Chapter 1: Plans go awry

The date was December 24th, and everyone knew what that meant. Only, what of the tree?

Everyone crowded around Yoko. Click. Click. Click click click click…

“Right Yoko, stop it! It’s not going to be of any use abusing it like that.” Hina urged his increasingly impatient friend.

Yoko lifted his finger from the switch, frustrated. “Darn thing. Why did it have to screw up today, of all days!” True, the rest of K8 were disappointed as well. After all, what was a Christmas tree without lights?

From where he was, Subaru mumbled, “And it’s the first time I bothered to turn up early too.” The group gave a collective sigh.

One by one they moved dejectedly away from the little corner, choosing to find comfort in the big couches and fluffy cushions.

For a while, nobody said anything. It was already 10 at night. Very soon, it would be Christmas, and if nothing gets done, they’d have broken their yearly tradition of enjoying the Christmas lights together. It may seem like a trivial sort of pleasure for most people, but to Kanjani8, the act of crowding near the Christmas tree, watching the lights dancing in midst of the surrounding darkness in silence, was a welcome break from their busy schedule throughout the rest of the year. They did it every Christmas Eve.

“No worries guys! I thought of something!”

Self-satisfaction was written all over Maruyama Ryuhei’s face.

Chapter 2: Plan A

“Ok, turn right.”

“You sure, Maru?”

“Yep, there’s only one shop there.”

Turns out, Maru’s great plan was to get out of the warm, cozy inn they were staying in for Christmas to trek to the nearby hardware store; something which he insisted would be all the more fun if they did it together. It wasn’t all that bad though. Given the location, there weren’t that many people around, and the cold night air was oddly refreshing.

“Ehm, guys, do you see what I see?” Everyone stopped in their tracks and turned to look at Yasu with puzzled looks, before following the direction of his gaze.

“OH MY GAWD!”

“Run!” Hina shouted.

With that everyone started zipping through the streets as fast as their legs could carry them, occasionally breaking to avoid knocking over any confused pedestrians. Not surprisingly, Ryo and Uchi were well ahead, their hair flying in the wind. But even they were not fast enough.

Exasperated, Ryo resorted to banging on the wooden door. “Open up! Come on! Open up, please!” No answer. “Hello?! Anyone there?! Please open the door!”

By then the other six had caught up, panting hard. Still, despite their exhaustion, they joined in with the shouting. “Open up please!”

They heard a click on the other end of the door, before a flea-bitten old geezer waddled out peering at them with shortsighted eyes. He wasted no time in lecturing them. “WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU GUYS DOING HERE AT THIS TIME OF THE NIGHT?! YOU’RE DISTURBING MY PEACE! Youths these days! No respect, whatsoever! Why, if you were my grandchildren I would waste no time in SPANKING all of you! An old man needs his sleep, IDIOTS!! And not to mention…”

Eight pairs of eyes (or fifteen and a half in grand total) stared incredulously at the old man as he ranted on, his words punctuated with projectiles of phlegm. Every one of them was lost for words. At the back of Subaru’s mind was the thought: Surely he needn’t make such a big fuss…right?

As if reading his thoughts, Ohkura turned to look at him, his eyes still widened in confusion. He shrugged.

“Ehm…” Hina bravely tried to interrupt the never-ending string of verbal abuse, “Excuse me.”

“WHAT?!!!” The man screamed.

The guys jumped back in fright.

“Eh, well, we just wanted to buy some, ehm, Christmas lights from you.” Hina continued.

“Ah yes yes!” Subaru added, trying to sound as energetic as possible. “It’s kind of urgent.”

The disagreeable old fart squinted hard at them. He gazed at each one of them slow…ly. One by one they felt his death glare pierce right into them. Most of them couldn’t help but give a shudder.

Once he was done torturing them, the snarky devil proceeded to walk back into his shop, and in agonizing silence, he closed the door behind him. K8 stood on the cold cement path, frozen and still under the power of his glare.

It was Uchi who was the first to recover. “Scary…”

He, like the others, was still staring in shock at the closed door.

“Argh! There goes our hope!” Yoko groaned.

With that, the spell was broken, and the guys promptly came back to ‘life’, complaining to each other about the mysterious shop keeper’s behaviour.

“Eh, Yasu? What’s wrong?” Maru gently asked his friend.

