Orange Moon

by Barbara Sheridan

  Chapter Ten

  “Damn,” Toru said when Jun’s wife came to pick them up at the airport following ChildsPrey’s mini-tour of fan club member-only concerts.

  “It’s like they sprung up over night,” Rumiko said following Toru’s gaze to the huge cell phone advertisement featuring Hideki. “I saw a couple on the side of trains, too, and he’s been on the cover of Pop almost every week this past month.”

  Toru nodded and stopped by a magazine vendor after seeing Hideki’s smiling face displayed on three different idol magazines. He picked them all up, intending to look at them once he was home. Alone.

  Then he followed Rumiko and Jun out of the terminal.

  Looking at the magazines, Toru was glad to see that no apparent harm had been done to Hideki’s career. That girl Ayumi’s father had managed to keep Hideki in favor with the public with many mentions in his magazine. Toru was happy for the younger man.

  Why he personally felt like shit didn’t matter.

  He tossed the magazines on the coffee table and went to the kitchen to help himself to another glass of wine. When the bottle was empty, but the ache in his heart hurt just as badly, he went back to the living room and cracked open the liquor cabinet. Taking a bottle of whiskey over to the sofa with him, he swallowed a mouthful of the drink and enjoyed the way it burned his tongue and throat on the way down.

  One of the magazines slipped off the tabletop, and he reached over to grab it. It was one of the tabloids he hadn’t been able to look over before -- seeing Hideki’s smiling face everywhere else had become too painful.

  Slowly, he read the caption below the photo of Hideki on the cover, each word hitting him harder than the last. Hideki Sakae -- Getting Married! Pop Idol and Socialite Princess Ayumi Harada to Have Dream Wedding in June. He wished to God now he hadn’t seen it at all.

  * * * * *

  “What bullshit is this?”

  The flight attendant rushed down the aisle and nervously looked at Hideki and his friend, Sato, who were staring at a laptop screen. “Is there a problem?”

  “Not really. I’m sorry. Excuse me.” Hideki took the laptop, got out of his seat and strode up to the front of the first class section where his manager and the head of Nippon Entertainment sat. “What is this shit about me and Ayumi?”

  “Excuse me, sir, but I must ask that you go back to your assigned seat.”

  Hideki waved the attendant off and pointed to the laptop screen. “I want an answer.”

  “It’s all right, miss. Please give us a few moments,” Ikeda said.

  “Obviously nothing is final until you ask the girl, which we recommend you do. However, we feel this is best for you and especially for SundayEveryday in light of the songs you’ve been proposing for the group.”

  Nippon CEO Shinichi Kutani stared at Hideki. The man’s look grazed over every inch of Hideki’s body before slowly returning to meet the young man’s eyes. Hideki shifted uncomfortably under the almost lascivious gaze, his mind recalling all the stories he’d heard of Kutani’s varied ... tastes.

  “The songs are good.” Kutani’s voice slithered past his lips. “We want to be able to use them, but if there is no woman publicly in your life to have inspired these love songs, then people will make the wrong assumptions about you.”

  “And what assumptions would those be?”

  “I think we all know,” Ikeda said. “We realize that such things are not as scandalous as they once were, and yet with your fan base comprised mainly of high school girls and young women, it’s best to keep up appearances, especially over something that is clearly in the past.”

  “Where the hell do you get off!” Hideki fumed. Something that is clearly in the past ... They were talking about Toru, holding their aborted affair over his head like it was something they could push him around with.

  “Calm down, Hideki-kun,” Ikeda said gently. “These have been a few strange weeks for you, I understand.”

  “No, you don’t,” Hideki snarled. “The only thing any of you give a rat’s ass about is whether or not SundayEveryday slips off the charts.”

  “That’s not true,” Ikeda insisted. “You’re like a son to me.”

  “Please, don’t pamper his ego.” Kutani sipped at a drink the stewardess brought him. “That is the most important thing to us -- the well-being of the band.” The man glanced at Hideki, his eyes narrowed in disapproval.

  “You’re a very talented young man, Sakae, but business is business,” Kutani hissed. “Be as problematic as you like, but understand that there are thousands of kids in the country with just as much talent willing to work their asses off for the chance you already have. The public is a fickle monster -- one moment you’re a star, the next you’re cleaning out the back lots in studios just to make the rent.”

