised her I would cheer for her tonight!"

"She won’t even notice."

"So? I will. I promised." She looked down again.

Noriko cursed. ‘No! Stand up to him!’ She ignored Suguru, whose hands tightened on the corner of the tent he held.

"You sure? Your music is that important?"

"My promise is."

"I mean that little to you?"

"What? Ishirou! It’s only a concert!"

"How do I know… that you won’t do this again?"

"Ishirou! I promised Ukai-san! This is my favorite band!" She shook her head. "Ishirou, this is a once in a life-time opportunity!"

"So am I."

"What?"

"I want to be with you, but if you can let a silly event get in the way…"

"Ishirou!" Her hands tightened into fists. "Why can’t you understand!"

‘Yes!’ Noriko grinned and thumped her fist down. Unfortunately, the nearest thumpable surface was Suguru’s head.

"Hey!" he hissed.

"I’m sorry, Ishirou. You don’t understand it, do you? The music?"

"I don’t understand you, Hieko."

She looked down again, and then looked straight at him. "I guess, then, I’ll see you around school. Later." She turned and walked away.

~~~******~~~

"Wah! They broke up?!"

"You sound awfully happy about that," Suguru said to Noriko, his eyes narrowed.

"He reminded me of one of my ex-boyfriends," she said haughtily.

"That’s no excuse-"

"Fujisaki-kun?"

"Hieko?!" Suguru whirled.

"I’m sorry," she said. "I keep surprising you today."

"That’s… that’s okay."

"So what are you two doing out here?"

"We," Noriko covered quickly, "are looking for one of Ryu-chan’s rings. He was crying because he lost one. Really, he’s such a baby!" She turned and started back. "We’re not going to find it, and I need to warm up. Ryuichi will just have to deal. Touma can buy him a new one tomorrow…" she babbled as she walked away.

"Ah…" Suguru stuttered. "Where’s Ishirou?" ‘Moron, don’t say that! Too late…’

"Oh," Hieko said, scuffing the dirt with her toe. "He won’t be coming. He’s not a Grasper fan, anyway. He doesn’t understand." She smiled at him.

‘Hieko…’

"Fujisaki-kun? Will you sit with me? At the concert?"

"Su-sure." He flushed. "Ah… Come on. Let’s get some candy apples."

~~~******~~~

"Is everyone ready?!" the council leader called into the mike. "It’s Nittle Grasper!"

The trio came out from backstage, waving.

"Hi, everybody!" Ryuichi called. "I’m Ryu-chan! You all know Nori-chan and Touma-kun! Welcome to our Special Grasper Jam Session!" The crowd cheered. "So, what do you all want to hear?!" He held the mike out as the crowd of students shouted songs. "That’s my favorite too! Touma, Noriko! Sleepless Beauty nanoda!"

"All right!" Noriko shouted, and she and Touma started playing.

~~~******~~~

Suguru sat next to Hieko. They were a little apart, from the other students, but could still see perfectly. They’d been lucky in grabbing a spot.

"I love this song… I remember when he sang this for Shindou-san when he froze on stage," Hieko said, softly as Ryuichi sang.

"I wasn’t there that day."

"Mm. You joined after, right?"

"Yeah. That performance was played for me, when Seguchi-san called me to join them."

"So, what did you think of them?"

"I thought Shindou-san’s arrangements sucked." He looked at her, his eyes large. "I… I mean…"

"That’s okay. I’m not the one who would be upset to hear that," she smiled at him. "Shindou-san did need work, didn’t he? You really helped them."

"I did?"

"Yup! Bad Luck wouldn’t be the same without you!" She watched Grasper for a moment.

"Thank you," he said softly.

"Hmm?" She turned back to him.

"Thank you. For saying that."

"No problem. It’s the truth."

They watched in silence. Grasper played their hits, fooled around, and took more requests. Ryuichi randomly decided that he wanted to sing a Judy and Mary song. It dissolved into an argument, with Touma giving a firm "No. We don’t have that copyright." Ryuichi bawled. Noriko yelled at Touma.

"Think of it as karaoke!"

"Touma doesn’t love me!"

"Karaoke… huh? Well, what does everyone think? Shall we do some karaoke?" Touma directed his question at the crowd. They cheered, and Ryuichi perked up. He got to sing "Hello Orange Sunshine."

"Thank you everyone for convincing Touma!" He cried after the song. "Now what can I do for you?" He listened to their screaming. "Eh? Take it off?" He tugged on his hair. "Sorry, can’t. It’s real nanoda!" He listened again. "Really, you guys, you’re so bad! How about we play one of the songs Touma’s been working so hard on? He wants to make a new album for everyone. How does that sound? Yeah, I think it’s great too! Touma! Play the new song! Tou~ma~!"

The blond smiled. "No need to whine… Ryu-chan."

