I am so sorry for the crappy chapter. I am so sorry for the worse grammar and repetitive sentences/words. I tried to use less time for every chapter since I am quite busy but I still want to complete this story. :)

CHAPTER 21

Masato's blue eyes were staring at his wife, who was reminding their pretty daughters about all the necessary care for him. Neatly wearing a light blue dress and a black handbag, Haruka would meet Saotome since she was offered to write songs for an album of a famous celebrity. Since two days after Tokiya's threat, his heart beat fast whenever he saw his family together. His gaze always mixed with love and anxiety.

What happened if he really lost them to the guy who was much more perfect than him?

When he continuously prayed that such a thing would never happen to him since his family was his everything, destiny seemed to side Tokiya more.

Haruka would spend more time together by working with the blue head since he was the popular celebrity with the planned album.

What a shocking and villainous 'happenstance'.

When Haruka and Harumi were thrilled about the idea due to the fact that it had been a long time since Tokiya sang, Masato could not even smile. Not after when he knew the true color of his friend.

They will spend time together more and more and Tokiya will...

He quickly shook his head.

What am I thinking? Haruka is my wife. She won't do such a thing.

"I already prepared Daddy's porridge at the kitchen so after this, please feed Daddy, okay?"

"Okay!" Both siblings jumped and exclaimed animatedly. They were always in full energy once they were assigned to look after their father.

"Please stay away from trouble when you guys play, okay?"

"Okay!"

"If Daddy needs something and you can't help him, please give Mommy a call, okay?"

"Okay!"

"Later, your uncles will be here to meet Daddy so please behave and greet them properly, okay?"

"Okay... huh?" This time, Mitsuki tilted her head since her sister did not react as loud as her.

"Wait, the uncles? Does it mean Tokiya ojichan will be here too?" Harumi asked, holding Haruka's wrist with a full expectation. "Did you invite him as well?"

It crashed Masato's feeling right away.

"Of course not, honey. He won't be here since I am attending a meeting with him, remember?" Despite the calmness, a soupçon of worry layered her voice. After the latest encounter which resulted in Tokiya's dramatic but worrisome reaction, she was ready to talk it out more with him.

Even she knew it would not be as easy as pie.

"Oh, yeah. I forgot that," the small shoulders slowly dropped before Harumi's expression turned bright again. "But Mommy, can you invite ojichan here after the meeting? I really want to have fun with him!"

Why, Harumi? Is it not fun when you play with Daddy?

Masato knew he had been over sensitive but he could not help it. Until Ren and others explained everything which they would do so once they visited him today, he could not sit still and witness how ecstatic Harumi was just with the thought of her beloved uncle.

"I can't promise that, honey. Ojichan is very busy. He can't always come here as he pleases."

Harumi pouted while her eyes stared at the floor.

"But... I guess I will try to tell him that you miss him a lot and really want to see you. Maybe it will make him find some free times to come here?" Haruka said, stroking Harumi's back.

The blue eyes lit up again before Harumi gave a strong nod. A pretty smile crept over her face.

"Thank you, Mommy! When you see ojichan, can you please tell him to take care of his health? The last time we played together, he looked so tired. I don't want him to be sick."

Haruka smiled but God knew how complicated she felt inside at Harumi's remark. The same feeling when Mitsuki called Tokiya as 'Daddy' slowly clouded her mind.

It's not surprising that you care a lot about him, Harumi. It's all by instinct, Haruka thought sadly.

"Ojichan was tired," Mitsuki added, also with a concerned expression.

Haruka smiled before pressing some kisses on her daughters' foreheads. She headed for her husband who was quieter than usual. He was sitting on the bed while holding a book.

"I will go first, Masato. Don't hesitate to give me a call if you need anything, okay?" she mumbled as she was busy showering a lot of kisses over the pale face. Yet, she was startled by a tight hold around her small waist, pulling her on her husband's lap.

"Masato?" This kind of affection was not surprising since she received it often but normally...

"Woahh, look at that, Mitsuki! Daddy is holding Mommy!"

