Resha's Sanctuary

Friends Cut and a Change in Policy

2009-10-09T14:59:18Z

From now on, all personal posts in this journal will be friends-locked. Also, I have just cut quite a number of people from my flist. This is due to the reason that I realize I have some 200 people on my list, but only 10 who I actually talk to. Therefore, I have removed:

1) Dead/empty journals
2) People who I don't talk to
3) People who don't share the same interests

I hope there won't be any hard feelings. I do have my reasons for changing my friending policies so I hope all of you can respect that. Those whom I have retained as friends are people I actually know, talk to, share the same interests and miscelleanous reasons which are completely up to my discretion. Anyone can feel free to defriend me now, I'm completely okay with that. In the event anyone sort of disagrees with my decision, do drop a note here, though I don't see why this would even cause a dispute. Lol. Most people friend me just to read my fics and translations anyway, and those will always remain open so this change wouldn't affect anything.

And that's all I have to say this time! Peace out and stay strong always even in hard times! Have a happy day everyone.

[Translation] Saita October 2009: Kamenashi Kazuya

2009-09-11T07:24:53Z

Translation of Kame’s interview in Saita October 2009. I only translated the first 3 pages (there’s one more page that I’ve decided not to do). Includes original kanji, romaji and English translation. Requested by freakolicious.

Saita October 2009

ジャニーズから愛の花束を『君に咲いた！』

Jyannizu kara ai no hanataba wo [Kimi ni saita!]

A bouquet of flowers blooming to you from Johnny's.

"最後は、絶対俺が守る"

"Saigo wa, zettai ore ga mamoru"

"At the end, I'll definitely protect you."

亀梨和也さんの恋愛10か条

Kamenashi Kazuya san no renai jyuuka jyou

Kamenashi Kazuya's 10 love provisions.

時間をかけて恋なんてできない。

ずばり、一目惚れ派です。時間をかけて恋に落ちるなんてできない。見た目だけじゃない、直感で何かを感じるんでしょうね。

Jikan wo kakete koi nante dekinai.

Zubari, hitomebore ha desu. Jikan wo kakete koi ni ochiru nante dekinai. Mita me dake jya nai, chokkan de nanika wo kanjirun deshou ne.

I can't do a love that takes time.

Frankly, I'm the type who falls in love at first sight. I can't take time to fall in love. It's not just from a person's appearance, but it's sort of a feeling I get from instinct.

攻めは直球。変化球は投げません。

一度恋に落ちたら、攻めはストレート。相手が打ちやすい感じです。だって変化球を投げたって困るじゃないですか、変な思わせぶりをするなんて。もし女の子が『亀梨君って、私のこと好きかも』と思ったら、間違いなくそうです。

Seme wa chokkyuu. Henkakyuu wa nagemasen.

Ichido koi ni ochitara, seme wa SUTORETTO. Aite ga uchiyasui kanji desu. Datte henkakyuu wo nugetatte komaru jya nai desu ka, hen na omowaseburi wo suru nante. Moshi onna no ko ga [Kamenashi kun tte, watashi no koto suki ka mo] to omottara, machigainaku sou desu.

I attack with straight-balls. I don't throw changing-balls.

Once I've fallen in love, my attack style is straight. It’s so that it's easy to hit the other side. If I throw a changing-ball, the other side might be bothered and think weirdly of me. If a girl thinks that "Maybe Kamenashi-kun likes me," she's most probably right.

会話の中でふっと、『好きだよ』って。。。

男としてやっぱり、理想の告白のシチュエーションはあるんですよ。カッコよく決めたいなとか。でも現実はそうカッコいいものではなく、会話の中でふっと『好きだよ』と言ったりして。準備をするとかえって緊張しちゃうから、相手が『え、今！？』と思うタイミングのほうがよかったりするんですよね。

Kaiwa no naka de futto, [Suki da yo] tte...

Otoko to shite yappari, risou no kokuhaku no SHICHUESSHON wa arun desu yo. KAKKO yoku kimetai na to ka. Demo genjitsu wa sou KAKKO ii mono de wa naku, kaiwa no naka de futto [Suki da yo] to ittari shite. Jyunbi wo suru to kaette kinchou shichau kara, aite ga [E, Ima!?] to omou TAIMINUGU no hou ga yokattari surun desu yo ne.

In the middle of the conversation, I'll suddenly go [I love you]...

Even for men, we have our ideal confession situations. We want to do it coolly. But in reality, it doesn't go as coolly as that; in the middle of the conversation I'll suddenly say [I love you]. Despite our preparations, we get nervous and often end up confessing at such timing that the other party thinks [Eh? Now!?] in the end.

さり気ない優しさに、『こいつマジ守ろう』って思う。

俺が何かミステイクをしたときに、黙ってフォローしてくれるのを見ると、『こいつマジ守ろう』って思いますね。あと弱みを見せたくないから、ポソッと弱音を吐いていても気づかないふりをしてくれる人がいい。俺ってホント、わがままなんです。

Sarigenai yasashisa ni [Koitsu MAJI mamorou] tte omou.

Ore ga nanika MISUTEIKU wo shita toki ni, damatte FOROO shite kureru no wo miru to, [Koitsu MAJI mamaorou] tte omoimasu ne. Ato yowami wo misetakunai kara, POSO tto yowane wo haite ite mo kidzukanai furi wo shite kureru hito ga ii. Ore tte HONTO, wagamama nan desu.

With nonchalant gentleness, I would think [I really want to protect this person].

When I make a mistake and that someone follows after me without saying anything, when I see that person doing that, I would think [I really want to protect this person]. Also, I don't want to show my weaknesses so even if I grumble and whine, it'll be great if that person pretends not to hear me. I'm really a selfish person.

デートはサプライズ。。。何が起きるかわからない。

行き先を決めるのが苦手なんです。そのときの感覚を大切にしたいから。だから、俺とのデートは大変ですよ、何が起きるかわからない。でも俺が楽しいんだから、お前も楽しくないはずがない！って。。。つねについてこれる状態でいてほしい。相手にはちょっと申し訳ないけど(笑)。

DETTO wa SAPURAIZU... Nani ga okiru ka wakaranai.

Ikisaki wo kimeru no ga nigate nan desu. Sono toki no kankaku wo taisetsu ni shitai kara. Dakara, ore to no DETTO wa taihen desu yo. Nani ga okiru ka wakaranai. Demo ore ga tanoshiin dakara, omae mo tanoshikunai hazu ga nai! tte... tsune ni tsuite koreru jyoutai de ite hoshii. Aite ni wa chotto moushiwakenai kedo (shou).

Dates are a surprise... I don't know what will happen.

I'm bad at deciding on a destination. It's because I place importance on the feelings at that particular time. That's why it's difficult dating me. I don't know what will happen. I'll feel like "I'm having fun so there's no way you're not having fun!" ...I always want that person to just follow my lead. Although I do feel a bit sorry for the other side (laughs).

行動は体育会系。でも何かあったら『俺が必ずフォローする』

ムリヤリではないけれど、自分のことを現解してほしいから、行きたいところ、やりたいところへぐいぐい引っ張っていきます。知っていることは全部教えたいし、なんでも一緒に楽しみたいから。だからデートは手加減なし、かなり体育会系。アウトドアで草むらとか入るときも、『ヒール履いてるから』なんて言わせない(笑)。虫にさされるならさされろよと。その代わり、『そのあとは、俺が絶対どうにかしてやるから！』って。

Koudou wa taiikukaikei. Demo nanika attara [Ore ga kanarazu FOROO suru].

MURIYARI de wa nai keredo, jibun no koto wo gen hogushite hoshii kara, ikitai tokoro, yaritai tokoro e gui gui hippatte ikimasu. Shitte iru koto wa zenbu oshietai shi, nandemo issho ni tanoshimitai kara. Dakara DETTO wa tekagen nashi, kanari taiikukaikei. AUTODOA de kusamura to ka hairu toki mo, [HIRRU haiteru kara] nante iwasenai (shou). Mushi ni sasareru nara sasarero yo to. Sono kawari, [Sono ato wa, ore ga zettai dou ni ka shite yaru kara!] tte.

I prefer sports-oriented people. But if something happens, [I'll definitely follow up].

I don't mean overdoing things but I want to escape from the present, so I'll be pulling her along to the places I want to go and the things I want to do. I want to teach her everything I know and I want to enjoy everything with her. That's why I won't be easy on her on dates and it'll be rather sports-oriented. In the outdoors, even when we enter the bushes, she won't say [I'm wearing heels] (laughs). Even if she gets bitten by insects, she won't mind. Instead, she'll say [I'll just do something about it later!].

じつは男っぽい人が好き(笑)。

溝とかぴょんと飛んじゃう男っぽい女の人が好きですね(笑)。ふだんは女性らしくていいんです。でも、あるリミットを超えたら、1人で生きていけそうな強い女性が好き。そういう人だからこそピンチのときに、グイッて手を引っ張ってあげたくなります。

Jitsu wa otoko ppoi hito ga suki(shou).

Mizo to ka pyon to tonjyau otoko ppoi onna no hito ga suki desu ne (shou). Fudan wa jyosei rashikute iin desu. Demo, aru RIMITTO wo koetara, hitori de ikite ikesou wa tsuyoi jyosei ga suki. Sou iu hito dakara koso PINCHI no toki ni, GUI tte te wo hipatte agetaku narimasu.

Actually, I like tomboyish girls (laughs).

I like girls who can jump over drains (laughs). It's fine if she's normally ladylike. But, after a certain limit, I like girls who are strong and able to live on their own. Because she's that kind of person, during troubled times, I'll feel like having her pull my hand

恋愛から学ぶことは多いです。

嫌いな人に『この音楽いいよ』って言われてもあまり響かないですよね。でもつきあっている人なら、世界中で誰よりも信頼しているし、愛しているじゃないですか。だから彼女の感じるものは俺もいいと感じて、いろんなことを吸収しやすくなるんじゃないかな。そういう意味も含め、恋愛をして学ぶことは多いですね。

Renai kara manabu koto wa ooi desu.

Kirai na hito ni [Kono ongaku ii yo] tte iwarete mo amari higakanai desu yo ne. Demo tsukiatte iru hito nara, sekaijyuu de dare yori mo shinrai shite iru shi, aishiteru iru jya nai desu ka. Dakara kanojou no kanjiru mono wa ore mo ii to kanji te, ironna koto wo kyuushuu shi yasuku narun jya nai ka na. Sou iu imi mo fukume, renai wo shite manabu koto wa ooi desu ne.

There are a lot of things to learn from love.

When someone you dislike says [This song is good], it doesn't really affect you. But if it's someone you're going out with, that person is someone you trust in and love more than anyone else in the world. That's why I'll feel whatever she feels and I'm able to absorb things easily. Bearing in mind that kind of meaning, there are lot of things you can learn from love.

結婚という手錠には縛られたくない。

好きな人とずっと一緒にいられる環境は作りたいと思う。でも『結婚してるから』と言ったり言われたりするのはイヤ。結婚という枠や手錠に縛られたくないんです。もし手錠をかけるとするなら、すごーく長くのびるクサリがいいな(笑)。

Kekkon to iu tejyou ni wa shibararetakunai.

Suki na hito to zutto issho ni irareru kankyou wa tsukuritai to omou. Demo [Kekkon shiteru kara] to ittari iwaretari suru no wa IYA. Kekkon to iu waku ya tejyou ni shibararetakunain desu. Moshi tejyou wo kakeru to suru nara, sugooku nagaku nobiru KUSARI ga ii na (shou).

I don't want to be bound by handcuffs called marriage.

I'd like to create an environment where I'm always with the person I love. But I don't want to say that [It's because we're married]. I don't want to be bound by a frame or handcuffs called marriage. If I'm handcuffed, I'd want one with really long chains (laughs).

恋は生きるために欠かせないもの。

俺は恋してないとだめですね。失速してしまう。対女性だけじゃないですよ。仕

事でも趣味でも、何か"好きなもの",興味や情熱を注げるものがつねにないとだめ

なんです。

Koi wa ikiru tame ni kakasenai mono.

Ore wa koi shite nai to dame desu ne. Shissoku shite shimau. Tai jyosei dake jya

nai desu yo. Shigoto demo shumi demo, nanika "Suki na mono", kyoumi ya

jyounetsu wo tsugeru mono ga tsune ni nai to dame nan desu.

Love is something indispensable in order to live.

When I'm not in love I'm no good. I'd be stuck. This applies not only to girls though.

Even work or hobbies, if you constantly don't have "something that you like" or

something that you have an interest or passion for, then it's no good.

Translator’s Note: Master list of translations and request page located here.

[Fic] Fetish

2009-07-31T16:45:15Z

Title: Fetish
Rating: PG-15, Fluff, Crack
Pairing: RyoDa
Disclaimer: I do not own anyone.
Summary: From time-to-time, Ueda has random bouts of fetishes. Written for the Pink Pajamas Challenge

A/N A big thank you to everyone who voted for this one! I’m so glad it was so well-received and the whole event was just smashing. \(^o^)/ This fic is dedicated to all of you lovely readers! Also, a special thanks to Alex. This fic would never have materialized in the first place if it weren’t for you. ^__~

Fetish

Ueda Tatsuya was an enigma.

He had always been the mysterious one in his band and so, it wouldn’t come as a surprise that there were a few things about the secretive idol which his fans didn’t know about.

“What is that?” Ryo asked one fine evening after coming back from work and catching sight of his lover sitting on the couch in their shared apartment. The copper-haired boxer was in the living room watching an old English movie, a bowl of popcorn in his arms.

“What’s what?” Ueda asked back, not bothering to take his eyes off the screen as the Osakan took a seat beside him.

“That,” Ryo said again, with a nudge of his chin. “That thing you’re wearing.”

“This? Well, what does it look like?” He rolled his eyes.

“It’s… a pair of… pajamas…” Ryo answered slowly, eyeing the silky material suspiciously. The pajamas were baby-blue in colour with baby-sheep prints on them. The choice of bedclothes was completely unlike Ueda’s style at all and from that, Ryo had already deduced that this was going to be one of those times.

Ueda was going through another fetish phase.

Yes, that’s right. This was Ueda Tatsuya’s secret, if the fans hadn’t already guessed it by themselves that is. From time-to-time, Ueda came down with a sudden case of fetish. One of the first cases had been the Gackt-fetish, which Ryo had found completely weird; and there was a time he had a sock fetish which, fortunately for Ueda, no one but the people working in Johnny’s knew about, and Ryo didn’t even want to get started on that perfume fetish the other had went through as well. But on the other hand, Ueda’s fetishes weren’t always bad. Ryo had actually enjoyed himself immensely when Ueda’s fetish inclinations turned to glasses at one point. The Osakan had certainly had his fun then.

“You got it,” Ueda’s voice replied, breaking Ryo out of his thoughts.

“And why exactly are you wearing a pair of pajamas?” Ryo asked again, shaking himself out of his reverie. There was a look of extreme confusion on his face as he continued to look his boyfriend up and down.

“And why can’t I wear a pair of pajamas?” Ueda countered. He finally took his eyes off the screen to narrow them at the younger man.

“Because it isn’t like you! You usually wear a T-shirt! And boxers! And sometimes without the T-shirt, and sometimes without the boxers too—”

“And your point is?” Ueda cut into Ryo’s ramblings with a raised eyebrow, giving the other a pointed look.

Meeting the sharp gaze from the copper-haired man, Ryo found that he couldn’t come up with a good answer to the question. Going out with the classy boxer for more than three years had taught him when exactly to hold his tongue lest they broke out into an unnecessary argument. And this was clearly one of those situations. With that in mind, he opened his mouth to reply.

“Nothing. Nothing at all.”

“Good then,” Ueda said with a smile. He moved closer to the Osakan so that he could lean his head against the other’s shoulder, bringing the bowl of popcorn with him so that Ryo could have access to it. “Here. Have some popcorn.”

Ryo obliged, smiling happily and knowing that he had said the right thing. He shifted his arm so that it rested on the back of the couch, allowing the other man to cuddle even closer before taking some popcorn with his free hand and joining his lover in watching the movie.

Despite everything, Ryo had no problems with Ueda’s sudden bouts of fetishes. As long as it didn’t adversely affect him in any way, it was perfectly fine by him. Besides, Ryo knew he had his own weird quirks too.

Subconsciously, he moved a hand to remove the green-and-yellow-checkered hat from his head, caressing the newest addition to his exorbitant hat collection gently before setting it on the coffee table.
____________________________

Ryo has known Ueda long enough to know that some of his fetishes were more serious than others. And right now, he knows for a fact that this particular one fell under the ‘critical cases’ label, especially when he noticed the obvious escalation in Ueda’s overall obsession.