Yasu’s eyes were glistening with tears. “Ehm, nothing. I’m just…I’m just…so sad that we won’t be having pretty lights this time.”

Maru pat the smaller guy on the head. “It’s alright nya.” But he only succeeded in making things worse, as evident by Yasu’s soft sobs.

In fact, his disappointment was echoed in everyone’s hearts. Uchi, feeling the hurt, pursed his lips into a little pout. Seeing all this, Maru drifted into deep thought.

“Hey! I’ve got a great idea.”

“I sure hope it’s better than your LAST idea.” Yoko remarked sarcastically. Maru ignored this comment, knowing full well that the issue with the lights was affecting Yoko badly.

“How about, instead of relying on technology, we use candles instead?”

“Eh…I suppose that could work.” Ryo replied.

“Yea. Wouldn’t it? Eh?” Maru gave everyone his signature puppy look.

Hina frowned, “Hmm…yeah, I suppose it would.”

“Yes! Let’s get to it then!” Maru grinned as he pushed his band mates back towards the direction of the inn.

Chapter 3: Plan B

Back at the inn, Ohkura pulled open a dusty drawer. “I remember I left some here, leftover from last year…Ah, here it is.”

Coughing, he swiped the dust of the cardboard box. “Not bad, they are still in good condition. Good thing we didn’t use them last year.”

“Yeah, because last year the dumb lights actually worked,” Yoko snapped.

Hina smacked him on the head. “Get over it!”

Tacchon handed the candles out to them. Excitedly, Uchi received his pink one. The group had bought the candles together precisely for this reason. It came in their colours.

“Alright! I’m gonna light it now!” With that, the baby of the group rushed off with a twinkle in his eye.

“Hey! Wait for me!” Ryo shouted as he struggled to get on his feet and follow his friend into the living room. Sometimes, it seemed like they were inseparable.

The rest took their time getting up and strolling down the corridor and the stairs, chatting lively as they made their way. Everything was finally going well.

Or so they thought.

Once again, it was Yasu who first noticed something was wrong. “Minna…do you smell something?”

Like some form of déjà vu, the group turned collectively to face him again. All of them held a questioning look on their faces, before realization hit them.

“OH MY GAWD!”

“NO WAY!”

They scrambled down the bottom half of the flight of stairs and hurried to the living room. In his haste, Subaru nearly ran straight into a familiar figure running in the opposite direction.

“Hoi! Ryo?!” Subaru exclaimed.

“Help! Uchi set something on fire!”

The K8 members reached the living room, finding Uchi pacing up and down near a burning curtain, his long arms flailing.

“Aaaa! What to do? What to do?! What to do?!” He rambled on and on to himself.

“UUUUUCCCHHIIII~~!!” Hina screamed, “COME OUT HERE NOOOW!!”

Still, Uchi was lost in his own thoughts, obviously in deep panic. Seeing this, Yasu braved the heat and walked straight in to pull the poor boy out.

Once they made sure Uchi was ok, everyone hurried to get pails of water. The fire was beginning to spread, and the smoke was making their eyes tear.

In a minute or two, everyone was back at the entrance of the living room, each with a pail of water in hand. Choking, Yoko cued them. “Alright,” he paused to cough, “Everyone ready?”

They nodded.

“1, 2, 3. NOW!”

Together, they poured the water on the flaming curtain, effectively dousing the fire.

“WHOOO HOOO!” Maru and Baru exclaimed, giving each other a high five in the process.

All around them, the other K8 members either smirked or leapt up in happiness, fist pumped into the air.

Still, their joy was short lived.

K8 started at the ashy remnants of what was once the curtain. No hope was left. Not one ounce of it. After the previous burst of energy, even Maru had nothing cheerful left to say. They all knew that there was nothing else they could turn to.

Uchi whispered while tearing up, “I’m sorry. Really.”

“It’s ok,” the rest assured him. What would they gain if they blamed him anyway? It wouldn’t change anything. In any case, they were relieved that nothing had happened to their young friend.

Chapter 4: Sometimes, unplanned surprises are the best of all.

11.45 pm, and all of K8 were seated on the couch, the smell of smoke still lingering in the air. Someone had turned off the lights, Yasu perhaps. They were facing the tree, each trying to remember what the Christmas lights looked like last year, hoping that perhaps, if they could conjure up a memory, they could pretend the lights were on the tree this year too.