~~~******~~~

"Did you see that?! The way he smiled?" Hieko turned to Suguru. "I think Seguchi-san likes Sakuma-san!"

"Of course he likes him," Suguru answered. "Otherwise he wouldn’t put up with him, even with that voice."

"Not like that," she huffed. "Like-like."

"Like-like?"

"Yep! I think Seguchi-san just realized how special Sakuma-san is!"

"Don’t be silly."

"Fujisaki-kun, you… you’re not into romance, are you?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"What? No, I’m not. I don’t have the free time." They were quiet then, listening to Ryuichi sing.

"That’s pretty," Hieko said. "Like your fortune today."

"Y-you saw that?!"

She laughed softly, and nodded. "It was great. I was routing for you. But, I guess it won’t come true."

"Eh?"

"If you’re here with me…"

"If you’re here with me, I will touch the stars
Climbing on the remnants of clouds
Flying beyond the broken atmosphere
Following your rainbow to Mars."

"…Then you can’t find your someone special."

"Hieko… I…." He trailed off. "I might…" he said quietly.

~~~******~~~

"Well, everyone? Did Touma do good this time?" Ryuichi beamed at his keyboardist. "Did you all like it?!" Touma turned slightly pink. Or maybe it was Noriko’s imagination.

"Hey," she called. "I want to play Shining Collection! How ‘bout that one next?"

"Yeah! Shining Collection! Touma, play it for me!"

"H-hai!" Touma hid his fluster as he began the piano intro. ‘What is he thinking, that Ryuichi…’

~~~******~~~

Suguru and Hieko were silent for the beginning, occasionally stealing glances at each other when they could tear themselves away from the music. Suguru looked away during the first chorus, when Ryuichi held Touma from behind in an embrace he thought too intimate for the stage.

"He’s not hiding it anymore," Hieko said.

"What?"

"Sakuma-san. He was playing before, but he’s serious now." Suguru looked up as Ryuichi whirled away to begin the next verse.

"I don’t have time for that sort of thing," Suguru said.

"Is that so?"

"I mean, who has time to look for love when you have a job and school, and-"

"Did Yuki Eiri really write these lyrics for Shindou-san?" Hieko asked suddenly, not wanted to hear his excuses.

"As far as I know, he did. Seguchi-san did the composing."

"Shindou-san had time for love."

"He makes time. At expense of his work."

"But his lyrics are full of feeling. So is this song. And Sakuma-san… He sings with emotion now."

"Are sure you’re not seeing things?" he asked. "Seguchi-san is married."

"Is he? You wouldn’t know it."

Suguru watched the stage. They all seemed so absorbed in their music. "All I see is musicians enjoying their job."

"They’re enjoying it because they’re together. Ukai-san is happy because she’s playing with them. Sakuma-san is happy because he’s singing with them."

"And Seguchi-san?"

She merely pointed. Touma was absorbed in the synthesized guitar notes he was playing on his keyboard.

As Noriko sang the backup there, Touma stole a glance at his singer, who basked in the spotlights. A tiny smile tugged at his lips.

"Eh?!" Suguru sat up. "Oh… Oh no. Family reunions are going to be mess!" he moaned. "Seguchi-san can’t bring his wife AND his boyfriend!"

Hieko giggled. "I’m sure they’ll work something out."

"But… but…"

She laughed again, and put a hand on his shoulder. "Let them worry about it, Fujisaki-kun. You take care of yourself." She stared at the stage. "Ishirou and I are through," she told him. "I can’t stay with a guy who doesn’t understand." She gestured to the stage. "You understand. You always have. And… You tried so hard today, bringing Ukai-san to cover for me. I guess I seem ungrateful, breaking up with the reason I skipped out."

"Not at all. I wouldn’t want someone who doesn’t understand."

"I thought you didn’t want to fall in love?"

"I… I never said that."

"No, that’s not it. I said, I don’t have time to look for romance."

"And if it found you?"

"...That’s okay, I guess. No, that’s definitely okay." Hieko laughed softly, and he smiled. "Definitely."

~~~******~~~

Noriko took off after the concert, leaving Touma and Ryuichi to pack up with the festival council. She had to check up on Suguru. She found him, sitting to the side of the stage, Hieko at his side.

"It’s over?" Hieko asked softly, her head on his shoulder.

"Yeah…" Suguru answered. He didn’t have an arm around her, which Noriko thought would be cute, but he seemed at ease with her weight against him.

"We should go."

"Yeah…" He paused. "Let’s… stay and watch the fireworks."

"Sounds good," she said with a smile. She settled close to him, and he twined his fingers in hers.

Noriko smiled. Definitely an improvement. ‘Way to go, Sugi-chan! Now for the other two… Back to the stage! I need to get Kumagoro, anyway. Poor thing, washed in his jacket…’

~~~******~~~

Noriko, as shown all day, had no qualms about eavesdropping. So after Ryuichi gave her the blue splotched Kumagoro to take home for washing, she stuck around a bit to watch. She was almost giddy when Touma approached Ryuichi.