Stacked neatly in six separate piles in the front row of their shared closet were numerous pairs of pajamas. In every colour of the rainbow, and more. It was probably enough to make up ten rainbows, and all of them in different coloured stripes too.

Ryo stared in amazement at the inside of the closet, taking in the rapidly growing collection. It hadn’t been long since Ueda had started this new fetish and already, it was clear that he had acquired quite a number of pajamas in his collection. The Osakan gingerly fingered one of the neatly folded attires, poking at the soft fabric and wondering what exactly Ueda found so attractive about them.

After a few moments, he shrugged and turned towards his drawer to fetch the scarf he had been looking for. It was mid-February and the weather was still pretty cold outdoors as Japan waited for spring to arrive.

Closing the closet door, Ryo hurried out of the bedroom. Ueda was already waiting for him at the entrance to their apartment, all prepared for a day of hard work.
__________

It was much later that Ryo realized the reason for Ueda’s latest fetish.

“Fish and chips?” Ryo blinked at the unusual menu they had for dinner that night.

“Yes. I know you don’t like fish, so I made extra sure to make the batter strong enough to cover the smell… or is it still not good enough?” Ueda asked, looking unsure suddenly as he sat in his place, waiting for his lover’s reaction worriedly.

Ryo’s expression softened when he noticed the insecure look on Ueda’s face. He shook his head.

“No, the fish is fine. Just… why the sudden desire for Western food?” Ryo asked curiously, poking at the fish with his fork.

“English actually,” Ueda corrected, his own expression relaxing when he realized that Ryo was okay with the choice of dinner.

“English?”

“Yeah. I had some in London, and I thought it was really good. So I decided to make it for the both of us tonight,” Ueda replied, looking pleased with himself.

“I see…” Ryo said. He picked up his knife and cut a piece out before taking a bite of the fish. Savoring the taste in his mouth, he let out a soft ‘Mmm.’

“How is it?” Ueda asked, looking anxious again. He hadn’t touched his food at all in favour of watching Ryo’s reaction.

“This is really good!” Ryo exclaimed. “I like it!”

“Really? Thank you,” Ueda smiled. Satisfied that Ryo was happy with the meal he had cooked, the boxer finally turned to his own food.

“Anyway, I really didn’t want to ask you this but…” Ryo began hesitantly, still chewing on his food, his eyes flitting across the table to his lover. “Did you really have to wear that even when you’re cooking?”

Ueda glanced down at the clothes he wore. A pastel green pair of pajamas with white polka dots. “Why? What’s wrong with this?”

“It’s just…” Ryo trailed off. He couldn’t find the right words to describe the oddness this whole Ueda-in-a-pajamas picture was painting. At least, not without sounding accusing or offending. As the dark-haired man sat there racking his brain for the right words to say, he was saved by Ueda himself when the other spoke up.

“You know, I didn’t know I liked pajamas this much myself. Not until I went to London anyway,” Ueda said conversationally as he continued to tuck into his food.

“What do you mean?” Ryo asked, his eyebrows furrowing.

“Well, when I stayed at a hotel in London, a pair of pajamas came along with the package I took, and I wore it that night. I was glad I did too, I never knew these things were so comfy.” As if to emphasize his point, Ueda put down his cutlery to flap his arms around, the sleeves of his green pajamas literally flying about as he did so. Ryo was struck by the sudden fear that Ueda would break something in his enthusiasm but fortunately, the arm-flapping didn’t last long and the energetic man went back to his food.

“Okay. So, I take it England has influenced you quite a lot,” Ryo finally stated the obvious. He wondered why he hadn’t noticed this sooner. Ueda had been showing signs of heightened interest towards the Western culture ever since he had that trip to the United Kingdom when he prepared for his role in Romeo and Juliet. Ryo distinctly recalled the unusual number of English movies they had been watching as of late.

“Yeah, you can say that,” Ueda affirmed. After that, the both of them finished off the rest of their dinner in comfortable silence.

Later that night, Ryo promised himself to do whatever it took to keep his lover from traveling anywhere else again when the tea he had requested his lover to make for him turned out to be Earl Grey instead of the green tea he had actually meant.
______________________

The last straw however, came when Ryo happened to watch the Cartoon KAT-TUN special on television. It was late on a Sunday night and the two of them were at their shared apartment, spending some time together. Ueda had only just finished with the last of the performances for his stage play and he had come home as soon as he could so that he and Ryo could spend some quality time. He had even cut his stay at the closing party for the Romeo and Juliet cast short just so he could do just that. And so, the two of them were sitting in the living room; Ryo was dressed in his usual T-shirt and shorts while Ueda was in his usual pajamas, this time, a light grey pair, patterned with little clouds which had smiley faces on them.

However, despite the supposedly happy occasion, when his lover’s part of the show ended, Ryo turned suddenly to the man sitting next to him on the couch, a furious expression tainting his features.

“You wore those pajamas of yours at work!” Ryo literally exploded.

“Huh? What about the pajamas?” Ueda asked, taken aback at the sudden outburst.

“Your pajamas! And not just any pajamas, PINK pajamas! I can’t believe you wore that out in public! And it got recorded too!” Ryo ranted on.

“What are you so mad about? It’s just—”

“Mad? Of course I’m mad! It’s alright to have those weird fetishes of yours and allow it to show at home, but you had to go and show the whole world too!”

Ryo wasn’t sure why, but he was downright irritated at the fact that Ueda had worn his pajamas in public. Now all the fans would be able to see that part of Ueda which had always been kept a secret in within their own private household. That little fact just annoyed the hell out of the Osakan and he wasn’t as careful of his choice of words as per usual.

“What?! That doesn’t make sense, Ryo!” Ueda replied heatedly, his temper bubbling dangerously at the surface. Unfortunately, Ryo completely missed this.

“Of course it does! You’re not supposed to show your weird tendencies to anyone but me!”

“Weird?! ” Ueda said suddenly, his eyes narrowing. The expression on his face had hardened. He was happy that Ryo was possessive over him, but that didn’t mean Ryo had the right to call him weird.

When he realized his mistake, Ryo gulped inwardly, staring at the icy-cool eyes of his lover, a stiff silence engulfing them. The only sounds filling the living room were those that came from the television, which was now showing Koki and Jin’s part of the recording. Ryo winced slightly when his lover straightened up and faced him directly, his head bowed so that his bangs were covering his eyes.

“Tell me, Ryo,” Ueda said in a voice unlike his own. “What exactly is so weird about my pajamas?”

Ryo gulped again, his throat feeling dry. He really wished he had held his tongue in check but there was no point crying over spilled milk. He decided the best option open to him now was to be honest. “Don’t get me wrong, Tatsuya,” he began. “But you know as well as I do that you do have fetishes. And right now, this pajama thing is the in thing for you.”

“And you think that’s weird?” Ueda deadpanned, lifting his head suddenly, his eyes flashing as he gazed coldly into Ryo’s frantic looking ones.

“No, no! It’s not weird! I mean, it is a bit unusual but hey! Everyone has their kinks, right? Even I have my kinks! And it’s not a bad thing at all! I just… I guess I just didn’t understand what you found so attractive about these… pajamas. That’s all.”

For awhile, there was silence. Ryo peered cautiously into Ueda’s face, waiting for his reaction. To his surprise, the cold expression on the copper-haired man’s face started to melt away and turned into something else. The look was almost… sadistic. Ryo’s eyes widened, feeling a shiver run down his spine.

“Why, Ryo… if you wanted to know, you should have just asked,” Ueda drawled out. He shifted a little closer to the younger man on the couch. “I would have gladly explained it to you.”

“Wh..what do you mean?” Ryo managed to spit out. It was suddenly difficult to speak, as the older man leaned in closer and closer and soon, Ueda was right on top of him. Ryo found himself leaning against the arm of the couch, his lover straddling his waist teasingly.

“Well, you wanted to know what I found so attractive about pajamas, right? So I’ll tell you now,” Ueda whispered suggestively into the black-haired man’s ear, his warm breath rousing erotic sensations and causing the other to shudder involuntarily.

“T..tell me h..how?” Ryo managed to say, almost letting out a gasp when Ueda purposefully shifted his weight so that he was now sitting fully on Ryo’s nether regions.

“Like this… See, first of all, I like them because they’re… soft,” the copper-haired man said breathily, burying his face into Ryo’s neck. Ueda wrapped his arms around the upper part of Ryo’s arms and started rubbing them there, the soft, silky sleeves of his pajamas brushing against the Osakan’s sensitive skin, making the other’s breath hitch.

“They also keep me warm and comfortable…” the boxer went on. He stopped the rubbing motions and instead hugged the younger man tight around his neck. He wrapped the knees he had on either side of Ryo’s hips securely around the man, automatically closing whatever distance there was left between the two of them. At this, Ryo finally let out a moan. He could feel the warmth radiating from the body on top of him, the contact heightening his already tingling senses and making his heated body flush even more. With their bodies stuck like this, Ryo was sure the other could feel his excitement but his lover didn’t say anything.

“And lastly… it feels… nice to the touch,” Ueda finished in a barely audible voice. He released one of his arms from Ryo’s neck and caught one of the younger man’s tense hands, which had been rendered helpless at his side. Slowly, the pretty boxer guided the Osakan’s hand to wrap itself around his waist. And suddenly, Ueda grinded his hips against the other man. Ryo gasped out loud at the delicious friction created momentarily, every nerve in his body on edge and screaming with desire.

“Feels good, right?” Ueda asked with a mischievous smile, lifting his head so that he could stare into Ryo’s eyes. By now, those dark orbs had become pitch-black, filled with lust from Ueda’s treatment. Without warning, Ueda was pushed backwards as Ryo sat up suddenly.

Ueda blinked in surprise for all of one second before he was being tackled onto his back as Ryo flipped their positions. The copper-haired man moaned in delight as hot hands immediately started to roam all over his body. It seemed like something in Ryo had snapped. Ueda smiled at this. He had achieved his aim.

However, he didn’t have time to bask in his success when Ryo’s hungry lips found his, kissing him roughly. The Osakan was overpowering him, his intense need fuelling his strength, the hands never stopping as they continued to stroke and caress and touch all over the boxer’s toned body, causing Ueda’s brain to shut-down quicker than an emergency shut-down button could.

When they had to break apart for air, Ueda stared dazedly at the younger man. He could barely register the big, perverted grin on the other’s face.

“You’re right, Princess,” Ryo said huskily, one hand tracing over the expanse of Ueda’s pajama-clad chest right down to his lower belly, fondling the soft fabric and Ueda himself, driving the other mad with pleasure. “This does feel good to the touch.”

Ueda wasn’t in time to work up a comeback to that before he was once again attacked by Ryo’s irrepressible lust.

Hours later, Ryo laid down on his back, feeling immensely satisfied. Somewhere during the first hour of making love, they had managed to find their way into the bedroom. Hence, the both of them were now lying leisurely in their bed. They had just went a few rounds, and Ryo was glad that his sex drive was on par, if not stronger, with his lover’s boxing-trained stamina, basically meaning that sex for them was always great. Just then, he heard a voice from somewhere below him.

“So I take it you like the pajamas now?” Ueda asked suddenly from the area of Ryo’s bare chest, where he had his face buried.

Ryo peeked at the messy head of copper underneath his chin and couldn’t stop the smile from spreading on his face when he saw the way Ueda was looking at him cutely, his big brown eyes questioning. Ueda wouldn’t like to hear it, but Ryo had always thought that his lover looked adorably sexy after a good love-making session, especially with that disheveled hair and completely ravished look. “I never did dislike them. But now I love them even more,” he replied after awhile, a cheeky smile on his face. However, the smile slipped a little as he suddenly remembered the sort-of-argument they had earlier, and he hesitated to ask the next question. “You’re… not angry at me anymore, are you?” Ryo asked slowly.

“I wasn’t angry,” Ueda replied, shrugging his shoulders a little. “Just. Never ever call me weird again.”

“Okay, princess,” Ryo replied, beaming happily and obviously very relieved when he heard Ueda’s answer.

Ueda merely rolled his eyes and smiled wryly. He sat up, pulling away from the comfortable warmth he and Ryo shared. Then suddenly, he turned sharply to look at the dark-haired man, a bright smile on his face. “So, I guess this means you’ll be wearing pajamas too from now on!”

At these words, Ryo’s eyes widened. “What!? No! I’m not wearing some sissy pajamas!”

“But you just said you liked them!”

“Yeah! But that doesn’t mean I want to wear them!”

“Ryo!”

“Princess!”

Ueda gave his lover an exasperated look. “I don’t care, you’re wearing them,” he said selfishly.

“And if I don’t?” Ryo countered, a light scowl on his face.

“Then you’re not getting any sex from me,” Ueda replied nonchalantly. “Or kisses too for that matter. You know what? You don’t have to touch me at all. You clearly don’t like pajamas since you don’t want to wear them. And I wear them all the time. So, easily put, we shouldn’t touch each other anymore.”

“What!?” Ryo almost shouted, sitting up straight on the bed. He stared at Ueda in horror. His princess couldn’t do this to him! Anything but this! “You can’t do this! It’s not reasonable!”

Ueda shrugged, turning away from Ryo. He started to look for the clothes he had been wearing earlier and which had been discarded carelessly on the floor. When he found them, he started putting them back on, covering his body from view much to Ryo’s dismay as he looked on in silence and chagrin. “Well, the ban only lasts as long as it takes for you to give in. So it’s really your call,” Ueda pointed out.

“But… but…” Ryo tried to inch closer and grab at Ueda’s hand but the boxer evaded him swiftly.

“Think about it, Ryo,” Ueda told him. “I’m going to take a shower.” With that, the copper-haired man disappeared into the bathroom, leaving the younger man to his own thoughts.

Ryo groaned to himself, feeling like the world was against him. This was unfair! There was no way Ryo could survive without touching his princess! That simply meant that he was going to have to give in eventually. And that meant… he was going to have to wear the dreaded pajamas.

He groaned again and wondered why it had come to this. He distinctly remembered Cartoon KAT-TUN and cursed the show for its stupidity, himself for not watching his mouth and also all pajamas’ in general for being such a pain simply by existing.

And just as if to spite him, moments later, Ueda comes out of the bathroom dressed in the same pink pajamas he had seen on television earlier.
___________

“So, yellow. What’s the deal with the PJs?” Yoko asked, a lopsided grin on his face. He looked as if he was having a hard time controlling his laughter.

“Shut up!” Ryo snapped at the older man, sulking away.

It was a few days after Ueda had dropped the pajama bomb on Ryo. And not to anyone’s surprise, Ryo had given in as expected.

At the moment, the whole of Kanjani8 were currently staying over at a Japanese styled inn in a rather rural area on the edge of Tokyo for some work-related purposes. It was already deep into the night but the seven members had decided to stay up and just chat. It wasn’t often that all of them got to stay together in a big room with futons spread out next to each other like this. It felt like a big school-trip, and they wanted to make the most of it.

“So? Ueda made you wear that here?” Hina asked, looking amused as he gestured at the pajamas Ryo wore. It was the same pink pajamas which Ueda had worn during the recording for KAT-TUN’s show, and also the very same pajamas which had gotten Ryo into this mess in the first place. There was no doubt that the choice of pajamas had been intentional. Ryo knew his princess was sadistic like that.

“He insisted in packing my luggage for me. There’s nothing in there but my work clothes and this thing,” Ryo mumbled, still sulking.

“Why don’t you just wear this yukata everyone’s wearing?” Hina suggested. “The inn provides it for free and it’s not like he’ll know—”

“Oh, yes he will,” Yasuda, who had been painting his toenails, piped in suddenly.

Ryo glared at him, while the others blinked.

“Yasu? Do you know something about this?” Ohkura asked in bewilderment.

Yasu shrugged, checking that his toenails were a perfectly even shade of purple before looking up to beam at the curious faces around him, sans for Ryo of course, who looked like he could skin a kitten and then boil it in soup.

“I don’t know much, but Tatsu-chan said he’d bring me lip-gloss shopping if I helped him keep an eye on Ryo-chan!”

“Lip-gloss!?” everyone exclaimed.

Yasuda nodded. “Yeah! Don’t you think Tatsu-chan’s lips are so dreamy? I’ve always wanted to learn the secret to those sexy lips!”

Kanjani8 all looked at each other, caught between amusement and shock. It looked like Yasu’s well-known hormonal imbalance problem had gotten more serious when they weren’t paying attention.

Ohkura patted Ryo on the shoulder, a look of pity on his face. “Looks like Ueda has gotten it all figured out. Sorry, Ryo-chan.”