Masato would do it only when there were only two of them. But now, Harumi and Mitsuki were watching them in a full interest and the man could not care less about the awkward situation.

"Masato, the girls... the girls are watching..." The dusted pink over Haruka's face made him tightened his hold.

"I love you, Haruka," He said suddenly, causing Haruka almost passed out from the lovey-dovey but awkward moment. Her face color could match Otoya's red hair already and Masato was insanely fulfilled of being the cause.

At least, Tokiya never made her blushed, right?

"What's with the confession all of sudden, Masato?" When she received no answer but a deep stare from him, she knew it would figuratively spoil her heart which only beat excitedly for him. "Well, I love you too."

"Really?"

"Yes, of course," her arms were on Masato's broad shoulders while their faces were getting closer. At this moment, Haruka desperately hoped either one of these two situations took place; something suddenly knocked some senses into Masato's head and he would quickly release his hold around her or the girls would leave them alone and go outside.

"Always?"

"Yes, always! Please don't stare at me like that. I am afraid I can't focus on my work today," Haruka remarked at last. Years passed but she still found herself enchanted by Masato's love towards her.

"That's great to hear then. Do think about me all the time instead of another person."

"What did you say?"

"Nothing. I mean... Please come back home quickly or I will miss you so much," he said, releasing her waist.

"Okay," looking at everywhere but Masato since more staring battle would cause dramatic heart failure for her, Haruka scurried towards the door.

"It feels so good to see Mommy and Daddy are nice to each other."

And yet, Harumi's remark caused the composer to blush more.

What's with them today? So mischievous all of sudden.

"Syo, Cecil, you guys can go and play with them," Ren said out of the blue when all of them were still at the front door. "It's not safe to let the girls play by themselves when all the adults are talking here. Plus, we're going to talk about Tokiya and I am sure you guys are not interested to know, right?"

"Wh... what? Of course I would rather play with the children," Syo said, diverting his eyes towards some random objects in Masato's house like vases or pictures. He knew once Ren could see his face, he was all 'finished' since the guy was like the master of face-reading.

"Come on, girls. Let's go to the playroom and have fun," Cecil who was 'smarter' quickly held the girls' hands before walking straight ahead. Just like Syo, the youngest member in STARISH also hid his face from Ren's view.

"Don't worry, Harumi. Soon, I will bring Tokiya ojichan to you and you guys can play for as long as you want," Ren shouted as the girls and Cecil were getting farther than Masato's room.

"Really, Ren ojichan!? Thank you so much!" As expected, Harumi exclaimed. That was the loudest voice that they had ever heard from a reserved girl like her.

As soon as he, Otoya, and Natsuki went into Masato's vast room, Ren knew what was waiting for him.

Masato with a blank face but his hand was holding a glass tightly.

"Okay, Masato. Calm down. I know you're angry but please listen to me first," all of sudden, Ren bowed 90 degrees while apologizing like a student who was caught smoking by his teacher.

"Ren, I don't think Masato is angry," the innocent Natsuki remarked which he received a nod from Otoya right away.

"No, he's definitely angry! He would put on that face whenever he wanted to smack me for stealing his melon bun or when I didn't tidy up our room!"

"Well, that's your fault for making him angry in the first place," Otoya said casually.

"What? You used to steal my precious melon bun, Ren?" The emotionless face was still there but now, even Otoya and Natsuki could feel the temperature of the room turned lower. "Even I don't remember anything but one thing for sure, you give me more reasons to finish you off. How dare you stole my precious bun."

"No, please don't say that. Please... I am sorry, okay? I was just too mischievous back then," the scarier Masato looked like, the nearer Ren got to him. This kind of sight was totally normal for STARISH back then and it was disturbingly nice for Otoya and Natsuki to watch it again.

"Then, why did you do something that made you feel sorry? Why did you do something just because you're mischievous back then?" Masato even started to lift the empty glass.

"But I didn't promise Harumi to bring Tokiya here because I have a bad intention, Masato! I can explain that!"