They tried, but it wasn’t much of a success. After the night’s activities, and surprises, they were too tired to think. So they sat, surrounded by pitch darkness, a darkness that much resembled the state of their hearts.

Suddenly, a small glint of light caught their attention. They perked up, but the light never appeared again.

Curious, Subaru walked over to the window and looked out. The rest, having nothing better to amuse themselves with, followed suit.

Nothing. Just trees, snow, and darkness glazed with just enough light for one to squint through.

Yasu’s subsequent chuckle managed to baffle everyone for the third time that night. As they peered suspiciously at his face, he breathed, “Not that way, look up.”

A beautiful sight greeted them as they did as they were told. There it was, thousands of glistening stars littering the night sky.

“Our Christmas lights…” Uchi remarked as he looked on in amazement.

“Let’s get out there!” Maru decided.

“And what, sit on the freezing patch of snow?” Hina wondered aloud.

“We’ll drag the couches out.”

Yoko began, “Out of all the brilliant ideas you’ve had today Maru…”

But Ohkura was already starting to lift the couch nearest to him. “Oh come on, there’s eight of us, and we’re all fit aren’t we?”

He had a point.

As they carried the couch out into the open, Ryo grunted, “Guys, you’re all mad.”

“You should have realized that when we dressed you up and called you Ryoko.”

Everyone burst out laughing at Yoko’s comment. Nothing could go wrong this time, they were sure.

Soon, they were seated in a line, under the infinite sky, taking in the sheer gorgeousness of that Christmas Eve night. Uchi was right, they were so much like their old Christmas lights, prancing around in the vast expanse of night. No, actually, this was much better. Much better.

Contented, Yasu laid his head on Baru’s shoulder, not taking his eyes off the scene above him. Baru threw a quick, startled glance at his friend before giving a small smile. He placed his free arm around Maru’s shoulder, who was sitting to his right. One by one each followed suit, until all of them were connected in one way or another. That’s the way it always was and always will be. Kanjani8 as one.

Inside the inn, the clock struck 12. The date was December 25th, and everyone knew what it meant. It was Christmas day. A day to celebrate love and friendship.

Ten, eleven, twelve. Twelve steps. Slouching, Yamapi hid his face in his jacket. For one he needed to shield himself from the biting cold. And on the other hand…One could never be too sure. Satisfied he was no longer recognizable, he ran across the junction. From there, he would make another sixteen steps. She had him memorize the way.

Back at her house, Maki was sitting on her couch, staring at everything and nothing at the same time. That afternoon Pi had called her, entirely out of the blue.

“Ma-Maki?”

He sounded so tentative she could hardly recognize him. “Yamapi?”

He might have said yes to her question, but she didn’t really remember. All she could remember was the weird feeling in the pit of her stomach.

He wanted to meet her. She didn’t know why it had to be her, but according to him, “Maki, I just need to get out, meet someone, take my mind of things. And I…I thought of you.”

—-

The phone rang.

“Maki?”

She noticed the slightly raspier tone of his voice. How long had he been in the cold?

“I think I got the correct place. But, which floor did you say you were on again?”

She decided to go down to meet him instead, and found him at the lift lobby, arms folded tightly across his chest. The grind of the elevator doors caught his attention, and to her surprise, his face changed when he met her, and he looked inexplicably relieved.

Just as she was about to step out to meet him though, he jumped into the elevator, barely escaping the closing doors.

“Wha-?” She asked, not understanding.

“Remember why you made me memorize the way? If they see us, and happen to take pictures…”

She nodded. So that was why he looked relieved. It wasn’t about her. He just wanted to avoid the paparazzi. Knowing that, she felt a pinch in her heart.

—

The lift moved laboriously upwards, a result of years of wear and tear. Maki and Yamapi stood at opposite sides of the lift. She supposed it was a good time to say something, but an odd burden in the air stopped her from doing so. In any case, Yamapi wasn’t making an effort either. In fact, he wasn’t even looking at her.

She tried to think of how he sounded on the phone. Was something troubling him? He hadn’t so much as smiled that night. Decidedly, she opened her mouth to ask–

The elevator jerked violently, knocking her to her knees before she could say a word. Frantically she tried to hold on to something. There was nothing! At the moment a shadow was cast above her.