Ryo nodded somberly, shooting Yasuda a look that said ‘traitor’ but the other paid him no heed and went back to his nails. Ryo sighed. He stared down at the pink pajamas he was wearing. It wasn’t that they were bad, really. In fact, his princess had been right in saying that they were very comfortable. But still, that didn’t make the proud Osakan feel any less embarrassed. He was very aware that his perky bedclothes stood out amongst his other band mates, who all wore plain, white yukatas provided for by the inn.

He sighed again.

Well, he might as well get used to it. Maybe it won’t be so bad after all.

And with that thought, he joined the others in their chattering away.
___________________________

Two weeks later, Ryo was flipping through one of his favourite gravure magazines. He was sitting on the bed, dressed in the newest pajama addition in his closet, a banana-yellow pair with little white star prints on it.

Ever since his lover had forced him to wear those pink pajamas two weeks ago, somehow or other, Ryo had gotten used to them. And now, he was happy to say that he could join his lover proudly in his fetish for pajamas. They even had matching pairs and often wore them at night, cuddled together and enjoying the soft, silky feel of the fabric as they held on to one another.

Ryo smiled as he lost himself in his thoughts. The princess had been right. Pajamas were so comfortable! Sometimes he wondered what exactly had made him so against them in the first place. He stared fondly at the yellow material he was currently wearing, running his fingers on one of his sleeves and enjoying the feel of it. He shook his head as he reminisced, laughing at himself for awhile before turning back to his magazine.

Just then, the sounds of running water died down, indicating that his lover was finally done with his shower and the two of them could finally have some ‘alone’ time before going to sleep.

A few moments passed, and then a soft clicking.

Ryo faintly noticed the presence coming closer beside him and he lifted his eyes up from the gravure magazine he was glued on, a smile on his face.

“Oh, Tatsuya, you’re..? WHOA.”

Ryo’s eyes widened and he gaped stupidly at the sight that greeted him, the bright smile he had distorting itself into a look of utter shock. It took him a full minute before he managed to jump-start his brain again and forced himself to speak.

“Tatsuya, wha..what are you wearing?” he barely managed to croak out.

“Hm? This? Ah, I saw it at a shop one day and decided to give it a try. It’s really nice! A lot more comfortable than those pajamas you’re wearing,” Ueda answered nonchalantly, his eyes flitting over the pajamas Ryo wore uninterestedly. He crawled over his lover before letting himself fall onto the empty space on the bed, tugging slightly at the soft, pink material he wore when it ran out of place.

Ryo could barely register the words being uttered by his boyfriend, his mind currently much too-occupied with the exposed thigh rubbing against his own pajama-clad one with every movement they made.

“But… but don’t… don’t girls usually wear that?”

“So?”

Ueda looked at him with eyes which said ‘does-it-really-matter-if-an-apple-was-blue-instead-of-red’ and due to his inability to reason logically right now, Ryo honestly couldn’t for the life of him figure out what was so wrong about a blue apple.

Ryo grinned back in reply, nodding vigorously as if Ueda had just given him a first class answer for an examination question. He had completely lost coherency in favour of ogling the seductive and very-inviting sight in front of him.

As always the case, words weren’t needed between them. Ryo didn’t have to ask to know that this was the start to a brand new fetish for Ueda. Pajamas had become a yesterday thing, to be replaced by this new one. And Ryo had to admit, at this very moment, this new fetish looked to be much better than the last. Ryo continued to stare at his lover heatedly.

Ueda was unperturbed by the hungry look in Ryo’s eyes and merely smiled, shifting a little and causing the short, lacy fabric he wore to ‘accidentally’ hike even further up his pale thighs.

Ryo breathed in sharply, his eyes widening impossibly further. Ueda let out a chuckle, unable to hold it back anymore. He decided to show mercy.

“See something you like?” Ueda asked.

And that was all the signal Ryo needed. In a heartbeat, he had pushed the older man down on the bed before imprisoning him with his body. Ryo, nerves frayed and on end, abandoned composure and went straight for the prize, his hand automatically slipping under the end of the rather short apparel Ueda wore and was delighted to find that Ueda hadn’t worn anything under it.

“Ungh…” Ueda let out a soft moan at the eager touch, his body showing its first signs of awakening.

Ryo smirked, his experienced hand moving exactly how and where he knew Ueda liked being touched best, while the other traveled along the sleeveless, pink material all the way down to his lover’s slim waist.

There wasn’t a doubt about it. Throughout the years he and Ueda had been together, this had to be the best fetish Ueda has ever had yet. Ryo was loving it already.

Ueda’s new fetish.

For negligees.

Ryo grinned, his lust-filled eyes meeting Ueda’s come-hither ones and proceeded to lean down, kissing the other hard. He started to pull off the skimpy pink-negligee his lover wore, which was exceptionally easy to do given the nature of the said garment. The Osakan felt his lover’s arms wrap itself tightly around his neck, pushing him closer as a naked thigh wrapped itself enticingly around his hips.

Ryo had always said he never had a problem with Ueda’s fetishes.

As long as it didn’t adversely affect him in any way, that is.

The End

A/N Just in case anyone didn’t know what a negligee is go HERE.

[Translation] Wink Up August 2009: KAT-TUN (Group Page)

2009-07-29T09:11:39Z

Translation of the group page from Wink Up August 2009. Includes original kanji, romaji and English translation. Requested by gangsta_paradis

Translator’s Note: Please feel free to point out mistakes. Comments are appreciated.

Wink Up August 2009: KAT-TUN (Group Page)

Message KAT-TUN

To KAMENASHI

会っても、コンサートのMCでくらいしか話す機会がないから。。。お元気ですか(笑)。

From JIN

To KAMENASHI

Attemo, KONSATTO no MC de kurai shika hanasu kikai ga nai kara... Ogenki desu ka (shou).

From JIN

To KAMENASHI

Even though we meet, the only chance we get to talk is practically during the concert MC so... how are you? (laughs)

From JIN

To UEDA

今、お互いにすごく忙しいと思うけどツアーも始まるし、体調を崩さないように、やっていこうじゃねえか。

From KAME

To UEDA

Ima, otagai ni sugoku isogashii to omou kedo TSUAA mo hajimaru shi, taichou wo kuzusanai you ni, yatte ikou jyanee ka.

From KAME

To UEDA

Right now, I think we're both really busy and the tour is starting too, without destroying our physical conditions, let's do it.

From KAME

To AKANISHI Kun

このまえ、一緒にごはんに行けなくてゴメンね。中丸くんとふたりで寂しかっただろうけど、次はオレもぜひついて行くからヨロシク。

From TAGUCHI

To AKANISHI Kun

Kono mae, issho ni gohan ni ikenakute GOMEN ne. Nakamaru kun to futari de sabishikatta darou kedo, tsugi wa ORE mo zehi tsuite iku kara YOROSHIKU.

From TAGUCHI

To AKANISHI Kun

The other day, I'm sorry for not being able to eat together. You and Nakamaru-kun, being just the two of you it must have been lonely, but next time I'll certainly go along so yoroshiku.

From TAGUCHI

To NAKAMARU

バンジーなくなってよかったね。おめでとう！あと残りのライブは普通に楽しんでください。

From UEDA

To NAKAMARU

BANJII nakunatte yokatta ne. Omedetou! Ato nokori no RAIBU wa futsuu ni tanoshin de kudasai.

From UEDA

To NAKAMARU

It's great that the bungee is over with. Congratulations! For the remaining live shows, please enjoy it normally.

From UEDA

To TAGUCHI

オレとオマエはかみあわない。だけど、かみあわないからこそ、いい風が生まれるんだと思う。田口のこと、好きでわない(笑)。でも『田口を泣かすなよ』とおまえの周りにいる人に言ったことはある。だから、好きではないけど、大切な存在だと思ってるよ。

From KOKI

To TAGUCHI

ORE to OMAE wa kamiawanai. Dakedo, kamiawanai kara koso, ii fuu ga umarerun da to omou. Taguchi no koto, suki de wa nai (shou). Demo, [Taguchi wo nakasu na yo] to omae no mawari ni iru hito ni itta koto wa aru. Dakara, suki de wa nai kedo, taisetsu na sonzai da to omotteru yo.

From KOKI

To TAGUCHI

You and I don't match. But because we don't match, I think a good feel was born. About Taguchi, I don't like him (laughs). But, "Don't make Taguchi cry", I've said these words before to people around you. That's why, I don't like you, but I do think of you as an important existence.

From KOKI

To KOKI

田中丸を結成してから、ずっと5~6年くらい煮つまっているので。。。そろそろ作家さんを雇いませんか(笑)？

From NAKAMARU

To KOKI

Tanakamaru wo kessei shite kara, zutto 5~6 nen kurai nitsumatteiru no de... soro soro Sakka-san wo yatoimasen ka (shou)?

From NAKAMARU

To KOKI

Since Tanakamaru was formed, it's been left boiling for about 5~6 years... Isn't it about time we employ an author? (laughs)

From NAKAMARU

For the master list of my translations as well as the request page, go HERE.

[Translation] KAT-TUN 1st in New York Photo Book: Kamenashi Kazuya (Comments)

2009-07-29T08:50:55Z

Translation of Kame’s part in the KAT-TUN 1^st in New York Photo Book. Includes original kanji, romaji and English translation. Requested by freakolicious

KAT-TUN 1^st in New York Photo Book: Kamenashi Kazuya

Kame’s Comments on Other Members Page

仁のこと。 彼は周りを大人にしてくれる人(笑)。何か意見がぶつかったり、間違ったことがあっても『は、ちげえし！』をくりかえして絶対に自分から折れないから、こっちが折らざるを得ないんだもん。でも自分が間違ってるって途中で気づいても『は、ちげえし』って言い続けて引くに引けなくなってるときの仁は、とってもかわいらしいよ(笑)。あとこのあいだジャニーズの運動会で初めて仁がサッカーやってる姿を見たけど、必死だったね。。。いやいや、違った、カッコよかったね(笑)！

Jin no koto. Kare wa mawari wo otona ni shite kureru hito (shou). Nanika iken ga butsukattari, machigatta koto ga atte mo [Ha, chigeeshi!] wo kurikaeshite zettai ni jibun kara orenai kara, kocchi ga orazaru wo enain da mon. Demo jibun ga machigatteru tte tochuu de kidzuite mo [Ha, chigeeshi] tte ii tsudzukete hiku ni hikenaku natteru toki no Jin wa, tottemo kawairashii yo (shou). Ato konoaida JYANIZZU no undoukai de hajimete Jin ga SAKKAA yatteru sugata wo mita kedo, hisshi datta ne... Iya iya, chigatta, KAKKO yokatta ne(shou)!

About Jin. He's the one who makes others act mature around him (laughs). When someone has a different opinion, or even when he's wrong, he will say "Haa, that's not it!" and definitely won't give in so we have to give in instead. But even when he realizes halfway that he's in the wrong, he still goes "Haa, that's not it" and keeps on pushing deeper and deeper into it, that kind of Jin is pretty cute (laughs). Also, the other day we had a Johnny's sports meet and I watched Jin play soccer for the first time, but he looked desperate... No, no, that's not it, he looked cool (laughs)!

田口のこと。 ふだんはすごく静かなんだけど、何かの拍子に壊れちゃうことがあるんだよね。あれはいったいどのタイミングでスイッチが入るんだろうって、そこがいまだにナゾ(笑)。田口とオレって同い年なんだけど、精神年齢がすごく大人で、常に冷静で細かいところにちゃんと気が配れたり。。。そういう部分がオレとはすべて正反対で、田口と話してると新しい発見が多いんだよね。

Taguchi no koto. Fudan wa sugoku shizuka nan dakedo, nanika no hyoushi ni kowarechau koto ga arun da yo ne. Are wa ittai dono TAIMINGU de SUICCHI ga hairun darou tte, soko ga ima da ni NAZO (shou). Taguchi to ORE tte onaidoshi nan dakedo, seishin nenrei ga sugoku otona de, tsune ni reisei de komakai tokoro ni chanto ki ga kubaretari... Sou iu bubun ga ORE to wa subete seihantai de, Taguchi to hanashiteru to atarashii hakken ga ooin da yo ne.

About Taguchi. He's usually really quiet but that moment sometimes get broken. When exactly that happens and he turns on his switch, even until now it's a mystery (laughs). Taguchi and I are of the same age, but his mentality is really mature, he's always calm and he pays attention to the smallest details... That part of him is completely the opposite of me so when I talk to Taguchi, I often make new discoveries.

聖のこと。 とにかくず~っとラップ歌ってるから、車の中とかうるさいうるさい。でもその聖のラップが、オレらのコンサートではすごい盛り上がる要素のひとつになってるわけだから、感謝感謝だよね。あと思いやりの気持ちは人一倍強いし、それをちゃんと表に出せるヤツ。男同士って、そういうのってなんかテレくさかったりするじゃん。オレがコンサートのステージから落ちたときも、袖裏で『大丈夫？』っていつも心配してくれたんだよね。今さらだけど、あのときはどうもありがとう！

Koki no koto. Tonikaku zu~tto RAPPU utatteru kara, kuruma no naka to ka urusai urusai. Demo sono Koki no RAPPU ga, ORE ra no KONSATTO de wa sugoi moriagaru youso no hitotsu ni natteru wake dakara, kansha kansha da yo ne. Ato omoiyari no kimochi wa hito ichibai tsuyoi shi, sore wo chanto omote ni daseru YATSU. Otoko doushi tte, sou iu notte nanka TERE kusakattari suru jyan. ORE ga KONSATTO no SUTEEJI kara ochita toki mo, shuuura de [Daijoubu?] tte itsumo shinpai shite kuretan da yo ne. Ima sara dakedo, ano toki wa doumo arigatou!

About Koki. In any case, he's al~ways rapping, so inside the car it's noisy, noisy. But Koki's rap is one of the elements which can really rouse excitement in our concerts, so we're grateful, grateful. Also, his considerate nature is two times stronger than a normal person, and that really shows on him. Since we're both men, that kind of thing is somehow a little embarrassing. When I fell off the stage during a concert, at the side-stage he asked "Are you okay?" and was always worried. I'm only saying it now, but thank you for that time!

上田のこと。 彼とはプライベートで遊ぶってことはほとんどないけど、でも実は連絡は誰よりもとってる相手。だってオレら、メル友だもん(笑)。『何してんの？』『今から風呂入ってくる』とか、そんなどうでもいいような内容が多いんだけど、なんか和むんだよね。返信しないと『ちゃんと返事してよ』とかクレームが入ったりして(笑)。たまに送ってくる短編小説メールも楽しみにしてるんで、これからもメル友としてよろしく！あ、KAT-TUNのメンバーとしてもよろしく(笑)！

Ueda no koto. Kare to PURAIBETTO de asobu tte koto wa hotondo nai kedo, demo jitsu wa renraku wa dare yori mo totteru aite. Datte ORE ra, MERU tomo da mon (shou). [Nani shiten no?] [Ima kara furo haitte kuru] to ka, sonna dou de mo ii you na naiyou ga ooin dakedo, nanka nagomun da yo ne. Henshin shinai to [Chanto henji shite yo] to ka KUREMMU ga haittari shite (shou). Tama ni okutte kuru tanpen shousetsu MERRU mo tanoshimi shiterun de, kore kara mo MERU tomo to shite yoroshiku! A, KAT-TUN no MENBAA to shite mo yoroshiku (shou)!

About Ueda. During our private time, we don't really hang out together, but actually, he's the one I keep in contact with the most. Because the two of us are 'mail-buddies' (laughs). "What are you doing?" , "I'm going into the bath now" , those kinds of trivial things are usually the contents of our mails, but they're somewhat relaxing. If someone doesn't reply, "Hey, reply properly", those kinds of complaints will come (laughs). Sometimes, I get mails the length of a short novel and I look forward to those, so from now on, let's be mail buddies too! Ah, the other members of KAT-TUN are welcome too (laughs)!

中丸のこと。 いつも言ってることだけど、お兄ちゃんでもあり、弟みたいな人でもある。年下のオレらとこんなに話が合うってことは、逆に言えば、オレらに合わせることができるすごく大人な人なのかなとも思うことがあるんだ。超気分が落ちてるときも、中丸の顔を見るとなんかホッとできる癒し系だし。"この人に出会えてよかった"って思える存在だね。

Nakamaru no koto. Itsumo itteru koto dakedo, oniichan demo ari, otouto mitai na hito de mo aru. Toshi shita no ORE ra to konna ni hanashi ga au tte koto wa, gyaku ni ieba, ORE ra ni awaseru koto ga dekiru sugoku otona na hito na no ka na to omou koto ga arun da. Chou kibun ga ochiteru toki mo, Nakamaru no kao wo miru to nanka HO tto dekiru iyashikei da shi. "Kono hito ni deaete yokatta" tte omeru sonzai da ne.