  “So what are you saying?” Hideki asked, his voice hoarse with anger.

  “You’re replaceable,” Kutani said with a sneer.

  * * * * *

  “I’m worried about To-chan, Jun. Sasao is, too. He won’t return her calls, and she can’t go see him because she’s on location in Hokkaido.”

  “He’s a big boy, okay? He’s been through worse,” Jun said as he rifled through the sheet music on his desk, looking for a particular piece.

  “I think you need new contacts.” Rumiko pointed to the paper in his free hand. With a frown, he looked at it and stuffed it into the messenger bag on his chair. “Look at this,” Rumiko said, picking up one of the lyric sheets Jun had brought home the previous day. “These words scare me. This sounds like a man who has nothing to live for.”

  “The darkness creeps

  “My eyes go dim

  “My heart torn out

  “The beast rises within

  “Too powerful to stop

  “Let it take me away

  “The darkness creeps

  “The red blood seeps”

  “The album is being called Danse Macabre. It fits the theme, same as mine do.”

  “But you always write that dark and scary stuff. To-chan hardly ever does. Just talk to him. Be his friend.”

  Jun sighed and kissed his wife’s forehead. “I’m headed over to have lunch with the band and our manager. I’ll talk to him, I promise.”

  * * * * *

  The restaurant was rather dark, and yet, Toru kept his sunglasses on as he plopped into the chair and slumped down. He immediately asked the waiter to bring him a bottle of sake.

  “Another hangover to try and ease?” their vocalist, Imai, asked in a very pissy tone.

  Toru answered with one finger.

  “Save some of that for your foreign fans, Toru.” Their manager clasped his hands together eagerly. “Those are just the kind of stage theatrics they want.”

  “What the fuck are you talking about?” Toru said dryly. “We just finished a Germany tour earlier this year.”

  “And now you boys are hitting America.”

  “No shit!” Jun exclaimed above the excited murmurs of the other band members. Most of the others, anyway. Toru sat in silence, sipping at the sake and looking for all the world like he didn’t give a fuck. Probably because he didn’t. Shit ... Kyoru noticed it, too, and gave Jun a worried glance.

  Oblivious, or just not caring, their manager rambled on. “We’ve been talking about how your fan base in the United States just keeps getting bigger and bigger. There’s a huge buzz about you boys over there on all these music message boards. The group Revolutionize was supposed to be the guest of honor at Anime Expose West in California this year, but pulled out when their lead singer fell off his dirt bike at a race last week.

  “This convention is big shit over there, guys -- the largest one in the States with over fifty thousand attendees.” Their manager grinned. “And they asked for you to perform in Revolutionize’s place.”

  “Fuckin’ yeah!” Imai shouted. “We’ll do it!”

  “I’m not going,” Toru said hoarsely.

  “What?” The manager’s eyes looke
d like they were going to fall right out of his head. The whole table fell silent.

  “This last tour did it for me.” Toru pushed away from the table. “I’m calling it quits.”

  He turned to leave, and Jun dashed after him.

  “Toru, wait!” Jun grabbed his forearm. “You’re messed up now -- I get that. But your music means everything to you. You can’t walk away just because of some dumb-ass kid.”

  “Shut up, Jun.” Toru pulled away. “You’ve got your wife and a baby on the way. You have the people you love closest to you, so you really don’t ‘get’ anything.”

  “I ‘get’ that we need to broaden our audience. Compared to US bands, we make shit, and I’m not the only one with an extra mouth to feed soon. If you won’t think about yourself, think about Koji. His dad left a crapload of debt and medical bills, and he has a mom and four sisters to support now. Sisters who are in or getting ready for college.”

  Toru looked over at his friends, who were all looking back at him. Imai had some serious bills in his life as well, and Kyoru had just sunk a fortune into that clothing business that wasn’t going as well as he’d hoped. He went back to the table and dropped into the seat. Kyoru poured him another drink.

  “I don’t know. I think To-chan may have a point. I mean we’re headliners here. We played the main stage at Rock am Ring in Germany. Personally, I think this anime convention thing is beneath us.”