Seeing how absurdly scary the situation was, Otoya and Natsuki had no choices but to interrupt. However, after finally managing to take the glass that Masato was eager to hurl at Ren away and put it aside...

"I'm sorry. I guess I am just too sensitive when it comes to Tokiya. He said he wanted to steal my family and now, he got a chance to meet my wife often. While me, I remained hopeless and useless in this house."

"Hey, don't say that," Otoya said, quickly taking a seat beside Masato before holding his skinny arm. "Who said you're useless? Your family has become this happy thanks to you, Masato. Plus, you can see how much your wife and your daughters love you, right?"

"But if your rival is someone like Tokiya..."

"Why should you compare yourself with Tokiya who has nothing to do with your family? This is your family, not his," Natsuki added, also taking his seat beside Masato.

"We did discuss this matter when we were on our way but I guess, it doesn't hurt if we listen to your conversation with Tokiya again. Can you please play it now? I know you still feel upset but this is very important," Ren said as he took a seat right in front of Masato.

Replaying the conversation was like asking somebody to stab his heart again but Masato knew, he was in no position to be picky. He hated to doubt his own friend. He hated to feel intimidated by how perfect Tokiya was so he knew in this situation, he should put his trust in the rest of his friends.

Silence lingered in the air as four of them gathered all their attention towards the recording.

"Please don't lie to me, Tokiya. I might lose my memory but you can't hide everything forever. I know there's something that I should know. I asked everyone why they seemed to avoid talking about you but no one answered me..."

"I hate you, Masato."

"What?"

"I said... The Stripper hates the Saint so much."

"What are you on about, Tokiya? Where did that come from?"

"Seriously, why do you have to be such a pain? You just worsened the situation and it made me hate you more. Everyone has been too considerate towards your feeling since you're sick but here you're, trying to make me spill the beans. Can't you just ignore it and continue with your life instead?"

"I am asking you because I know there's something happened among my friends! I couldn't sit here doing nothing!"

"That's what you're supposed to do! Sit there and do nothing! I was already tortured when you're healthy so when you're sick, please spare me more trouble! I don't want it anymore!"

Otoya opened his mouth while his index finger was raised. He clearly wanted to point out something since Tokiya in the recording suddenly exploded over Masato's innocence but quickly decided that it was the best for them to listen to everything first.

The conversation which turned into a great tension between the twins continued.

"I wish we can reconcile. I want STARISH to be together again. I believe that alone will make me stay healthy."

"No need to patch up with me, Masato. Because between us itself, we do have a conflict. We are twins with blue hairs, similar personality and we get along well but you miss the last part. We both love the same woman."

The more the conversation went on, the more they realized there were so many things that they did not know about Tokiya.

It was true that they were in the same team and had lived together for years but there were so many things that they overlooked when it comes to Tokiya.

"Yes, it's Haruka. And that's the answer to your questions. How can I be in a relationship when I love your wife? She's my first love and I am still madly in love with her until now. When the president finally lifted the relationship ban, I was about to propose her but I was slightly later than you."

"You already dug your own grave by saying that you're jealous of me for being Haruka's inspiration. You know what? Since I inspired her and I changed her life, she should be mine. Not yours."

Natsuki slowly grabbed Masato's arm, indirectly coaxing the scion from not taking Tokiya's words to his heart.

"But I guess God still sympathized with me. You saw how your daughters treated me, right? You know what? Both Harumi and Mitsuki used to mistake me for you. I think this might be a big chance for me to replace you in your family in case you die. You trust me enough to protect Haruka from Van anyway."

"Why are you so quiet? Too afraid to speak? I bet you're. Your twin here is not as kind as you think, Masato. So, just a bit of advice. Next time, please believe those who are always there for you. Not someone like me."

Heavy sighs took a turn as soon as the recording ended. No one could pull themselves together in short time and Masato knew it.

"Well, before we start with this topic, I think we should explain things to Masato first, right?" Natsuki suggested.