About Nakamaru. I always say this but he's a person who's sometimes like a big brother, and sometimes like a younger brother. For us who are younger to be able to get along with you, or rather, you being able to get along with us, I think that you must be a really mature person. Even when I'm feeling really down, when I just look at Nakamaru's face, I feel a little better. He's the soothing type. He is the kind of existence that I can think of as "I'm glad I met this person."

Questions and Answers Page

For my master list of translations as well as the request page, go HERE.

[Translation] KAT-TUN 1st in New York Photo Book: Kamenashi Kazuya (Q&A Part 2)

2009-07-29T08:48:14Z

Translation of Kame’s part in the KAT-TUN 1^st in New York Photo Book. Includes original kanji, romaji and English translation. Requested by freakolicious

Translator’s Note: Divided into several parts. Feel free to point out mistakes.

KAT-TUN 1st in New York Photobook

Questions and Answers Page (Part 2)

行きたいデートスポット: 海

Ikitai DETTO SUPOTTO: Umi

A date-spot you'd like to go to: The sea

女の子の気になる部分: 手、目

Onna no ko no ki ni naru bubun: Te, me

The part of a girl you're interested in: Hand, eyes

好きな街: 沖縄

Suki na machi: Okinawa

Favourite town: Okinawa

嫌いな街: 時間に追われてる人が多いところ

Kirai na machi: Jikan ni owareteru hito ga ooi tokoro

Disliked town: Places where a lot of people are chasing time

住んでみたい街: ニューヨーク

Sunde mitai machi: NYUU YOKKU

A town you'd like to live in: New York

行きたい国: イタリア

Ikitai kuni: ITARIA

A country you'd like to go to: Italy

外食時によく選ぶお店のジャンル: パスタ、サンドウイッチがスゲーうまいカフェ

Gaishoku toki ni yoku erabu omise no JYANRU: PASUTA, SANDOUICCHI ga SUGEE umai KAFE

If you were eating out, the genre of the place you often choose to eat: Pasta, sandwich or a really delicious cafe.

朝起きてまずすること: のび

Asa okite mazu suru koto: Nobi

The first thing you do when you wake up: Stretch

ヒマなときは何してる？詞書くか、テレビだらだら見る。散歩

HIMA na toki wa nani shiteru? Shi kaku ka, TEREBI dara dara miru. Sanpo

What do you do during your free time? Write lyrics, continuously watch TV. Take a walk.

ついついやってしまうクセ: 足をドンドンしちゃう

Tsui tsui yatte shimau KUSE: Ashi wo DON DON shichau

A habit you do unconsciously: Stamping my feet

コンビニで最初に行くコーナー: 本

KONBINI de saisho ni iku KOONAA: Hon

The first section you go to in a convenience store: Books

息抜き法: 気の知れた人と遊ぶ

Ikinuki hou: Ki no shireta hito to asobu

Relaxation method: Hanging out with people who are familiar with me

愛読書: 最近、歴史の本(笑)

Aidokushou: Saikin, rekishi no hon (shou)

Favourite book: Recently, historical books (laughs)

よく見る夢: 誰かわかんないけど、その子が好きで一緒に車でドライブしてる

Yoku miru yume: Dare ka wakannai kedo, sono ko ga suki de issho ni kuruma de DORAIBU shiteru

A dream you often have: I don't know who the person is, but I like that person and we go in the car for a drive together

1日のメール件数: 10件くらい

Ichi nichi no MERU kensuu: 10 ken kurai

The amount of mail in a day: About 10

長所: 一つのことにハマると、とことんハマる。スゲエ負けずぎらい

Chousho: Hitotsu no koto ni HAMA ru to, tokoton HAMA ru. SUGEE makezugirai

Strong point: Once I'm into something, I'm thoroughly into it. I absolutely hate losing.

短所: 波がはげしい

Tansho: Nami ga hageshii

Weak point: Violent waves

[T/N I think this can also be read to mean that he has mood swings]

自分のポリシー: 決めたことは納得するまでやる

Jibun no PORISHII: Kimeta koto wa nattoku suru made yaru

Your personal policy: Do things which you have decided to do until you've grasped it

自分が影響を受けた人: オレの知り合いほとんど

Jibun ga eikyou wo uketa hito: ORE no shiriai hotondo

People who have influenced you: Mostly from people I know

会ってみたい人: キャメロン。ディアス

Atte mitai hito: KYAMERON DIASU

A person you'd like to meet: Cameron Diaz

一度言われてみたいセリフ: 『これからも一緒に居て』

Ichido iwarete mitai SERIFU: [Kore kara mo issho ni ite]

A line you'd like to be said to you once: "Let's be together from now on too."

世界で一番怖いもの: 裏切られること

Sekai de ichiban kowai mono: Uragirareru koto

The scariest thing in the world: To be betrayed

もしも生まれ変わるなら: また人間がいいなっ

Moshi mo umarekawaru nara: Mata ningen ga ii naa

If you were born again: It'll be nice to be human again.

小さい頃の夢: プロ野球の選手

Chiisai koro no yume: PURO yakyuu no senshuu

Ambition when you were young: Professional baseball player

10年後のオレ: 常に進化しつづけててくれ~！！

10 nen ato no ORE: Tsune ni shinka shi tsudzukete te kure~!!

The me 10 years later: Let me constantly progress continuously~!!

宝物: 家族とオレを支えてくれてるすべての人

Takaramono: Kazoku to ORE wo sasaete kureteru subete no hito

Treasures: My family and everyone who supports me

自分を一言で表現すると？気分屋のおバカさん(笑)

Jibun wo hitokoto de hyougen suru to? Kibun ya no o BAKA san (shou)

If you could express yourself in one word? A moody idiot (laughs)

Kame’s Comments on Other Members Page

[Translation] KAT-TUN 1st in New York Photo Book: Kamenashi Kazuya (Q&A Part 1)

2009-07-29T08:44:36Z

Translation of Kame’s part in the KAT-TUN 1^st in New York Photo Book. Includes original kanji, romaji and English translation. Requested by freakolicious

Translator’s Note: Divided into several parts. Feel free to point out mistakes.

KAT-TUN 1st in New York Photobook

Questions and Answers Page (Part 1)

好きな食べ物: とんこつラーメン、焼肉

Suki na tabemono: Tonkotsu RAMEN, yakiniku

Favourite food: Tonkotsu ramen, yakiniku

嫌いな食べ物: ピーマン、トマト、梅系

Kirai na tabemono: PI MAN, TOMATO, ume kei

Disliked food: Peppers, tomato, plum types

好きな色: 黒、白

Suki na iro: Kuro, shiro

Favourite colour: Black, white

好きな俳優: ジャン。レノ

Suki na haiyuu: JYAN RENO

Favourite actor/actress: Jean Reno

好きな映画: 『レオン』、『バスケットボール。ダイアリーズ』

Suki na eiga: [Reon], [BASUKETTO BORU DAIARIZZU]

Favourite movie: Leon, Basketball Diaries

好きな言葉: 気合！！『世の人は我を何とも言わば言へ我が成すことは我のみぞ知る(坂本龍馬)』

Suki na kotoba: Kiai!! [Yo no hito wa, ware wo nantomo, iwaba gen e, waga nasu koto wa, ware no mizo shiru (Sakamoto Ryouma)]

Favourite word: Spirit!! [The people in the world, we somehow, if we were to say it, what we have to achieve is, to know our own self (Sakamoto Ryouma)]

[T/N I am not sure if I got the meaning of Sakamoto Ryouma's quote right, but I tried my best]

好きな季節: それぞれいい所あるから全部

Suki na kisetsu: Sorezore ii tokoro aru kara zenbu

Favourite season: Each one of them has its good points so all of it

好きな花: ひまわり

Suki na hana: Himawari

Favourite flower: Sunflower

好きな動物: 犬、ハムスター！！

Suki na doubutsu: Inu, HAMUSUTAA!!

Favourite animal: Dog, hamster!!

好きな香り: 甘い香り

Suki na kaori: Amai kaori

Favourite smell: Sweet scents

好きな家庭料理: サラダ

Suki na katei ryouri: SARADA

Favourite home-cooking: Salad

得意なスポーツ: 野球

Tokui na SUPOTTSU: Yakyuu

Sports specialized in: Baseball

好きなファッション: シンプル

Suki na FASSHON: SHINPURU

Favourite fashion: Simple

絶対身に付けてるファッション小物: ブレスレット、ネックレス

Zettai mi ni tsuketeru FASSHON komono: BURESURETTO, NEKKURESU

A small fashion item that you will definitely wear on yourself: Bracelet, necklace

してみたい髪型: 黒の毛で短髪

Shite mitai kamigata: Kuro no ke de tanpatsu

A hairstyle you'd like to try: Short and black hair

バッグに絶対入っているもの: ハブラシ

BAGGU ni zettai haiite iru mono: HABURASHI

Something that you will definitely have in your bag: Tooth brush

最近買ったお気に入りのモノ: Tシャツ

Saikin katta oki ni iri no MONO: T SHATSU

Something you bought recently which caught your interest: T-Shirt

フロではどこから洗う？髪

FURO de wa doko kara arau? Kami

In the bath, where do you wash first? Hair

寝るときの格好: パジャマ、ジャージ、パンツ

Neru toki no kakkou: PAJYAMA, JYAAJI, PANTSU

Your sleeping appearance: Pajamas, jersey, pants

好きな女の子のタイプ: 好きになった人

Suki na onna no ko no TAIPU: Suki ni natta hito

The type of girl you like: The person I fall for

嫌いな女の子のタイプ: ネガテイブな人

Kirai na onna no ko no TAIPU: NEGATIBU na hito

The type of girl you dislike: Negative girls

理想の告白スタイル: 時と場合

Risou no kokuhaku SUTAIRU: Toki to baai

Your ideal confession style: Depends on the time

女の子から告白されるなら(シチュエーション): 出来るなら自分からしたいなっ♪

Onna no ko kara kokuhaku sareru nara (SHICHUEESHON): Dekiru nara jibun kara shita naa ♪

If a girl confessed to you (situation): If it’s possible, I'd like to do it myself ♪

Part 2

[Translation] KAT-TUN 1st in New York Photo Book: Ueda Tatsuya (Comments)

2009-07-27T08:43:44Z

Translation of Ueda’s part in the KAT-TUN 1^st in New York Photo Book. Includes original kanji, romaji and English translation. I have a strong feeling this has been done before, but since I’d already done it, I figured I might as well post.

Translator’s Note: This photo book was released long ago so note that it’s really old and out of date. But still, I think it’s a fun read all the same. Feel free to point out mistakes if anyone finds them. Split into several parts because LJ is giving me problems again.

KAT-TUN 1st in New York Photobook: Ueda Tatsuya

Ueda’s Comments on Other Members Page

亀梨のこと。 オレがせっかくキメてるときに、そのままにしておいてくれない人(笑)。突然くすぐってきたりとか、やけにちょっかいを出してくるんだよね(笑)。でも最近はあいつの考えがだいぶ読めるようになってきて、あいつが何か言うまえに『こう言おうと思ってるでしょ？』って言い当てられるようになってきたよ。でも仕事中でもマジメにしなくちゃいけないときのオンと、ふざけても大丈夫なオフの時間の区別がちゃんとつけられるところは、横で見ててもえらいなって思うよ。

Kamenashi no koto. ORE ga sekkaku KIME teru toki ni, sono mama ni shite oite kurenai hito (shou). Totsuzen kusugutte kitari to ka, yake ni chokkai wo dashite kurun da yo ne (shou). Demo saikin wa aitsu no kangae ga daibu yomeru you ni natte kite, aitsu ga nani ka iu mae ni [Kou iou to omotteru desho?] tte ii ataterareru you ni natte kita yo. Demo shigoto chuu de mo MAJIME ni shinakucha ikenai toki no ON to, fuzakete mo daijoubu na OFU no jikan no kubetsu ga chanto tsukerareru tokoro wa, yoko de mitete mo erai natte omou yo.

About Kamenashi. He's the person who won't leave me alone when I've finally settled on something (laughs). He'll suddenly come and do things like tickling me, and suddenly mess about (laughs). But recently I've come to understand the way he thinks, before he says something, I'll be able to correctly guess and say, "This is what you thought, right?" However, during work, he goes into ON mode and does it very seriously and then he has his OFF mode, when it's okay to mess around. He clearly makes a distinction between the two and even just by watching from the side, I think it's really admirable.

仁のこと。 あいつのノリのよさは、かなり好き。NYでも『現地の人といっしょに写真撮ろうぜ』なんて話になったときも、いっしょに行動してくれるのはたいてい赤西だったからね。NYでは気づくと同じ行動してた。。。ってことが多かったよ。なにげに気が合うのかな。でも彼といっしょに住むのは絶対無理。だって部屋散らかすし、うるさすぎ(笑)。

Jin no koto. Aitsu no NORI no yosa wa, kanari suki. NY de mo [Genchi no hito to issho ni shashin torou ze] nante hanashi ni natta toki mo, issho ni koudou shite kureru no wa taitei Akanishi datta kara ne. NY de wa ki dzuku to onaji koudou shiteta... tte koto ga ookatta yo. Nani ge ni ki ga au no ka na. Demo kare to issho ni sumu no wa zettai muri. Datte heya chirakasu shi, urusasugi (shou).

About Jin. I quite like his good mood. Even in NY, he'll say things like "Let's take pictures with the local people," and also most of the time, the one I travel around with is Akanishi. In NY, even when noticed, he does the same thing... it happens quite a lot. Unexpectedly, we somewhat get along. But it will definitely be impossible to stay with him. Because the room will be a mess and it'll be too noisy (laughs).

田口のこと。 ものすごいマイペースだよね。ギャッグセンはあいかわらずだけど、メンバーみんなからツッコまれまくって、ツッコまれのレベルはそうとう上がったんじゃない(笑)？すごく客観的に物事を見られるところがあって、オレなんてそんなふうに考えられないから、そんな田口にたまにムカついたりもするけど(笑)、でもあとになって田口って大人だなあって感心したり。やっぱり自分が持ってない部分を持っている人からは、いろんな刺激を受けるし勉強になるよね。

Taguchi no koto. Monosugoi MAI PESSU da yo ne. GYAGGU SEN wa aikawarazu dakedo, MENBAA minna kara TSUKKO mare makutte, TSUKKO mare no REBERU wa soutou agattan jya nai (shou)? Sugoku kyakkanteki ni monogoto wo mirareru tokoro ga atte, ORE nante sonna fuu ni kangaerarenai kara, sonna Taguchi ni tama ni MUKA tsuitari mo suru kedo (shou), demo ato ni natte Taguchi tte otona da naa tte kanshin shitari. Yappari jibun ga mottenai bubun wo motte iru hito kara wa, ironna shigeki wo ukeru shi benkyou ni naru yo ne.

About Taguchi. He's extremely ‘My Pace.’ His gag sense is the same as usual but he gets tsukommi'ed so much by the members that the level of being tsukkomi'ed has risen pretty high, hasn't it? (laughs) He's really objective and is able to see everything. If it were me, I won't be able to think like that and because of that, I sometimes get annoyed at that Taguchi (laughs), but later, I think that Taguchi is really mature and I admire that. I suppose when watching someone who has something we don't, it becomes motivation and we can learn from there.

聖のこと。 今回のNYロケでは聖と同室だったんだけど、映画好きってところでかなり気が合ったよ。DVDプレイヤーを持っていったんで、それでいっしょに映画見たり。ふだんはあんなにうるさいのに、ふたりになると急に静かになっちゃうんだよ(笑)。聖って、基本的に"いいヤツ"なんだよね。誕生日にさりげなくプレゼントくれたりさ。

Koki no koto. Konkai no NY ROKE de wa Koki to doushitsu dattan dakedo, eiga suki tte tokoro de kanari ki ga atta yo. DVD PUREIYAA wo motte ittan de, sore de issho ni eiga mitari. Fudan wa anna ni urusai no ni, futari ni naru to kyuu ni shizuka ni nacchaun da yo (shou). Koki tte, kihon teki ni "ii yatsu" nan da yo ne. Tanjoubi ni sarigenaku PUREZENTO kuretari sa.

About Koki. For the NY photo shoot this time I roomed with Koki, and since we both like movies, we got along quite well. We brought a DVD player with us, and we watched movies together with that. He's usually really noisy, but when it's just the two of us, it suddenly becomes quiet (laughs). Koki is basically a 'good guy.' I even received a present from him during my birthday.

