First Day [Kiyoharu]

[Inaba Koshi]

Kiyoharu's words had the man blush deeper still.

"C-Can I get you a drink? Tea? Coffee? Tea with coffee? Ahhh...I m-mean, tea with milk?"

Flustered Inaba is flustered. He closed the door after Kiyoharu stepped inside and made for the adjoining kitchen and bar.



The overall design of the studio apartment was stylish and chic, with a touch of maturity that showed through the functional layouts. Now Inaba was sifting through his fridge and picking out some ingredients for their dinner, with his sleeves rolled up and a half-apron tied around his waist.

"Suu-san found this place for me."

His long-time manager and good friend.

"It's lovely, isn't it. I think...I think I can actually see your apartment from the living room."

Inaba pulled out some meat from the freezer and started thawing it out for slicing. It was a good thing he just went grocery shopping the day before.

[Kiyoharu]

And just like that, everything was back to normal. It was as if the forceful trip to the place once called home never happened, as if all the heartache that pulsed with each beat of his abused heart was just a thing of imagination, never leaving the dark chest of wonders Kiyoharu had locked it all up within.

"Tea please." He answered stepping inside and being more polite then he was at his once upon a time home and stepping out of his shoes and venturing into the rather modern apartment. His first thought of it was cold, impersonal. Where his own was lite with dim lights and soft, earthy colors, Inaba's wasn't. The off white walls and sleek design was not something that Kiyoharu himself would chose.

Following Inaba into the kitchen, he lent against the black counter, watching as the other busied himself with this and that. This was how it should be: easy, calm. There shouldn't ever be a trace of the hurt that so strongly reflected in both their eyes not but an hour ago.

"You really are my stalker," He teased with a laugh, glancing over his shoulder to look out said window. He couldn't see much but, it was worth a try.

[Inaba Koshi]

Since this was a rented apartment, Inaba didn't have much say in the furnishings. Come to think of it the man wouldn't mind living in a hole with four walls, after all with the amount of clutter he would be harvesting by the end of the week, all that cold and impersonal touches would be pretty much completely hidden by his own mess.

Inaba played the perfect host, opening his tea cupboard and looking through the current selection before picking out a small tin box of Benoist for Kiyoharu. Upon making a brew, the scent of ceylon and a tangy orange fusion lingered in the air, the man looking up from his pouring of a cup to smile at his guest.

"Lovely, isn't it?"

The aroma and its deep golden hues swirling into a white Wedgewood tea-set. Everything screamed elegance and it suited the gentle Inaba very well. He served the brew with an offering of brown sugar and milk, then wiped his hands off on a cheesecloth nearby before setting to work on the chicken.

"It was a pleasant coincidence."

Inaba said as the chopping started. True enough, Kiyoharu's block of apartments could be seen from the clear glass panels in the kitchen.

"I didn't notice until Suu-san pointed it out, actually."

....But this was one of the factors that had the man agree to renting this place.

Being frequent flyers, both Inaba and Tak own several homes all around Japan, as well as a large mansion nestled somewhere in LA near their recording studios. It was a good alternative to staying at hotels, especially with the amount of debris Inaba liked to leave around in his living quarters. Having a place rented near the Academy shortens his travel time immensely, as the man preferred walking to taking the car. It was only after a long and tedious persuasion that Suu-san eventually convinced Inaba to get an electric-powered vehicle.

....Now all Suu-san had to do is to convince Inaba to actually use it.

"The multi-storey carpark here has a valet service, it's really amazing. There's a small park downstairs that's next to a shinto shrine, the view there is splendid. Perhaps if you're not too tired later, we could have a stroll there. Everything's so convenient these days. Post-offices, banks, a convenience store down the road....ah! There's Maruzen too!"

A chain of bookstores that Inaba frequented. Speaking of which...

"Have you been reading anything interesting lately?"

He turned on the electric ceramic hob, placing a saucepan over the glass.

Just watching the man do all this was odd and endearing all at the same time. Inaba looked very much like the quintessential mellow houseband than the Oricon chart-topping rockgod that he actually was. In fact, his stage personality was so starkly different, it confused the people who first began to know him.

[Kiyoharu]

The citrus tinted scent of the tea was pleasant, soothing in the way it deliciously curled through the air and wafted through his senses. It was even better to hold the cup, warmed but the heat of the tea in his hands. Kiyoharu was always cold, even in the dead of summer when temperatures rose well into the higher digits.

Taking a careful sip of the tea, he added a just enough milk and sugar to it and took another sip, humming in approval when it was to his taste.

"Sure it was," he teased softly facing Inaba once again. "I'm sure it was nothing but one big ole coincidence." It was nice in a way to know that Inaba was practically right across the street. It made things easier for when he wanted to see the other man...

As nice as all that sounded, Kiyoharu knew he wasn't going to be up to it. It had been a long day and as much as he enjoyed being around Inaba, the man had brought back such unpleasant memories that all Kiyoharu wanted to do was sleep it all away.

Shaking his head softly, he took another sip of his tea. "I'm going to go home after dinner. I need my beauty sleep~" As tempting as it might be to stay here with Inaba, Kiyoharu wasn't going to trust himself because he knew (or had a feeling) where things would lead if he did.

"I picked up The Green Mile by Steven King." And answered, absently watching Inaba move about the kitchen like a well seasoned house wife. It was endearing, knowing that the man was cooking for him and, Kiyoharu couldn't help but smile and he took another sip of his tea. "Have you read anything of interest as of late?"

[Inaba Koshi]

"Working on your english? That's marvellous!"

Inaba chirped whilst his back was still facing his guest, working on the special sauce that made sukiyaki just so special. Tofu, leek, shitake and various other vegetables found their way on the chopping board and the kitchen was filled with a steady rhythm once more.

"I think I read that a couple years ago. Did you watch the movie? I actually picked it up after seeing it on DVD. It's so good. Impressive."

The sauce was left to a simmer and the raw vegetables slowly arranged on a large serving plate.

"Poor John. I think he didn't make the right choice in the end. I would have left the prison and used that gift to save even more people."



The man placed a small sukiyaki claypot in front of his guest then, slipping in a chunk of white solid fuel into a tiny portable stove that came along with it. He lit it after pouring in the thickened sukiyaki sauce he had been fussing over and set the plate of raw vegetables and meat next to Kiyoharu. The rice was done and served in small bowls, and Inaba even prepared some iced calpis soda that went really well with the food.

"Please!"

He gestured, sitting on the opposite side of the kitchen counter.

"I've been reading a bit of Dan Brown again and Kobo Abe's older works....but there was this non-fiction that was all over American news that I just had to see it? Have you heard of it?"

He pulled it out from a shelf under the counter and set it on the table with a twinkle in his eyes.



"Astonishing!"