  “Well, in a way, I agree,” Koji said. “But we’re not that well known over there, right? We just signed with that indie label there to put out our last album.”

  “Which is why you boys need to do this,” their manager said. “If you get a big crowd -- which you will -- they’ll release it sooner and license your past work, too. Then we can see about a solo US tour.

  “It’s in Los Angeles. The convention headliner is playing at a pretty sizable theater. I can touch base with Ryuhei Nakamura and see if he can get some American industry folk to take a look.”

  Imai smacked his hand on the table excitedly. “This is going to kick ass!” he said. “If we can break into the US we’re set, man.”

  “Yeah, but you boys have to keep out of trouble.” The manager, Higuchi gave Toru a pointed look. “No scandals, no accidents -- nothing.”

  Jun jumped in before Imai could open his mouth. “We know the drill, Higuchi-san.” He reached over and shook the manager’s hand. “No one here is going to get mixed up in any shit. I’ll keep an eye on Imai myself to make sure he doesn’t sell his soul down at the racetrack.”

  “Fuck you,” Imai barked, but was in too good a mood to make any waves.

  “Then we’re settled!” The manager clapped his hands together and called for the waitress to bring a round of drinks for everyone in the bar. The crowd, mostly trendy kids and other entertainment business suits, started cheering, and Higuchi went wild announcing that ChildsPrey was headed across the Pacific.

  Toru slipped away, and Jun started to follow until Kyoru stopped him.

  “Stay and enjoy the drinks,” the drummer said softly, his long blond-dyed hair falling into his eyes as he looked up at Jun.

  Jun sighed. “I promised Rumiko I’d watch after Toru.”

  “I’ll go.” Kyoru toyed with the silver cross at his throat. “This is about that boy, right?”

  “Yeah, it’s a mess,” Jun sighed.

  “Let me talk to him.” Kyoru patted Jun’s shoulder. “I think I know what he needs.”

  “Right.” Jun sighed again, and the drummer slipped out through the same exit Toru had.

  * * * * *

  Outside in the alley, Toru was taking a piss against the side of the building. Kyoru jumped down the steps leading from the back door and leaned against the railing. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen that.” He smiled.

  “A man peeing?” Toru snorted, zipping himself back up.

  “No ...” Kyoru came up next to him and punched him on the shoulder teasingly. He leaned close and whispered in Toru’s ear. “Your dick. I miss it.”

  Toru pulled away. “I’m not in the mood.”

  “But you should be.” Kyoru rubbed Toru’s back and gave him a gentle nudge toward the end of the alley. “You need to stop wasting time on things that were never meant to be. We have a lot of work ahead of us. Let’s keep focused on the band, on us.”

  Toru pulled further away, and Kyoru slung his arm around his band mate’s shoulder. “Remember back when we did the Thin Veil album? We wrote some damn good songs with Jun. We were great together at work and at play.”

  “That was a long time ago.”

  “So what? We’re still working towards the same goal, to rule the music world, ne? It’s lonely on the road, and we need to unwind. Let’s do it together like we used to.”

  Toru shrugged. “I don’t know.”

  * * * * *

  After stopping to pick up a few more drinks at a different club, the two men ended up taking a taxi to Kyoru’s house. As soon as they stepped over the tiled threshold, Kyoru closed the door behind them and pushed Toru up against the art niche facing the entryway.

  “I’m going to fuck you senseless tonight.” Kyoru breathed heavily, his hands working open the front of Toru’s shirt. He pressed in with his hips, rubbing his hard-on against Toru’s upper thigh.

  “You can try.” Toru gripped the drummer’s shoulders, the round, hard muscles tense with anticipation beneath his touch.

  “Try?” Kyoru pried open the shirt, popping off a few buttons in his haste. “I’ll have you moaning my name until you lose your voice, To-chan.” He rubbed his hands along Toru’s bare chest, rolling his thumbs over each nipple until the tiny nubs swelled up into hard peaks. Kyoru dipped low, taking one of Toru’s nipples in his mouth and swirling his hot, wet tongue over the sensitive skin.