中丸のこと。 シャレにならないことを、平気でやってのけるヤツ(笑)。今回のNYロケでもケータイの待ち受け画面用に、現地の風景を撮ろうとシャッター押した瞬間に、わざと手を入れて映り込んできたりとか(笑)。オレの神聖なNYの写真に、あいつの汚らわしい手が入り込むなんて(笑)！でも、ふだんは絶対こんなことは言わないけど、つきあい長い分いっしょにいて一番居心地がいい感じがする。オレとか苦手な人とは話せなかったりするんだけど、あいつは協調性あるし。。。なんだかんだ言って、すげえいいヤツなんだと思う。

Nakamaru no koto. SHARE ni naranai koto wo, heiki de yatte nokeru YATSU (shou). Konkai no NY ROKE de mo KETTAI no machiukegamen you ni, genchi no fuukei wo torou to SHATTAA oshita shunkan ni, wazato te wo irete utsurikonde kitari to ka (shou). ORE no shinsei na NY no shashin ni, aitsu no kegarawashii te ga hairikomu nante (shou)! Demo, fudan wa zettai konna koto wa iwanai kedo, tsukiai nagai bun issho ni ite ichiban igokochi ga ii kanji ga suru. ORE to ka nigate na hito to wa hanasenakattari surun dakedo, aitsu wa kyouchousei arushi... nandakanda itte, sugee ii YATSU nan da to omou.

About Nakamaru. A person who manages to pull-off being unable to be stylish (laughs). The photo shoot in NY this time, for my cell phone's standby screen, I took a picture of the local scenery. At the moment I took it and the shutter closed, he'll do things like purposely putting his hand in front so that it’s in the picture (laughs). It's like, why is his filthy hand in my sacred NY picture! (laughs) But even so, usually I definitely won't say this but after such a long time of associating together, he's the person I'm most comfortable with. He can't really talk to people who he's bad at or people like me, but he has a very cooperative personality... Saying it some way or another, I think he's a really nice person.

Questions and Answers Page

I am also taking requests for translations since I have the free time now and I am somehow lacking things to translate. For the master list of all translations I’ve done as well as requesting details, please go HERE.

[Translation] KAT-TUN 1st in New York Photo Book: Ueda Tatsuya (Q&A Part 2)

2009-07-27T08:37:58Z

KAT-TUN 1st in New York Photobook: Ueda Tatsuya

Questions and Answers Page (Part 2)

行きたいデートスポット: 夜の海

Ikitai DETTO SUPOTTO: Yoru no umi

A date-spot you'd like to go to: The sea at night

女の子の気になる部分: 目

Onna no ko no ki ni naru bubun: Me

The part of a girl you're interested in: Eyes

彼女と一緒に聞きたい曲: 洋楽のバラード

Kanojou to issho ni kikitai kyoku: Yougaku no BARAADO

A song you'd like to hear with your girlfriend: A western ballad

好きな街: モン。サンミッシェル

Suki na machi: Mon. Sanmissheru.

Favourite town: Mont Saint-Michel

嫌いな街: ごちゃごちゃしてる街

Kirai na machi: Gocha gocha shiteru machi

Disliked town: Messy towns

住んでみたい街: パリ

Sunde mitai machi: PARI

A town you'd like to live in: Paris

行きたい国: フランス、イギリス

Ikitai kuni: FURANSU, IGIRISU

A country you'd like to go to: France, United Kingdom

外食時によく選ぶお店のジャンル: パスタ

Gaishoku toki ni yoku erabu omise no JYANRU: PASUTA

If you were eating out, the genre of the place you often choose to eat: Pasta

朝起きてまずすること: 朝による

Asa okite mazu suru koto: Asa ni yoru

The first thing you do when you wake up: It depends on the morning

ヒマなときは何してる？作詞、作曲、ギター、英語の勉強

HIMA na toki wa nani shiteru? Sakushi, sakkyoku, GITAA, eigo no benkyou

What do you do during your free time? Write lyrics, compose music, guitar, study English

ついついやってしまうクセ: 首に手をやる

Tsui tsui yatte shimau KUSE: Kubi ni te wo yaru

A habit you do unconsciously: Putting my hand on my neck

コンビニで最初に行くコーナー: 。。。本かなあ？

KONBINI de saisho ni iku KOONAA: ...hon ka naa?

The first section you go to in a convenience store: ...I suppose the books?

息抜き法: karaoke

Ikinuki hou: karaoke

Relaxation method: karaoke

愛読書: 『ベラベラブック』

Aidokushou: [BERABERA BUKKU]

Favourite book: Bera bera book

よく見る夢: 外国人とデート

Yoku miru yume: Gaikokujin to DETTO

A dream you often have: Dating a foreigner

ケータイの着メロ: 教えない

KETTAI no chaku MERO: Oshienai

Cellphone ringtone: I'm not telling

1日のメール件数: 日によってちがうね

Ichi nichi no MERU kensuu: Hi ni yotte chigau ne

The amount of mail in a day: Depending on the day it's different

長所: さあ。。。努力家？

Chousho: Saa... doryoku ka?

Strong point: I wonder... hard worker?

短所: 短気

Tansho: Tanki

Weak point: Short-tempered

自分のポリシー: やりたいことをやる

Jibun no PORISHII: Yaritai koto wo yaru

Your personal policy: Do what you want to do

会ってみたい人: エリザベス.アール

Atte mitai hito: ERISABESU ARRU

A person you'd like to meet: Elizabeth Earl

一度言われてみたいセリフ: 『I Love You~ ♥』

Ichido iwarete mitai SERIFU: [I Love You~ ♥]

A line you'd like to be said to you once: [I Love You~ ♥]

世界で一番怖いもの: 表の顔と裹の顔の差が激しすぎる人

Sekai de ichiban kowai mono: Omote no kao to hou no kao no sa ga hageshisugiru hito

The scariest thing in the world: When the difference between the surface of a face and the mask of a face is too big*

[T/N: In my opinion, this line could be read deeper to mean the difference between a person's attitude on the outside and his real self]

もしも生まれ変わるなら: 人間

Moshi mo umarekawaru nara: Ningen

If you were reborn again: (I'd like to be) Human.

小さい頃の夢: パイロット

Chiisai koro no yume: PAIROTTO

Ambition when you were young: Pilot

宝物: アクセサリー < 友達 < 家族 < 未来の奥さん

Takaramono: AKUSESARII < Tomodachi < Kazoku < Mirai no okusan

Treasures: Accessories < Friends < Family < Future wife

自分を一言で表現すると？堕天使

Jibun wo hitokoto de hyougen suru to? Datenshi

If you could express yourself in one word? Fallen angel/devil

Ueda’s Comments on Other Members Page

[Translation] KAT-TUN 1st in New York Photo Book: Ueda Tatsuya (Q&A Part 1)

2009-07-27T08:32:19Z

KAT-TUN 1st in New York Photobook: Ueda Tatsuya

Questions and Answers Page (Part 1)

好きな食べ物: パスタ

Suki na tabemono: PASUTA

Favourite food: Pasta

嫌いな食べ物: だされれば食べます

Kirai na tabemono: Dasarereba tabemasu

Disliked food: As long as it can be made I'll eat it

好きな色: 黒、赤

Suki na iro: Kuro, aka

Favourite colour: Black, red

嫌いな色: nothing

Kirai na iro: nothing

Disliked colour: nothing

好きな俳優: エリザベス.アール

Suki na haiyuu: ERIZABESU ARRU

Favourite actor/actress: Elizabeth Earl

好きな映画: 『アイ。アム。サム』,『フェアリーテイル』

Suki na eiga: AI AM SAMU, FEARII TEIRU

Favourite movie: I am Sam, Fairy Tail

好きな言葉: Lucky!

Suki na kotoba: Lucky!

Favourite word: Lucky!

好きな季節: winter

Suki na kisetsu: winter

Favourite season: winter

好きな花: ローズ

Suki na hana: ROZZU

Favourite flower: Rose

好きな動物: イルカ、シャチ

Suki na doubutsu: IRUKA, SHACHI

Favourite animal: Dolphin, whale

好きな香り: 教会のにおい

Suki na kaori: Kyoukai no nioi

Favourite smell: The smell of a church

好きな家庭料理: ハンバーグ

Suki na katei ryouri: HANBAGGU

Favourite home cooking: Hamburger

得意なスポーツ: スキー

Tokui na SUPOTTSU: SUKII

Sports specialized in: Ski

好きなファッション: 似合うのであれば

Suki na FASSHON: Niau no de areba

Favourite fashion: As long as it suits me

嫌いなファッション: 自分の個性が出せない服

Kirai na FASSHON: Jibun no kousei ga dasenai fuku

Disliked fashion: Clothes that can't show my personality

絶対身に付けてるファッション小物: ブレスレット、ネックレス

Zettai mi ni tsuketeru FASSHON komono: BURESURETTO, NEKKURESU

A small fashion item that you won’t fail to wear on yourself: Bracelet, necklace

バッグに絶対入っているもの: 財布

BAGGU ni zettai haiite iru mono: Saifu

Something that you will definitely have in your bag: Wallet

最近買ったお気に入りのモノ: 本

Saikin katta oki ni iri no MONO: Hon

Something you bought recently which caught your interest: Book

フロではどこから洗う？顔

FURO de wa doko kara arau? Kao

In the bath, where do you wash first? Face

寝るときの格好: パンツ

Neru toki no kakkou: PANTSU

Your sleeping appearance: Pants

嫌いな女の子のタイプ: 言いたいことを本人に言えない人

Kirai na onna no ko no TAIPU: Iitai koto wo honnin ni ienai hito

The type of girl you dislike: A girl who can't say what they want to say to the real person.

理想の告白スタイル: なんでそんなことを聞くんですか？

Risou no kokuhaku SUTAIRU: Nande sonna koto wo kikun desu ka?

Your ideal confession style: Why do you ask that?

女の子から告白されるなら(シチュエーション): 雪の中で

Onna no ko kara kokuhaku sareru nara (SHICHUEESHON): Yuki no naka de

If a girl confessed to you (situation): In the snow

Part 2

[Fic] It Started With A Bet: Chapter Eight (Part 3)

2009-06-05T21:32:55Z

Title: It Started With a Bet: Chapter Eight (Part 3)
Pairing: RyoDa, mentions of AKamePi, KoyaShige and perhaps others as we go along.
Disclaimer: I do not own anyone.
Warnings: Drama, Romance
Summary: Subaru and Ryo have a bet. Ryo has to date Ueda. Will he manage to? Or will genuine feelings grow in the midst of what started out as a game? This fic was inspired by a prompt from samenashi.

Chapter Eight (Part 3): Blissful Days II

“Tell me again why are we eating this?” Ryo asked for the nth time since they arrived at the playground.

“Its fine, isn’t it? And convenient too,” Ueda replied, slurping on his noodles, one hand holding the ramen cup while the other held wooden chopsticks.

After leaving the bar thirty minutes ago, Ryo had let Ueda decide how they were going to have their little celebration. Ueda had thought about it for a few minutes before dragging him in the direction of his apartment and for a moment, Ryo thought Ueda was headed home but then he was suddenly pulled into a nearby convenience store. To Ryo’s surprise, Ueda had grabbed two cup ramen and two bottles of green tea before paying. They’d filled the cup ramen with hot water readily provided before Ueda dragged him off again, this time to the park near his apartment complex and right now, the two of them were sitting side-by-side on swings in the currently-empty playground. It was almost eleven at night and unlike the other day, it was quiet and void of screaming children.

Ryo picked at the ramen. It wasn’t that he disliked ramen, he loved it in fact. It was just that he’d expected something a little… grander for a celebration.

“You know, when I said celebration, I kind of pictured something a little different from this.”

“Celebrations don’t always have to be fancy,” Ueda answered with a laugh.

“Yeah, but this makes me feel impoverished or something.”

“Haha, it’s not that bad, is it? It’s not how you celebrate, but who you celebrate it with,” Ueda said wistfully. It wasn’t that he didn’t like celebrating with all his friends, but being in Ryo’s company, just the two of them alone, was something a bit more special.

Ryo gave Ueda a look, clearly not getting Ueda’s line of logic. Eventually, he shrugged and went back to eating. They didn’t speak, just enjoying each other’s presence. There was a chill in the air as it grew late, the sky above decorated with stars as it blanketed them; the park was dark and silent, the only light coming from a single streetlamp at one corner of the playground, illuminating their figures as they sat below its light.

“I’m done!” Ueda announced as he scraped the last of the ramen and gulped it down. When he was finished, he carefully discarded the empty cup and chopsticks into the plastic bag it had come with earlier, downing the last of his green tea as well before throwing it all into the bag. Ryo had finished with his food earlier, the rubbish he had made already packed neatly inside. Ueda tied the plastic bag up neatly, making a note to throw it away before they left and carefully placed the sealed garbage bag on the ground beside the swing he sat on. “Gosh, I’m still hungry!” he complained immediately after.

“What? Still?” Ryo asked in disbelief. “Didn’t you have dinner?”

“I did. But ever since I started boxing, I realise I’ve been eating a whole lot more. I guess I just didn’t have enough today.”

Ryo looked at the other in amazement. He had only just finished his own share of ramen and didn’t think he could eat another bite. Amused at the older man’s healthy appetite, Ryo could only smile to himself, not having anything else to say.

He kept silent, opting to just stare at the other. For some reason, he found himself captivated at the sight of Ueda sitting on the swing beside his, a look of innocence and cheeriness on his face, cheeks flushed pink from the cold outside, lips moist and strangely inviting… Ryo shook his head lightly when he realised the direction his thoughts were turning to. But try as he might, he couldn’t clear the fog which was beginning to cloud over his rational mind.

“I wonder if I should get seconds?” Ueda went on, contemplating to himself, looking at the general direction of the main street where the convenience store was located. Unconsciously, the copper-haired man started swaying himself slightly on the swing, both hands gripping the chains on either side of him as he considered his options, wondering if it was worth walking all the way back to the store just to get another pack of instant noodles. He was completely oblivious to the state of mind the man beside him was in.

Staring at the view in front of him with wide eyes, Ryo found it suddenly extremely difficult to breathe. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from the other man. The light from the street lamp was shining at the boxer at just the right angle, illuminating the beautiful features of his face; a light wind picking up and causing soft, brown strands to dance gently with the breeze while Ueda swayed himself back and forth on the swing; the soft curve of his eyebrow and slight crease on his forehead as he continued to frown, looking troubled as he continued weighing his options. It was as if there was a glow around the other man, drawing Ryo in as he continued taking in the pure and angelic sight in front of him. He felt as if he was looking on from the opposite side of a glass display case which kept the most exotic jewel in the world.

Sensing the intense stare, Ueda suddenly stopped swinging himself and turned to his side. He caught the look Ryo was giving him.

What’s with that look? It feels like I’m being swallowed alive…

“Ryo?” he called hesitantly.

There was no reply. Ryo continued to stare at him, the intensity of his gaze never wavering. By now, the fog in his mind had completely shrouded his senses and he was unable to respond.

Not getting any reply from the Osakan, Ueda began to feel restless.

“Ryo, wha—”

It happened so suddenly, Ueda barely knew what hit him. Ryo had grabbed roughly at one side of the chain - the side closer to him - which held Ueda’s swing up and forcibly pulling the swing, with Ueda on it, closer to him. Ueda yelped in surprise but before he could say anything else, Ryo had captured his lips in a demanding kiss.

For a moment, Ueda didn’t move, his muscles tense as his body was twisted into an awkward position, Ryo’s hand still holding onto the chain of his swing to keep him close. He panicked a little as he realised they were in a public place and anyone could see them, albeit the fact that it was late and hardly anyone would be passing by the park. Despite his reservations though, his mind slowly started to shut down as he lost himself in the feel of Ryo’s lips on his and he began to relax. Soon enough, his eyes fluttered shut and he was responding to Ryo’s heated kiss with equal fervour, his hands tightening the grip it had on the chains of his swing as he did so.

Lips joined together, tongues slipping in and out of each other’s mouths, both trying to press themselves nearer, closer, tighter to the other. They were lost in their own little world where nothing existed except the two of them, away from all their troubles. They were transported into a world where everything was just right. It was bliss.

In mid-kiss, Ryo slowly opened his closed eyes and stared at the face in front of his. Ueda had his eyes closed, completely focused on the kiss they were currently sharing.

Ueda… He’s… beautiful…

The thought ran through his sub-conscious mind subtly and Ryo felt his world tilt on its axis for a moment. What was this feeling? Confusion started to bubble underneath the mantle of euphoria cloaking his mind.