"Yeah, Natsuki is right," Ren straightened his posture.

They told the blue head everything. They started with how Tokiya used to be aloof before slowly learning to be open with his teammates. No details were left.

"No wonder he doesn't get along with you guys," Masato remarked. "And no wonder he looked awkward with me. We're already not in a good term but I am too oblivious of that situation."

"I never thought that Tokiya also has a feeling for Haruka," Natsuki commented.

"Me too," Otoya said before all of them eyed Ren who for some reasons looked the calmest out of them.

"Well, I did notice that back then but I thought my hunch could be wrong. Plus, Tokiya didn't show any initiative to ask Haruka out or what not so I don't think I should poke my nose into his love life," Ren explained.

"But now, he suddenly sounded like he resented Masato when they are supposed to be close friends," Otoya added. "It's frustrating when you realize that all this time you don't fully understand what your friend has in his mind."

"Haruka and the twins concepts. Those are the reasons," Natsuki added. "Or else, he wouldn't bring them up in the first place. Did you guys notice how his voice changed? Otoya is right. He sounded like he resented Masato a lot."

"Then, what am I supposed to do? I can't even remember anything from my past and now I just found that my own friend resented me," Masato said, his voice quivered. "No wonder the doctor said that to me. Now I know it. It's not because of the close bond. Rather, it's because Tokiya holds the large part of my memory. Perhaps, did the old me mistreat him or something? Or am I the one who stole Haruka from him? Please tell me, you guys! I have to know."

"No, Masato. You didn't do anything wrong," Otoya said, resting his hand on the broad shoulder. "Rather, it was us who mistreated him. Just like what we told you, we isolated him since we're ashamed of his Stripper title and when we thought we had to patch up with him, Tokiya already showed that he wasn't that interested to meet us. I bet he felt hurt a lot."

"Rather, you cared a lot about him, Masato. Trust me," Natsuki said, a sweet and convincing smile crept over his lips. "When the rest of us turned our back on him, you stayed neutral or backed him. So... oh my. This turned even more complicated. Why should he resent you when..."

"When we knew Tokiya is not the type of person who is ungrateful, right?" Ren asked which was replied by Natsuki's nods right away. "And knowing him, I don't think Tokiya is the type of person who cares what people think about him. Trust me. He's so thick-skinned when it comes to criticism from fans and what not."

"But he still has feelings," Natsuki said as a bitter smile crept over his thin lips. He could relate to this situation the most. While he just smiled when some people thought that he was too creepy for loving children too much, deep inside he was hurt. "If he kept stating 'The Stripper' and 'The Saint' in the conversation, it meant deep down he doesn't like what he achieved now. He's suffering."

"Which means he still valued his morals. If our assumption is right, we have a lot of things to apologize to him," Otoya concluded. The last confrontation with Tokiya, followed by what Himura told them had made him sighed in regret a lot.

Something crossed Ren's mind right away and later he would learn that he should think of it from the start.

"So, when Himura-san said Tokiya did have depression, it's most probably not because of the typical one that celebrities have when they achieve their popularity. It's because of something else. If we're going to blindly accuse someone, it should be the psychiatrist from Saotome Hospital," Ren said, remembering how he and Masato basically rolled eyes on the day when a certain psychiatrist lashed back at them for questioning Tokiya's mental health report. "He said to us that Tokiya was totally fine. He claimed that Tokiya's stress at that time was normal."

"Should we refer to the president about this?" Natsuki asked. "It's about his staff anyway."

"No, I don't think so," Otoya said, almost instantly. For some reason, it did not sound right to involve Saotome in this matter which he had no idea that it was the smartest action ever for them. "I think it's better if we try to settle this matter on our own."

"You heard us, Masato. We won't let this matter slide. We know Tokiya is not the type of person who acts low just because of a woman but as Otoya mentioned, we might not fully understand what he has in his mind. If it's really true that he wants to steal your family from you, don't worry. We'll protect you," Ren said, followed by a sigh of relief from the blue head.