  Toru gasped, his hand snaking through the long strands of Kyoru’s hair. Each stroke of that practiced tongue sent a wave of heat through his body, his blood pumping harder as sexual desire overcame any type of common sense. Kyoru kept teasing the already rock-hard nipple, sucking and tugging on the inflamed nub with each shuddering breath Toru let slip out.

  “Can’t you use that mouth anywhere else?” Toru panted.

  Kyoru shot up, pressing his wet lips to Toru’s in a demanding kiss. He spread both hands over Toru’s chest, fondling the bassist's nipples as he sucked on Toru’s mouth. Kyoru pressed close and rocked his hips forward, bumping and grinding his crotch against Toru’s.

  Tilting his head back, Kyoru grinned. “Was that better?” He dropped a hand between them. “Or did you mean somewhere else, like this?”

  Toru sucked in his breath as Kyoru touched his growing erection. He found himself thrusting up into his ex-lover’s caress, his cock straining against the zipper of his pants.

  “I thought so.” Kyoru licked his lips, dropping to his knees. Toru’s engorged sex demanded release as Kyoru pulled open the fly with agonizing slowness.

  “Fuck.” Kyoru took Toru’s heavy dick in his hand, caressing the length in series of fleeting touches that sent the blood rushing straight to the organ.

  “You’re ready to come any second,” Kyoru murmured, bending close so his breath tickled the head of Toru’s cock. He wrapped his lips around the tip, drawing Toru into the warm, moist depths of his mouth.

  A groan vibrated in Toru’s chest; he really was on the verge of spilling his cum. He squeezed his eyes shut and leaned back against the wall, gasping for breath. Kyoru suckled the head, the erotic motions of his lips sending wave after wave of pleasure through Toru’s throbbing cock. Reaching into his back pocket, Kyoru pulled out a tube of lubricant and popped off the cap. Without missing a beat with his mouth, he squirted some of the cream onto Toru’s shaft and tossed the tube aside. He gripped the base of Toru’s erection and gently tugged on the organ in an effort to make more than precum trickle out of the slit.

  Toru’s mind whirled from a mixture of arousal and alcohol. A pang of loneliness stabbed through his he
art even as Kyoru lavished all this attention on his dick. Is this what Hideki’s lips would’ve felt like on his cock? What would the rest of Hideki’s body bearing down on top of him have felt like?

  With a throaty groan, Toru reached down and pulled his rigid, throbbing cock from Kyoru’s mouth. He pulled Kyoru up, turning so the drummer was now pushed up against the wall.

  “To-chan,” Kyoru moaned, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. He fumbled with the fly on his pants, gasping when Toru yanked them down, underwear and all. Kyoru’s dick bobbed up from a nest of dark curls, just as swollen and slick with precum as Toru’s. He stepped out of the bundle of clothing at his feet, gasping again when Toru cupped his ass and lifted him off the floor.

  It was all a lie -- Toru didn’t love Kyoru as more than a friend, the playful flings of their early years together nothing more than a fun way to unwind. Fucking Kyoru wouldn’t ease his loneliness or make the pain in his heart go away. But he could at least pretend it was Hideki’s willing body he was about to shove his cock into.

  Kyoru parted his legs, repeating Toru’s name in a breathless chant. He rubbed a slick finger over his opening, stretching it open a moment before Toru pressed up against the hole. Toru thrust his hips forward, his cock driving up into the tight passage.

  “Oh, God!” Kyoru cried out, the muscles in his ass contracting around Toru’s cock. He reached for his own cock, pumping the organ feverishly.

  A groan tumbled from Toru’s lips as he thrust harder, pushing in deeper until his entire length was buried within Kyoru. His pants bunched up around his knees, Toru leaned Kyoru against the wall for traction as he rocked into his friend’s body. His pelvis was pressed so tightly against Kyoru’s ass he could feel his pubic hairs seal around the opening as continued to thrust, his body racing towards orgasm.

  A gush of cum burst from his cock as Toru slammed into his peak. Kyoru whimpered, and a moment later, he also spurted in the throes of an orgasm. Panting, Toru pulled out and eased Kyoru back to the floor.

  “God, that was wonderful,” Kyoru whimpered. “Let’s try that in bed, too.” He took Toru by the hand and led him through the house until they reached his bedroom.