Pushing the unwanted thoughts out of his head, something Ryo was becoming increasingly skilled in doing these days, he turned his focus back on the kiss, his eyes fluttering shut again as he did so. This was where he was. Right here, right now. And all he wanted to do was to let his heart feel freely. At this very moment, he had Ueda by his side, and nothing else mattered. Nothing else…

The kiss lasted for just a little longer, the initial intensity gradually turning to gentle slides and caresses and soon, they had to break apart for air. Ryo leaned his forehead on Ueda’s, keeping their faces close as warm breaths intermingled, eyes still unfocused and half-closed, the both of them tried to catch their breaths. Ryo still hadn’t released the grip he had on the chain of Ueda’s swing, wanting the other’s presence as close to him as possible.

However, after awhile, Ryo noticed Ueda squirming in his seat. That was when he realised the uncomfortable position the older man was in due to the awkward position of the swing now as a result of being pulled out of place. Ryo immediately released his hold with a slightly apologetic look, and the boxer’s swing swung back to its original position. No words were exchanged the entire time.

Ryo…? What was that all of a sudden?

Ueda stole a glance at the man seated on the swing next to his but averted his gaze almost immediately, feeling incredibly shy. His heart was beating fast and hard against his chest. Unconsciously, his right hand let go of the death grip he had on the chain and moved shakily to his heart. He could feel it beating quickly underneath the layers of clothes he wore, and his hand balled into a fist, pressing against his chest, face turned downwards. He didn’t want Ryo to see the blush undoubtedly rising in his cheeks, not to mention the silly smile which was threatening to spill on his face. The emotions in him were overwhelming, and this time he didn’t have to think long to know what it meant. He was happy. Truly and genuinely happy, in the company of the person he had grown to love.

Love?

Well, Ueda still didn’t know if this was love. But he had a feeling he was getting closer and closer to it.

Meanwhile, Ryo was staring blankly into the space in front of him. He didn’t know what had come over him, but all he knew was that he had given into the overpowering urge to kiss the older man senseless. The fog in his brain was clearing now but at the same time, he was beginning to feel something hot growing inside of him as an aftermath of the passionate kiss. And this time, unlike others, the feeling continued to grow bigger and bigger, threatening to burst in him at any second. The warmth from it spread all over his body, all the way to the tips of his fingers and toes. The world seemed to be spinning around him, despite the fact he was sitting completely still. A whirlpool of emotions were surging in his chest, in his head, in his body, everywhere, uprooting him from his comfort zone and throwing him into places he had never treaded before.

What the hell is this? M..my… h-heart? It’s…hot? It feels like… like it’s going to explode…

Ryo was confused. He couldn’t identify this feeling. It was different from the warm glow he felt when he managed to pull a job off well, it was different from the rush of adrenaline he felt during a concert, it was different from the deep satisfaction he felt when he’d succeeded in something he’d worked really hard on. It was… more. Much, much more.

Agitated, he once more pushed the thoughts out of his mind. He hated dealing with questions which had no answers, and he hated it even more that he could no longer understand himself. He stubbornly ignored the burning feeling which continued to run havoc inside of him.

Glancing absent-mindedly at the man beside him, the Osakan found him with his head bowed low, a hand on his chest, sitting as still as a statue. He knew Ueda enough to know that the other was probably feeling more than a little embarrassed. Ryo casted his mind around, searching for a way to break the awkward silence around them. He tried to remember what was it they were talking about before he had literally attacked the other. Oh yeah, food. Ueda was still hungry.

A sudden idea popped in Ryo’s mind. Looking cautiously at the unmoving figure beside him, he tried slowly, recollecting his wits. “Hey, you said you were still hungry, right?”

At the sound of Ryo’s voice, Ueda started a little. However, he quickly recovered and nodded. “W-what? Oh, y-yeah,” he replied, wincing at the way he was stuttering. He kept his gaze firmly aimed at the ground.

“Well then… how would you feel if I said I’ll cook something for you?”

Ueda turned to Ryo in surprise, momentarily forgetting his embarrassment. He blinked. “Cook something?”

It wasn’t the first time Ryo had offered to cook for him, but it was still a pleasant surprise whenever it happened as the Osakan was usually too tired from work to cook. It was a shame really because Ryo happened to be a really good cook. Due to this reason, Ueda had decided to properly cherish the times when Ryo was actually up to doing it.

“Awhile back, I bought a takoyaki pan. I haven’t used it more than twice but I assure you I can make pretty good takoyaki,” Ryo smiled gently, feeling a little perturbed that he positively felt glad to have Ueda’s big, brown eyes on him again.

“Really?!” Ueda exclaimed, excited at the prospect of eating Ryo’s personally-made takoyaki. All traces of his embarrassment were forgotten in light of the new situation. Ryo merely chuckled at the genuinely eager look in the older man’s eyes, finding it a lot easier to calm down when Ueda was smiling at him like that.

“Takoyaki is a much better way to celebrate than cup ramen anyway,” Ryo continued, indicating the plastic bag filled with their waste underneath the swing Ueda sat on. “But you’ll have to come over to my place for a change though. Are you okay with that?” At this question, Ryo looked slightly apprehensive, afraid that Ueda would turn away again. Just as he’d expected, Ueda turned red, but fortunately, he didn’t turn away.

“I’m… okay with it. You’re always staying with me but I’ve never actually seen your place before. I always thought I’d like to see it someday. If you don’t mind, that is.”

“Don’t be silly. Just come on over.”

At these words, Ueda smiled brightly, the flush on his cheeks turning darker and he nodded. Ryo felt his heart clench at this adoring sight.

And with that, the both of them got up, getting ready to leave. They discarded their waste in a nearby garbage can before making a short stop at Ueda’s place so that he could get some clothes to change into and his toothbrush. Neither had expressly stated the fact that Ueda would stay overnight at Ryo’s place, but it was an unspoken agreement. Since getting together, they had always stayed with each other unless there was work to do. It was as if this was how it should always be.

Without wasting any time, they quickly made their way to Ryo’s apartment.

_______________________________________________

“This is a pretty old building,” Ueda commented as they made their way through the lobby.

“I’ve been staying here for a few years now. Ever since I debuted with NEWS,” Ryo replied distractedly as he pressed the button to call for the lift. Ueda nodded, showing that he understood. He had a duffel bag in one hand, looking around at the unfamiliar building curiously. It was late enough that they didn’t meet anyone in the lobby.

Shortly afterward, the lift came and they stepped into it. Ryo pressed the button for the 7^th floor and before they knew it, they had already arrived at their floor. Ryo stepped out of the lift, fishing for the keys in his pocket. Ueda still had his eyes everywhere, taking in the white, stone walls around him. There weren’t many rooms in one floor. Ueda counted a total of six doors before they turned a corner. There was only one single door standing by its lonesome self at that corner.

This was Ryo’s apartment.

But that wasn’t all. Right outside the door which led to Ryo’s apartment, a familiar figure stood.

“Hiroki!”

The figure whom had his head bent down as he stared at his cell phone looked up at the sound of that voice.

“Ryo-chan, there you are! I’ve been trying to get to you all night!”

Ryo was sputtering now, shock written all over his face. “What are you doing here!? You never told me you were coming to Tokyo!?!”

“Well, I tried to tell you, but you always cut me off before I get to say anything! And you’ve been ignoring my calls for awhile now!” Uchi said, pouting a little.

Ryo thought back to the call he’d declined earlier and even throughout the past few days. He did distinctly remember a few missed calls from his best friend, yes, but he hadn’t actually given them much thought. He bristled.

“Fine, so maybe I’ve been a bit busy. Still, what are you doing here? And what’s that?” Ryo had suddenly caught sight of the rather large suitcase standing beside his tall friend.

“Ah, my luggage of course. I’m on vacation here for the next few days and I’ve decided to stay with you,” Uchi replied, a bright smile on his face as he explained as-a-matter-of-factly.

“What?!” Ryo exclaimed, eyes wide in shock.

Ryo looked at Ueda, whom had gone completely still the moment he noticed Uchi standing there in front of them. Uchi too seemed to have noticed the older man’s plight.

“Ueda-kun. Long time no see. I hope you don’t mind me intruding on the both of you for the next few days,” Uchi said politely with a light bow. “I’ve heard about you and Ryo-chan. Ryo and I have been friends for as long as I can remember so it’s really a pleasure to know he’s with someone now. I’m sure the two of us will have a lot to talk about.”

Ryo’s eyes widened even more at the emphasis Uchi put in his words. He couldn’t be sure but he thought he saw a strange twinkle in Uchi’s eyes as he spoke. There was an oddly determined glint in those eyes and he was fairly certain that there was more to this visit than just a ‘vacation’ as Uchi had put it. When he realised this, his eyes narrowed, alarm bells ringing shrilly in his head. Uchi, however, didn’t take notice of this at all, his eyes stubbornly fixed on Ueda’s petrified ones. At long last, Ueda seemed to get a hold of himself and he opened his mouth to speak.

“Ah, Uchi-kun,” he nodded back. “Sure, I’d love for us to get to know each other.” Ueda smiled a little uncertainly, oblivious to Ryo’s anxiety.

“Great then!” the tall man said, smiling from ear-to-ear. Finally, Uchi turned his gaze away from Ueda and back to Ryo, a mysterious smile on his face. When he was sure Ueda wasn’t looking, he secretly winked at Ryo, confirming Ryo’s suspicions that Uchi was definitely up to something.

Ryo looked from Ueda to Uchi and then back to Ueda again. He inwardly groaned.

The next few days promised to be chaotic.

To be Continued

[Fic] It Started With A Bet: Chapter Eight (Part 2)

2009-06-05T21:29:54Z

Title: It Started With a Bet: Chapter Eight (Part 2)
Pairing: RyoDa, mentions of AKamePi, KoyaShige and perhaps others as we go along.
Disclaimer: I do not own anyone.
Warnings: Drama, Romance
Summary: Subaru and Ryo have a bet. Ryo has to date Ueda. Will he manage to? Or will genuine feelings grow in the midst of what started out as a game? This fic was inspired by a prompt from samenashi.

Chapter Eight (Part 2): Blissful Days II

Ueda blinked dumbly. Once, twice, a third time. He forced his tongue to move.

“I got what?”

“I said you got the role.”

Ueda continued to stare dumbly at his Manager for the next two minutes before Manager-san laughed and patted him on the back. “You did well, Ueda-kun,” Manager-san was saying but Ueda couldn’t reply. He was still in shock.

His manager merely chuckled. “Well, the script will be arriving in within the next few days and a meeting with the director has been scheduled some time next week. I’ll let you know as soon as the time and dates have been confirmed.” And with that, Manager-san nodded lightly before leaving the stunned man alone in the dressing room.

Minutes passed and finally, Ueda managed to get a grip on himself. With slightly trembling hands, he reached for his cell phone, dialling up the first person he thought of when the news of his first drama role finally sank in.

“Hime?” the low voice finally came from the other end.

“Ryo!” Ueda called out, his voice sounding raspy and odd.

“What’s up? Aren’t you supposed to be in a meeting with your manager?”

“I was… oh, Ryo,” Ueda said, unable to speak coherently. Taking a seat on the closest sofa, he tried to gather his thoughts before he spoke again.

“What’s wrong?” Ryo asked. “Did something happen?”

Ueda smiled a little at the hint of worry he could detect in Ryo’s voice. It was faint, but undoubtedly there. “No, nothing happened. At least, nothing bad…”

“What is it? Just say it already!” he could hear the anxiety growing in Ryo’s voice as curiosity got the better of him. He was obviously irritated at Ueda’s prolonged silence on the issue.

“I got it, Ryo.”

“Got what?”

“The drama role.”

Silence.

“You got what?”

“The drama role, Ryo.”

“You what!?!” And all of a sudden, there was a loud ‘clang’ from the other side of the line and then a sharp yelp before a ‘sorry!’ was heard and then some scuffling before Ryo’s voice returned. “You got the role?!”

“Yes I did,” Ueda couldn’t stop the large grin from splitting across his face as he replied.

“I knew it. I knew it. There was no way you could have failed since I was your tutor!”

“Yeah, yeah, thanks to you.”

“Hey, I don’t mean it like that. You did a great job.” There was a pause. “Congratulations, Hime.”

“Thanks.” At the same time, he heard another shout from Ryo’s side of the line. “Um, did I interrupt something?” Ueda asked worriedly.

“Nothing much. We were just getting ready for a photo shoot and I think I might have accidentally dropped the frying pan I was holding on Shige’s foot but no worries! Everything’s under control!”

Ueda made a face. “Okayy. I guess I should be going now, sorry for bothering you during work. I just thought… you should be the first to know.”

“I’m the first to know?”

“Yeah. I called you right away after I heard from Manager-san.”

Ryo chuckled at that, the sound of his laughter causing the edges of Ueda’s lips to twitch upwards in a smile, the hand gripping the cell phone tightened as a warm feeling slipped into his chest. “Well, I’m glad to have the honour,” Ryo replied.

“Not at all. You played a big part in getting me here anyway.”

“I suppose I did…” And there was another shout from Ryo’s end. “Oops, Pi’s getting mad at me! I have to go now. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Okay.”

And with that, he shut the phone. Clasping both hands on the small device, he stared into space, the same silly smile still on his face. That was until he heard the door to the dressing room open, and in came Kame and Jin.

“Oh? You’re here early today, Tat-chan,” Kame noted, raising a questioning eyebrow at the older man as he moved towards his dressing table and placed his bag on it.

“Yeah, Manager-san called me in early today. He wanted to discuss some things with me.”

“Discuss things? What, what? Did Tat-chan get himself in trouble?” Jin asked, making a beeline towards Ueda and plopping himself down beside the other man, a curious expression on his handsome features.

“It’s nothing like that, Akanishi.”

“Then, what is it?”

Ueda shrugged lightly and decided there wasn’t anything wrong with telling his band mates. “I got the role for the drama.”

“You what?!” Jin squealed in a high-pitched tone, causing Ueda, who unfortunately had his ear right beside Jin’s big mouth then, to wince, a hand flying up to his ear.

“Bakanishi! Don’t scream like that!”

“But, but you just said you got the role! Your first drama role!”

“Yeah, I noticed.” Ueda said with a roll of his eyes, despite the fact that he was smiling proudly.

“Good going, Tat-chan,” Kame said from where he sat on the chair in front of his dressing table, turning a smile to the copper-haired man.

“Thanks,” Ueda smiled even wider in return. He wanted to say more, but the sofa he was sitting on started to rock violently as Jin bounced excitedly beside him.

“This calls for a celebration, Tat-chan! I know! Let’s hit a bar tonight!”

“What?! I don’t want to hit a bar—”

“I won’t take no for an answer!” Jin screamed again, his voice threatening to hit notes unheard-of before. The excited man flailed his arms around before reaching for his cell phone, and before either Ueda or Kame could stop him, he was already rushing out the dressing room, bumping into Koki along the way and shouting into the rapper’s face that “Tatch got drama!” and knocking over a chair and basically wreaking havoc wherever he went.

Ueda sighed and shook his head.

“Sorry about that. He acts like that most of the time,” Kame said to Ueda, a slightly apologetic expression on his face. “But he really does mean well.”

“Yeah, I know. You don’t have to explain it to me, Kame,” Ueda replied with a soft smile.

Kame chuckled. “Well, a celebration isn’t such a bad idea though. We’ll just call a few friends, grab a few drinks and wish you all the best for your very first drama. Although since this is Jin we’re talking about… a ‘few friends’ is quite a subjective matter.”

Ueda laughed at that. “I don’t mind. I really am grateful to have the role. And I’m thankful for the support you guys have given me.”

“It’s no problem.”

Just then, there was another screech from the hall and both Kame and Ueda looked at each other.

“Uh, at this rate, he’ll scare the juniors.”

“Right. I’d better do some damage control,” Kame said as he got up and went to look for his hyperactive boyfriend. Ueda chuckled. He got up and made his way to his own dressing table, deciding to get ready for rehearsals but stopped right in front of the mirror. After some thought, he sent a text message to Ryo, telling him to expect a call from Jin inviting him to hit a bar tonight and to be careful not to put the cell phone too close to his ear for fear of punctured eardrums.

He figured Ryo just might appreciate the warning.

____________________________________________________________

“Congratulations on your drama role!” Yoko and Hina chorused, clinking their wine glasses against Ueda’s before downing it in one go.

“Thanks,” Ueda replied, a stiff smile on his face, leaning against the counter near the side of the room. For the past hour or so, he had been entertaining several of his colleagues who had turned up at the bar Jin had chosen to hold the celebration at and the smile he had to keep on his face was starting to give him muscle cramps. Jin had managed to get everyone from NEWS, Kanjani8 and KAT-TUN there, and several off-age juniors who had bothered to come. It was similar to the drinking party they’d had a few weeks back at Jin’s house.