"Thanks, guys. I really appreciated that."

Being a judge for a prestige singing competition was supposed to be one of the most favorite jobs ever for Tokiya. Sure, he did not sing himself but to see the youngsters with awesome singing skills reminded him of his youth especially with STARISH.

Yet, the nostalgic moment was completely ruined by his two other co-workers.

Which were Shining Saotome and Raging Otori. Just who the hell decided to put two of them together in the same competition?

A lot of articles described how lucky and amazing he was to be able to work with two legendary tycoons in showbiz but for him, he would rather judge alone. When it was the time for a short break, he realized that he should judge alone more, thanks to Otori and Saotome's annoying drama.

"Well, who do we have here? The talented Ichinose Tokiya with his boss, the legendary Shining Saotome," Otori exclaimed from his seat, almost sending Tokiya to choke on his drink. The idol tried his hardest not to communicate with the man but with how loud and attention-seeking Otori's voice was, it was hard to ignore him.

Who else do you expect then? Aladdin and Jasmine? Tokiya mentally mocked.

"You said it like you yourself are not legendary and you don't have splendid sons," Saotome said. Tokiya wondered how the man managed to 'sincerely' praise his enemy without vomiting right away when all he did other than talking about money was insulting Otori.

"Hey, don't say that. Eiji might be good but Eiichi still has a long way to go compared to Tokiya. Who held the Heart-throb title for ten years straight? It's Tokiya, not Eiichi, right?"

'Can you guys stop comparing A with B, A with C and so forth? It's so suffocating' was what Tokiya really wanted to blurt out. He had lived for years by being compared with Masato, his close friend. Now, when he and Eiichi had a fairly close relationship (even nowadays, the guy looked much aloof now), they were also compared which was the last thing he wanted to take place.

"I guess next time, you can lend Tokiya to me, right, Saotome? I do have a big project in my mind for him."

"Sure you can."

Seeing the two showbiz bastards talked to each other nicely when in fact they always found ways to step in each other way was one thing but...

Tokiya disapproved the way Otori paid attention to him. He could see that Eiichi was never been spoiled by his father, not like how certain people assumed.

"Eiichi," Tokiya exclaimed as he and the said guy bumped into each other as soon as the singing competition ended. The TV station was supposed to be still hectic in the evening but for some reason, he could only see Eiichi.

And because of the quiet corridor, he could totally focus on how Eiichi looked like. Too gloomy. Normally, the guy would smile right away as soon as they met.

"Oh, hi, Tokiya. Are you done with your work?"

"Yeah. How about you?"

"Done but unfortunately, the event is not as grand as yours," Eiichi said, walking his way towards Tokiya. "You judged with my father, right?"

"Yes. Why?" For some reason, Tokiya's heart beat fast. If he was going to be dramatic, he thought that Eichii would harm him given how scary his expression looked like. The way his purple eyes stared into his blue eyes was intimidating.

"Nothing. Just asking," he said, slowly leaving the blue head's spot. "Congratulation, Tokiya. I heard that they only selected the best star to be the judge so you should be proud of it."

"Thank you," Tokiya replied before leaving the corridor as well. He was oblivious of the fact that Eiichi turned back, looking daggers at him.

Tonight, I am sure Daddy will talk craps about Tokiya and slur me for not being as splendid as that guy, he thought. The longer his distance between Tokiya, the more he wanted to pounce on the guy and stab his body continuously and...

No, that's not fun at all. I should let him suffer slowly.

He sighed heavily, still looking daggers at the end of the corridor even Tokiya already disappeared.

You know what, Tokiya...

All this time, I thought that I would make Masato suffer and kill you. That's why I put the drug in his drink. I am so glad to see Masato slowly lose his life but now...

I think I'll change my mind. I will kill Masato by telling him your dirtiest secret. The secret that you absolutely don't know that you have it but it will make you suffer for the rest of your life...

And do you know what's the fun fact about the secret? It's...You shared it with Haruka. 

As usual, feel free to tell me what do you think about this chapter ^^