He smiled gently at Ryuichi. "You sang wonderfully tonight, Ryuichi. I hope your enthusiasm comes out on the album."

"I’m all ready to shine!" The singer beamed. "Be there anytime!"

"Yes. I’m sure you will. I’m sorry I doubted you."

"Huh?"

Ryuichi trailed after Touma as he took Suguru’s keyboard to the van. Noriko hid so they wouldn’t notice her shadowing them.

"I thought that you didn’t want to sing."

"What?! Not want to sing?! Touma-"

"Because of Shindou-san. You want him to shine so much, I thought you would stop shining yourself."

"I thought about it, but when I saw Touma working so hard, I knew I had to shine for you!" The singer looked up into his eyes, suddenly serious. "I… I wanted you once, before, but I gave up because I knew you didn’t want me. Now, I don’t want to stay quiet. I still want to be loved like Shuichi loves Yuki-san, but… But I’m willing to give that up. For a chance with you."

"Ryuichi, I can’t. I already love…" He looked at the smaller man, who forced a smile. It didn’t look right, not after the bright smiles he’d been giving him all day. The smiles so full of affection that he’d never noticed before- and never known how much he’d treasured. "…Ryuichi."

"You do?" Ryuichi blinked.

"Mm. You make me want to play, just for you."

"Is that why you were so happy playing today?"

"Yes. Because you and Noriko were with me, and you wanted to shine again."

"I won’t ever stop!" Ryuichi threw his arms around Touma, and Touma, instead of wobbling like usual, caught him. "I knew you’d be there," the singer whispered. "My Touma."

"Yes. I’ll be here anytime."[6]

Ryuichi laughed. "Now who’s recycling our lines nanoka?"

"You’ve been doing it all day! Don’t accuse me of something you do."

"Heh." Ryuichi looked into his eyes, his arms around his neck. "Kiss!" he demanded.

Touma obliged him.

~~~******~~~

"Oh, Kumagoro!" Noriko crooned to the parti-colored bunny she held. "That’s so cute! After all this time, Ryuichi and Touma…" She grinned, a glint in her eye. "Wait ‘til I tell Mika how hot they are… I bet she won’t be mad at all! Right, Kumagoro?"

The rabbit looked up at her with black button eyes.

"Eh?! I’m talking to the stuffed bunny! I need to get home to some sanity." She smiled, thinking of the stories of her accomplishments that she would whisper to her husband after her daughter was in bed. Piko-piko Nori-chan was the best fortuneteller in the world! And her fortune had her husband in it.

"Hehe. Sorry, Kumagoro. You’ll have to wait until the morning. Tonight is a night for romance!"

Kumagoro seemed to agree.

~~~******~~~

Owari nanoda!

Song Notes:

[1] This line is a very, very wrong translation of one of the lines in Iceman’s Lost Complex. Because Iceman does Shining Collection, I ganked the lyric for a Grasper song for the fic, and changed it to fit Suguru’s fortune.
[2] This is all me. I know. I suck.
[3] Translation of Sleepless Beauty, which is performed by K.Ito + DK.
[4] The verses to the original song. Still me, still not that good. Whatever.
[5] Shining Collection, performed by Iceman. The verse is from my English version translation. The line means "The atmosphere is dyed like paint from our wet, crimson fingertips and the fluttering tears of a butterfly/ And everything crumbles into sand." Try singing them with these lyrics! It should work.
[6] A reference to Be There from the Gravitation manga. The references are mostly scattered all over the fic, but this is the last one. Nittlegrasper.com has details on the song. Or you can find it in your Japanese Gravi manga.

Author’s Notes:

Whew! It’s so long for one of my fics! I worked hard to finish this when I realized the Pika Pika Contest was ending soon. I’d totally meant to do something, and then totally forgot. The idea grabbed me and wouldn’t let me go, even after the original plot was irrelevant. And then Touma and Ryuichi got involved, and everything blew up. I really didn’t set out to do a romance. But once I saw an opening for Ryuichi/Touma… well, I ran away with myself. And the Suguru/Hieko thing just kinda… happened. This wasn’t supposed to be a Suguru fic at all! Oops. But I think it’s cute.

I hope everyone enjoyed!

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