“I knew you had it in you. It was just a matter of time before it happened!” Yoko was saying, a big grin on his face, a healthy flush already colouring his cheeks, a clear result of his alcohol intake.

Ueda laughed. “Really? Well, thanks. I didn’t expect to actually get it, but since I did, I’ll do my best.”

“Of course you’d get it! You had Ryo to tutor you, didn’t you? I happen to know about those sessions you had,” Hina said, a knowing smile quirking on his lips.

Ueda felt the heat rise in his face but kept it under wraps. He was well aware of Ryo’s presence just opposite the room, laughing about something with Pi and Jin. “I suppose so. Ryo really was a big help.”

“I’d bet he was,” Yoko said, a mischievous smile on his face. Seeing this, Hina abruptly smacked him upside the head.

“What are you thinking!?” Hina exclaimed. “You have to forgive him, Ueda-kun. He’s always like this.”

Ueda laughed. “Don’t worry about it, Murakami-kun,” he said, at the same time stepping aside when Koki and Tegoshi swaggered their way past him, having just had a drinking contest, a worried Koyama following right behind them as he fussed over the younger NEWS member. Ueda distinctly noticed Shige, who sat at a counter not too far away, glaring daggers at the trio whom had just past by him. However, he had to turn his attention back to the conversation when he heard Yokoyama speaking again.

“But you guys sure are lucky. Ryo has work with NEWS pretty often so he stays in Tokyo a lot. The rest of us are going back to Osaka tomorrow,” Yoko said sounding just the slightest bit regretful.

“Oh? Is that so?”

Hina nodded. “Yeah, we have filming for a performance tomorrow and then it’s off to Osaka for the rest of us. The tour’s over so we’ll have more jobs in Osaka than here. Ryo will be staying behind with NEWS.”

“Well, it’s a good thing for you guys anyway. More time to spend together,” Yoko said distractedly, staring at his empty glass wine. “Excuse me. I need to get more to drink,” he excused himself and headed towards the bartender a little ways down towards the middle of the long counter.

Ueda watched the older man go but turned when he felt a hand on his shoulder. “So how’s everything going with Ryo?” Hina asked. There was a kind and concerned expression on his face. It was the sort of expression you’d expect to see on a mother when she asked her daughter how things were going with her boyfriend.

“We’re doing pretty well, thanks,” Ueda replied with a smile, appreciating the other man’s concern. He’d never been particularly close with any of his Kansai counterparts so this was something new but nevertheless, very welcome.

“That’s good to hear. I was so surprised when I first heard about it, but now I think it’s a wonderful thing to happen. The both of you look happy together.”

Ueda flushed a little. He didn’t know about Ryo, but he did know that he was going around his life with a sort of happy glow around him. His band mates made it a point to tell him so at least five times a day. Per person. Was his contentment really so obvious to everyone around them?

“Thanks, Murakami-kun.” It was all he could say.

Hina laughed, noting the KAT-TUN member’s embarrassment. “You’re cute. Anyway, good luck on the drama.” He thumped Ueda’s shoulder twice before moving off to find someone else to have a chat with.

Ueda stared after the man for a few minutes, lost in thought. With a light shrug, he leaned back slowly against the side of the counter and sipped wine from the glass he had in his hand, looking around the small section of the bar where they were all assembled, and wondering what everyone else was doing.

He had to squint a little as the bar was pretty dark and loud music was blaring through the speakers but it was enough for him to make out the figures of his friends. Maru and Massu were deep in conversation at one corner of the room while Jin and Pi were now doing something suspicious at a table, gathering quite a large crowd as they spoke in hushed, excited tones. Kame and Yasu were checking out the numerous rings each of them wore around their fingers, possibly sharing fashion opinions; Hina and Yoko were now chatting up some of the younger juniors while Maruyama, Ohkura and Taguchi were at the karaoke stand, flipping through the song book as they decided on something to sing. Tegoshi and Koki were both now seated on a couch, unable to walk in a straight line anymore as Koyama fussed over them.

Ueda watched in amusement as right at that moment, Shige suddenly appeared behind Koyama and pulled at his ear, just as the older NEWS member had been trying to help Tegoshi down a glass of water. No doubt Shige had been drinking quite a bit to actually do that in public, alcohol obviously lowered his inhibitions, not to mention amplifying his jealousy. He continued watching as Koyama started yelping in pain and Shige let go, only to stomp off angrily. Koyama stood up in a hurry, torn between chasing his boyfriend, and taking care of his two drunk charges. At that moment, Nakamaru and Massu, who like Ueda had apparently seen what had happened, hurried over to aid the distressed man. Nakamaru said something to Koyama before the oldest NEWS member nodded and sped off after Shige while Nakamaru and Massu took over Koyama’s task of helping out the two dead drunks. Ueda couldn’t help chuckling slightly, perhaps a little sadistically, to himself at what he had just witnessed. All in all, everyone was having a pretty good time, news of Ueda’s drama role giving them a good excuse to chill and have fun.

It was then he realised. He hadn’t seen his boyfriend in the huge crowd of people. He had scanned the whole room and yet, he hadn’t seen a certain dark-haired man.

Just as he thought that, a warm hand landed on his shoulder. Ueda turned.

“Ryo!” a smile immediately lit his features when he realised the hand on his shoulder belonged to his boyfriend.

Ryo nodded. “Hey, you. Jin gathered quite a big crowd, didn’t he?” the Osakan nudged his head towards the large group of Johnny’s congregated at the bar, chatting and laughing away.

“Well, it is Akanishi. Everything he does is flashy.”

“Guess so. It’s a miracle that he actually had the foresight to book this whole section of the bar though,” Ryo gestured at the small, closed-off section where they were all at with the half-drunk bottle of beer he held. “Or else, we’d definitely be attracting attention.”

“True,” Ueda chuckled. “We need to give him credit for that.”

“Yeah, for once he actually proves he has a brain.” The two of them fell into laughter.

Just then, a barely distinguishable ringing sound was heard over the noise of the crowd, interrupting them. They both turned to Ryo’s pocket where the sound was coming from. Ryo fumbled for the small contraption. Ueda turned away to allow the other privacy when suddenly, there was another voice from behind him.

“Congrats, Ueda,” Subaru said suddenly from beside him in a flat voice. “I haven’t wished you luck yet tonight, so good luck.”

“Ah, Subaru-kun,” Ueda said, a little taken aback at being talked to suddenly. He bowed politely. Subaru was still senpai to him after all. “Thank you.”

“Not at all,” Subaru said in that same emotionless voice before he turned a blank expression at Ryo. “I hope the two of you are enjoying yourselves.”

“Yeah, we are,” Ryo replied, the cell phone in his hands still ringing away. Ryo briefly glanced at the caller ID, noting that it was Uchi calling. But now wasn’t the right time to answer it. He shut his phone off, pocketing it again and turned back to Subaru with a passive look.

“Huh? Ryo, is it okay to turn off your phone like that?” Ueda asked when he realised that Ryo had declined the call. What if it had been about work?

“No, its fine. It’s not really an important call,” Ryo assured.

“But…”

“That’s right, Ryo. Is it alright that you didn’t answer it? What if it was about work?” Subaru drawled, inserting himself into the conversation.

“I’ve already said it’s not important. It’s not about work,” Ryo insisted, his expression hardening as he stared back at Subaru’s careless gaze.

“Are you sure? It won’t do to lie, Ryo,” Subaru went on.

At these words, Ryo’s eyes widened. Almost immediately, he narrowed his eyes in warning at the other. Was Subaru trying to break the rules?

Ueda looked at the two Osakans, a confused expression on his face. Was it his imagination or was there something going on between the two? Ueda was fairly certain there was some sort of tense atmosphere hanging tangibly in the air. But then again, as far as he knew, Ryo and his band mates had always been on excellent terms. He wondered if perhaps he was just being over-sensitive.

“Anyway, I wish you both the best,” Subaru finally broke the silence with a cool voice. He glanced at Ryo for a moment before turning to stare at Ueda with an unreadable expression, his calculating eyes gazing deep into Ueda’s confused ones. Finally, with a nod of his head, he left the two to join Hina and Yoko.

Ueda blinked at the other’s back before turning his gaze on Ryo. His boyfriend still had that same stony expression when Subaru had turned up.

“Ryo, is something wrong?” Ueda asked curiously.

“Huh? Oh, nothing at all,” Ryo answered quickly when he realized Ueda was staring at him.

“I see. If you say so,” Ueda shrugged. He didn’t know what was going on, but he didn’t think it was right for him to pry into Ryo’s personal business. Especially if he wasn’t ready to share it. If Ryo didn’t want to talk about it, then he wouldn’t probe either. Despite being together now, it didn’t mean Ryo had to tell him everything. And so, he decided not to ask anything else, respecting Ryo’s choices.

“Anyway, I thought we agreed to celebrate alone after the last time at the yakiniku place,” Ryo said suddenly, changing the subject. Despite the obvious effort, Ueda was glad to go along with it.

“Ah, well. I didn’t mean to hold something like this either. It was Akanishi’s idea. And you know how he’s like when he’s set on something. I couldn’t stop him.”

“Hmm, I suppose so… Honestly, it was a good thing I got your text earlier today. I had the phone 3 feet away from my ear and yet I could still hear him.”

Ueda laughed. “Glad you found it of use.”

“Yeah,” Ryo returned the smile Ueda gave him, some of the stress from meeting Subaru leaving him. He abruptly pushed the thought of Subaru out of his mind before he got himself annoyed again.

Ueda was relieved when he saw some of the tenseness leave Ryo’s body as he loosened up. The boxer didn’t know what was going on between Ryo and his band mates, but he was more than happy if he could help relieve whatever burden his boyfriend was carrying.

Suddenly, the sounds of traditional Japanese instruments filled the air, followed soon after by the voice of someone singing. It seemed like Junno had finally settled on something from the karaoke list and was beginning to sing a high-pitched enka song, earning many groans from people all around the room. Ryo, himself, twitched when Junno’s voice cracked on a note much too high for him.

“Ugh, Junno. He’s still as clueless as ever,” Ueda commented, a sort of grimace on his face as he watched his band mate continue singing, oblivious to the uncomfortable atmosphere around him. His grimace turned into an amused look however when the drunk and irritable Koki escaped from Nakamaru’s care and made his way to Junno’s side, trying to grab the mic out of his hands.

“I’d say. You know what? How about if we leave this place and have our own little celebration? Just the two of us?” Ryo asked, turning away from the bickering men at the karaoke area, the sounds of Junno’s out-of-tune singing now replaced by Koki’s slurred ones echoing around the room through the mic saying, ‘You sound like a cow giving birth!’

“Just the two of us?” Ueda asked, turning to Ryo in mild surprise.

“Yeah. We promised we’d do it together the last time, didn’t we? Let’s leave this place!”

There was an eager look on Ryo’s face that Ueda was finding hard to say no to. But still, this celebration had been arranged by Jin for him. He couldn’t just leave like that.

“But… Akanishi went through all the trouble to call everyone out for me. I can’t just go…”

“It’ll be fine! I’m sure no one will mind. Look, if it makes you feel better, we’ll go around and thank everyone for coming. We can have a last drink with them before we go. How’s that sound?”

Ueda thought about it for a moment. He supposed it was alright, everyone looked like they were having fun on their own anyway, and he did really want to go with Ryo. Deep inside, he felt the small sparks of excitement and anticipation already beginning to crackle within him. Finally, he nodded. “Okay then.”

Ryo’s answering grin made him glad he agreed.

And so, the both of them went around thanking everyone for coming and sharing one last toast with each group they visited. The last group they said goodbye to, was the table Jin, Pi and Kame were at, along with several other people. And just like Ryo had said, they didn’t mind the fact that Ueda and Ryo were leaving early together. In fact, no one had minded at all, giving the couple a knowing look before waving them goodbye with cheerful smiles.

“Don’t overdo it tonight, okay?” Jin said cheekily, earning catcalls from the group surrounding them.

“Shut up!” Ryo replied, sticking out his tongue oh-so-maturely to his friend. And with that, he and Ueda left the bar together, amidst hoots and laughter.

___________________________________________________

Part 3

[Fic] It Started With A Bet: Chapter Eight (Part 1)

2009-06-05T21:26:44Z

Title: It Started With a Bet: Chapter Eight (Part 1)
Pairing: RyoDa, mentions of AKamePi, KoyaShige and perhaps others as we go along.
Disclaimer: I do not own anyone.
Warnings: Drama, Romance
Summary: Subaru and Ryo have a bet. Ryo has to date Ueda. Will he manage to? Or will genuine feelings grow in the midst of what started out as a game? This fic was inspired by a prompt from samenashi.

A/N Thank you to shuling89 for the beta. Dedicated to gaillen.

Chapter Eight (Part 1): Blissful Days II

“So you mean to say the two of you are officially dating now?” came the worried voice of Uchi Hiroki through the line.

“Yeah, we started a little more than a week ago,” Ryo replied distractedly, struggling to pack his bottle of water into his bag with one hand as he had the other on his cell phone. It was pretty late in the evening and he was leaning against the wall in the corridors of the jimusho, waiting for a certain someone, namely his boyfriend of about one week. “I’m waiting for him right now. We’re going to go back to his place for some movies after he’s done with work.”

A long sigh was heard from the other end of the line. “Ryo… Don’t you think this is more than enough?”

“What do you mean?” Ryo replied, still distracted with his personal task, the zip of the bag had gotten caught and was refusing to be zipped up properly. He frowned and tugged at it a couple of times.

“This! Your relationship with Ueda-kun! You said it was for that bet with Subaru, wasn’t it? How long more are you going to drag out this ridiculous affair?”

“The bet was supposed to end a week ago,” Ryo replied, satisfied when the zip finally went through. Now he could concentrate on talking to Uchi. “But there’s been a slight change of plans. We decided to extend the bet for another month. At the end of one month, if I’m still with the princess, it means I win and Subaru’s gonna have to suck it up to me.”

Ryo could hear several loud thuds, signalling that Uchi had just hit his head on something in exasperation, followed by mutters of ‘one more month’ and ‘idiotic’ and ‘bad idea’ filtering in through the line before there was a shuffle and Uchi’s voice returned. “You realize it’s not going to be that easy, right?”

“Why not? I’m already halfway there and everything’s been smooth so far. The princess and I are spending loads of time together.”

“And exactly what do you plan to do when that one month is up?” Uchi asked in an are-you-stupid tone. At this question, Ryo was stunned into silence. What did he plan to do when the month was up?

“Well,” Ryo began, frowning. “I was planning on winning the bet—”

“I’m not talking about the bet, Ryo. What about you and Ueda-kun?” Uchi cut in. “You’re really just going to break it off with him like that?”

Ryo paused a little, before he spoke hesitantly. “Well, that was the plan…”

Uchi sighed again like an old man who had lived more than half his life and was exasperated at the foolishness of the younger generation. “I know I’ve said this before, Ryo, but I really think this is a very bad idea. Not only are you playing with Ueda-kun’s feelings, you’re making a fool out of everyone who doesn’t know the real story. And that includes practically all our friends.”

“They don’t have to know that I lied to them. I’ll just break it off with Princess and say I… I made a mistake or something. No one will be the wiser,” Ryo said, conveniently ignoring the part about Ueda’s feelings. Whilst before he never would have given a second thought about how Ueda would feel if he found out the truth, things were a little… different now. At the back of his mind, he semi-consciously wondered what exactly was so different.

“Right. So you’re covering up everything. No one will know and you get away scot-free. But that doesn’t solve your problem with Ueda-kun.”

“Oh, come on,” Ryo said, getting defensive. “It’s really no big deal. He’s a grown-up man. Whatever happens in the end, he’ll get over it. This one month won’t change anything. In no time, he’ll forget all about me and then there won’t be any problems.”

“Yeah sure, there aren’t any problems other than the fact that you’re just going ahead and toying with his feelings like it means nothing.”

“He’ll get over it,” Ryo insisted. “I know he’ll get over it.”

Uchi sighed again. “Why are you being so stubborn about this, Ryo?”

“Why are you being so uptight?” Ryo countered. “It’s just a small matter but you’re blowing it all out of proportion.”

“I am not blowing it out of proportion. I’m concerned! I just don’t think this is going to be as simple as you’re making it sound. Someone’s heart isn’t just a play-thing that you can just choose to pick up and then throw away when you feel like it!”

“You make it sound like I’m abusing him or something.”

“You are!”

“Hey! I’ll have you know he’s very happy being with me right now! I stay over at his place most of the time and he’s more than pleased to have me there! I fulfil his needs both physically and mentally and I assure you he appreciates the company.”

There was a stunned pause from the other end of the line.

“You’re what?” Uchi asked blankly. “Ryo, you stay over at his place? You’re fulfilling his… his physical needs…?”

“Yeah, I am,” Ryo answered arrogantly before he realized what Uchi was implying. “Wait, don’t get me wrong! We haven’t done anything like that yet. Just… kissing and… sharing a bed. Yeah.”

Another pause.

“Ryo,” Uchi began in a carefully controlled voice. “Don’t you… don’t you think you’re taking this a little too seriously?”

“Taking what too seriously?”

“This… this thing of yours with Ueda-kun. You say it’s for the bet but don’t you… don’t you think you’re doing a bit more than you really need to?”

Ryo frowned. “What are you talking about?”

“I mean, you actually sleep with him. On the same bed. And you do… other things as well, even if you don’t actually do that. Don’t you think you’re starting to—”

“What are you trying to say, Hiro?!” Ryo cut in suddenly, a hint of annoyance evident in his voice. “What’s it to you anyway? Does it really matter what I do with him? Since I’m already in this I may as well reap the benefits too!”

“B-benefits?!”

“The princess isn’t much but at least he’s hot!”

“What?!” Uchi exclaimed incredulously. “Ryo, you used to call him a freak!”

“Yeah? Well, he’s a hot freak then! Anyway, that’s not the point! The point is he’s happy being in this relationship right now, irregardless of what happens later, so you should just stop getting yourself worked up!” Ryo said everything in a rush, leaving him breathing heavily by the time he was done with his outburst.

Uchi was shocked into silence for awhile before he began speaking slowly as if he thought he needed to ease back into the conversation lest Ryo started going ballistic. “Okay, Ryo, calm down. If that’s how you feel… then I’m not going to say anything anymore. But I have to point out that you’re treading on dangerous waters here. Someone could get really hurt. It’s easy for you to say now that everything will go well when the end comes and you’ll both just go back to your normal lives but when it actually happens… well, you just never know.”

“Don’t fret,” Ryo said, brushing the younger one off. He knew he was purposely dodging a very vital point that Uchi was trying to draw attention to, something he sub-consciously realised he’d been avoiding for awhile now, but he really didn’t want to think about it. How Ueda felt hadn’t been a factor when he had first agreed to the bet so why should it be one right now? This conversation was tiring him out physically and emotionally, and he was eager to get off the topic. “Seriously, I know what I’m doing.”

“I really hope you do.”

“Yeah, I do.”

Uchi paused yet again as the two best friends fell into silence. Until, suddenly, Uchi remembered something. “Oh yeah, Ryo! I’ve completely forgotten the reason I called in the first place. There’s something I need to discuss with you.”

“Mmhmm,” Ryo murmured, glad that Uchi was finished talking about Ueda when at that very moment, the sound of a door opening came from further down the corridor. No sooner had it opened, out came the person he had been waiting for.

Immediately, Ryo waved a hand to catch the other’s attention. Ueda caught sight of him and smiled, heading towards the Osakan. However, Uchi was still speaking on the line.

“I was going to tell you I—” Uchi was saying but Ryo cut him off.

“Hey, look, Hiro. I gotta go. I’ll talk to you another time, okay?”

“What? Ryo, wait—!” But Ryo didn’t give him time to talk and instead, cut the line off and shut his cell phone, pocketing it just as Ueda came to a stop in front of him.

“Hey, sorry about that,” Ueda said apologetically. “I got held up longer than I had expected.”

“No, it’s fine. I just got off the phone anyway. Should we go?”

“Yeah.” And with that, the two of them made their way out of the building and into Ryo’s car. They were seated comfortably in the vehicle when Ueda spoke next. “So, movies at my place again tonight?”

“Yeah, I’ve already grabbed some stuff for us to snack on later during lunch break.”

“Great!” Ueda smiled brightly and leaned in to plant a short kiss on Ryo’s cheek before settling in his seat and waiting for Ryo to start the engine. Ryo blinked at Ueda’s sudden action but shortly after felt pleased with himself. He turned to the wheel, starting the car up, a comfortable silence falling upon them.

When Ryo hit the first red light, he stole a glance at the silent Ueda who looked perfectly relaxed and happy as he stared out the window, watching the world go by from behind the glass. Seeing the unguarded expression on the princess’s face, Uchi’s words flew up cruelly in his mind and the initial cheer on the Osakan’s face darkened.

He will get over it. I’ll just have to drag this on for another month and once everything is over, I’ll tell him I’ve had a change of heart and we’ll call it quits. No one other than Subaru, Uchi and I will know what really happened. The princess can go back to being the weirdo he is, and I can go back to being the sexy man I am. No harm done, I win the bet and enjoy the spoils. A perfect ending.

However, despite having a seemingly flawless plan, Ryo couldn’t get himself to feel happy or smug or anything of that sort as the light turned blue and he released the brakes, moving the car again. Instead, a deep frown marred his features as he continued on his way to Ueda’s apartment, a grim expression painting his face.

___________________________________________________

Ryo watched from out of the corner of his eye as Ueda sat at his seat, eyes fixed on the screen in front of them. For some reason, they had agreed to watch the latest horror movie everyone’s been talking about. They had turned off all the lights, engulfing themselves in the darkness of Ueda’s living room, the only sounds breaking the silence of the night being the eerie sound effects from the movie itself.

However, despite watching supposedly the scariest movie of the year, Ryo was less interested in the movie and more distracted by his own musings. His talk with Uchi had affected him deeply and trivial things which he had never bothered to think about, or rather had been purposely ignored, were playing around in his mind as echoes of the earlier conversation bounced around in his head. He was confused, emotions conflicting in him and all of them centred on the person currently seated next to him. He vaguely noticed that his focus on the bet was beginning to slip and instead replaced by a genuine desire to enjoy his time with Ueda. He wondered when exactly that had happened but came up with no answers.

He sighed heavily, frustration building up again. He really had to stop thinking about this. It was starting to wear him out. All that mattered right now was that he got through this one month. He’d worry about the end later.

Just then, he felt the sofa he was sitting on tremble. He blinked in confusion for a little while before realizing that the source of the problem originated from the person sharing the sofa with him. Ryo turned to stare at the copper-haired man, who still had his eyes fixed on the television, hands clutching tightly to a pillow held against his chest, legs folded up on the sofa as if trying to keep all of his limbs as close to himself as possible. What stuck out the most was that the older man was positively shaking in fear.

Seeing this, Ryo couldn’t help the twitch of his lips, fighting hard against the laughter which threatened to spill, all thoughts which had previously been bothering him vanishing instantly.

“Are you okay?” Ryo asked in as straight a voice as he could muster, trying not to let his amusement show.

Ueda started a little when Ryo spoke. He threw a furtive look at the Osakan before training his eyes back on the screen. “Yeah, I’m fine,” came the carefully controlled reply. Ryo raised an eyebrow at Ueda’s attempt to act strong.

Just then, there was a snapping sound and then a bloodcurdling scream filled the air. Instantly, Ryo felt the man beside him tense up, his hands clutching tighter at the pillow and his eyes widen in unmistakable fear. That was when Ryo thought he’d seen enough.

Wordlessly, he slung an arm around the older man’s rigid shoulders and forcefully pulled him to his chest, holding the tense body against himself.

For a second, the copper-haired-man froze, his body positioned awkwardly as his back pressed against Ryo’s front. Inside, his heart was beating a hundred miles a minute, partly because of the movie and partly because of the sudden proximity to Ryo. Alright, so maybe he had been stubborn and hadn’t wanted to admit that horror movies still scared him. He should have objected when Ryo carelessly picked out the one and only horror movie he owned, something Jin had blackmailed him into buying but Ueda had never worked up the guts to actually watch, but nooo he didn’t because of his stupid pride. Well, where’s his pride now? All down the drain as Ryo saw through his everything and all he could do was to lay completely still and vulnerable in the younger man’s arms.

When another full minute passed and Ueda realized that the Osakan wasn’t going to say anything, he relaxed into the warmth encircling him. He took a peek out of the corner of his eye to see Ryo watching the movie intently. And so, Ueda adjusted his position to fit himself better against the other’s body and turned his gaze back to the movie. Somehow, being held by Ryo made him feel safe, and he didn’t feel quite so scared anymore, as ridiculously cheesy as it sounded.

Ryo stole a glance at the head of copper below his chin when the older man stopped fidgeting. It seemed Ueda had finally settled down, all traces of his earlier tenseness gone. Ryo smiled to himself, and wrapped the arm curled around the other man’s waist tighter. Just having Ueda close gave him a strange sense of calmness. As he thought this, a soft, nagging voice started prickling at the edge of his senses again but Ryo determinedly stamped it out. He didn’t want to think about anything anymore tonight. He just wanted to enjoy this time with Tatsuya, for now.

And that was what he did.

___________________________________________________

For the third time that afternoon, Ryo eyed warily yet another dodgy old man walking his dog and paving a path across the stone pavement lined precisely in a perfect oval shape around the park. On the opposite side of the bank where Ryo currently laid, several children were playing in the playground erected there as shouts of excitement filled the air; a few feet away from him, two women with baby-strollers were seated on a bench as they shared the latest neighbourhood gossip, their little ones slumbering peacefully in their prams. And right in the middle of it all was the lake, its water calm and clear, giving off a sense of serenity.

It was late in the afternoon, and Ryo had only just gotten off work before coming straight over to Ueda’s place. He had expected to be greeted with a warm mug of hot chocolate since the days had been growing colder and he really would have appreciated a warm drink to warm him up, and perhaps even a chance for some shut eye. However, as soon as Ryo had arrived and without so much as an ‘okaeri’, Ueda was already pulling him back out of his apartment and out to the lake located just a block away.

Ryo eyed Ueda who sat facing the lake, legs stretched out in front of him. The brown-haired man was deeply absorbed in writing some lyrics in an old and worn-out notebook he held in one hand, the other holding a pencil as he tapped it against his knee, eyes fixed to the page in front of him and seemingly oblivious to everything outside his little bubble-world as he pondered on his latest heart-breaking love song.

The man with the dark-hair sighed and turned back to his magazine. He was lying flat on his back on the slightly slanted bank, a random magazine held out in front of his face as he mindlessly flipped through the pages, trying to pass time. It was the only thing he had managed to grab from the table in Ueda’s living room before he got dragged out.

“What’s wrong?” Ueda’s voice questioned him suddenly. Ryo turned to see Ueda staring straight at him, an amused look on his face.

“Nothing. Why’d you ask?”

“Well,” Ueda shrugged. “You just look a little… angry.”

Ryo raised an eyebrow. Closing his magazine, he raised himself into a sitting position. “I’m not angry. A little… bored maybe, but definitely not angry. It’s just… why do we have to be here? Can’t you do that at home?” Ryo asked, pointing at the notebook.

“I like it here. It’s calm,” Ueda replied nonchalantly.

“Calm?” Ryo pointed at the general direction of the playground where a young girl screamed at that exact moment, emphasizing the Osakan’s point.

Ueda laughed. “That’s just background noise.”

“To you, maybe,” Ryo said, unable to conceal a frown as yet another wail filled the air from the group of children.

“Oh, don’t be such a grouch. You should stay outdoors a little and get some air, you know, get in touch with nature and that kind of thing. It’s good for you.”

Before Ryo managed to work out his protest, a sudden ringing interrupted them. It was Ueda’s cell phone. Pulling the yellow contraption out of his jacket pocket, he answered it. Ryo picked up his magazine and flipped through it again, not really listening to Ueda’s call.

When Ueda was done talking and had shut his phone, he spoke up in a mildly interested voice, eyes still trained on the magazine.

“Who was it?”

“Hm? Oh, it was Manager-san.”

“What did he want?”

“He wanted me to come in earlier tomorrow. Says there’s something we need to discuss.”

“Just you or all of KAT-TUN?”

“I don’t know. Just me, maybe.”

At this, Ryo frowned. He took his eyes off the magazine and leaned in a little closer to the older man. “What do you think it’s about?”

Ueda laughed. “Are you interrogating me? I really don’t know. It could be anything from schedule changes to complaints about my hair. It’s really not that unusual to get called in early, you know.”

“I guess,” Ryo finally said grudgingly. Without saying anything more, he turned away with a sigh and stared blankly across at the lake, his hands holding the magazine limply in his lap.

Ueda watched the other, a slight crease on his forehead. The two of them had only recently started spending time together and there were times Ueda just felt that the younger man was out of reach. There were instances when he just couldn’t understand what the other was thinking, try as his might, and this happened to be one of those times. He sighed and closed the lyric book.

“Do you want to go back?” the boxer asked.

Ryo looked back at him with a start, as if surprised by the sudden question. “What?”

“We can go back now if you want,” Ueda repeated. “I can tell you don’t share the same feelings I do for this place.”

Ryo was quiet for awhile before he opened his mouth again. “No, I guess I don’t.” An honest reply.

Ueda merely laughed. With a shake of his head, he pulled the Osakan up and back towards the direction of the apartment. As they headed out of the greeneries and back to the main road, Ueda turned to Ryo as they walked side-by-side on the pedestrian road.

“You should have told me straight out if you didn’t like being there.”

“How was I supposed to? You looked pretty happy, not to mention you didn’t bother looking at me at all the moment you started writing those lyrics of yours.”

“Sorry, I tend to get caught up,” Ueda replied sheepishly and turning his gaze to the ground. His next words however, came out softer and a lot more hesitant. “But seriously, you have to tell me when you don’t like something. We… we don’t know each other very well yet, so I can’t tell what you’re thinking all the time. I’d like it if you could… tell me what you’re thinking. So that we can learn about each other.” The last few words were so soft they were almost inaudible and his head was bowed low.

Ryo could only blink in surprise at Ueda’s bold words, stopping in his tracks. When Ryo stopped, Ueda did too, but he didn’t look up. For a while, neither of them said anything, a tense silence enveloping them. And then, a grin slowly appeared on Ryo’s face. Without saying a word, he grabbed at one of Ueda’s hands, lacing their fingers together.

Surprised at the sudden action, Ueda looked up at the Osakan, eyes questioning. “Ryo?”

Ryo continued grinning. “Sure. I’ll tell you whatever you want to know about me.” He added a mischievous wink as he said this.

“What?” Ueda looked confused for a moment. That was until Ryo started waggling his eyebrows suggestively at him, making the boxer turn red and he sputtered. “I-Idiot! I was being serious!”

Ryo laughed; giving the hand he held in his a gentle squeeze to appease the other aggravated man. He then tucked their joined hands together into his jacket pocket so that prying eyes wouldn’t see it. He loved how Ueda was sometimes shy, sometimes fiery. Even back when they were still at each other’s throats, Ryo had found Ueda’s heated response in their fights intriguing and even now, that fire still remained. He realised now that the fire Ueda had was a reflection of a part of his soul. And for some reason, Ryo had always been captivated by it.

They stayed close to each other as they walked, their hidden hands joined while the other held on to their magazine and notebook respectively. A comfortable silence had replaced the tense one earlier as Ryo led Ueda back to his apartment.

Ueda stole a glance at Ryo’s side profile as they walked. Seeing the relaxed expression on the dark-haired man’s face, he smiled a gentle smile. He didn’t know for sure when it changed, but Ryo’s words had slowly changed from malicious insults to nothing more than sweet teases. It was only a small difference, but to Ueda, it was everything and more.

That’s right. From now on, we’ll learn more and more about each other.

Feeling giddy at the thought, Ueda tightened his grip on Ryo’s hand in the Osakan’s jacket pocket, pressing himself snugly against the other as they made their way back to the apartment.

“Hmm, why don’t I cook dinner for us tonight?” Ryo suddenly suggested.

“Dinner?” Ueda blinked.

“Yeah, how about nabe? I don’t look it, but I’m a pretty good cook.” Ryo smiled, turning to face the other. “Or at least, I’ve got to be better than yo— OWW, HEY!”

Ueda turned away innocently, removing the elbow he had used to jab Ryo’s side not-so-gently. And here he had only just thought that Ryo’s mouth wasn’t as annoying as before. He had completely forgotten about the Osakan’s ego. Ueda shook his head slightly before replying, “Nabe sounds good.”

“I’m so adding shrimps in your food,” Ryo whispered under his breath, pouting as he rubbed at his injury with his now-free hand, Ueda having retracted his from the jacket pocket.

“I heard that!”

They squabbled playfully the rest of the way home.

_____________________________________________________

Part 2