“Yamapi!” She cried out and grabbed his coat, while he simultaneously drew her protectively to his chest.

The lights flickered. Something somewhere screeched. And then, as suddenly as it started, the lift stopped.

They didn’t move for quite some time after, and she presumed it was because he was as shocked and frightened as she was. All the while, she never let go of his coat.

Eventually, he asked, “You alright?”

Finally pulling away, she nodded, and he helped her to her feet. Brushing his fingers through her hair, he inspected her one last time before feeling confident enough in her safety to return to his previous position.

She watched numbly as he pulled out his cell, flip it open, and curse.

“No signal?”

“No. Nothing at all.”

—-

He didn’t say anything after, and she supposed she was thinking of a plan to get them out. Through the silence she heard his fingers tap lightly against the wall he was leaning on. Thrump, thrump, thrump. Pause. Thrump, thrump–

“You’re cold?”

Against the quiet his words were like an explosion of sound, jolting her from her semi-hypnotic state.

“Ehm…”

He didn’t give her a chance to answer, taking a long stride towards her even before she had a chance to take in his question. She caught sight of his chest, then the ceiling, then the floor. Gosh, where was she to put her eyes?

His voice had melted into a whisper. “I would choose to think you’re cold, if you don’t mind. I learnt about body language the other day. In class. Apparently your current stance either means that you are cold, or that you are trying to protect yourself against me…”

It was only then that she noticed how tightly she had her arms folded across her. Blushing, she let them drop, her eyes fixed intently on his shoes.

“…I would prefer it not to be the latter. You, you–get what I mean?” He sounded as if he was pleading, but for what exactly she wasn’t sure.

“Oh ehm…Well it is rather cold,” she admitted, and was a little annoyed at how timid she sounded. It wasn’t as if he was a stranger. In fact she could even venture to say they had formed an amicable friendship. On top of that, she never really considered herself particularly shy. Yet that, and a forced laugh, was all she could muster. In the meantime, she tried to pretend that his leather shoes demanded her utmost attention.

“That’s good to know.”

She felt his hands run up and down her arms, painfully aware of how it made her shiver. He must have taken it to mean something else though, because he caught her hand in both of his, bringing it to his–

She started, her gaze dashing straight to his face, just in time to see blowing warm air on her knuckles, causing her to tremble against her will.

“Tomohisa..”

“Better?” There was a tinge of amusement in his tone of voice. Could he know how he was making her feel?

—

He sensed more than saw how flustered she was. It was more than he could hope for. And with that sense of hope he felt the courage he had been praying for for so long rise up within him.

Still holding on to her hand with one of his, he reached out with the other, gently, yet purposefully, tracing her icy cheeks. Almost immediately he felt a flood of warmth reached his fingertips.

Suffice to say, she certainly wasn’t as cold as she was before, and that was all the reassurance he needed.

For the second time that night he brought her against him, and was pleasantly surprised as he felt her arms wrap around his waist, her hands travelling temptingly up his back. The ice was broken, he knew, and whatever was holding her back as first had dissipated now.

Swirls of hot mist escaped her mouth, luring him closer towards her. From that proximity all he could see was a blur of features; her flawless skin. It was gorgeous. He heard her breathe his name, and intoxicated he let his eyelids succumb to gravity. But still it was better that way. In the self-imposed darkness he searched with the curves of her face guiding him, till he eventually found what he desired – lips as full as longing as his own.

—

His lips still locked tight against hers, he reached back to tug at his jacket. Unaware of what he was doing, and unwilling to let him go, she abruptly leaned forward. The pressure caused their delicate balance to be broken, and he fell backward with a loud thud, taking her along with him.

“Omm!” He peeled his lips away, “Hey…”

She gasped, her breath heavy. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to.”

A tinge of pink glazed across her cheeks as she pushed herself away and knelt next to him. He chuckled lightly, almost as if to reassure her, while he untangled his arms from his jacket sleeves. Almost immediately he felt the the piercing cold of the elevator floor. He bit his lip, forcing down a shiver, still determined to make everything right.

Maki watched as he rolled to his side, his head pressing against his left hand, while he used his right to lay the jacket carefully beside him. It half reminded her of the opening scene in Kurosagi, with him wearing the ridiculous suspenders she often mocked him for. Thinking of it made her smile, her countenance highly contrasting with his. Upon noticing that she felt a tinge of worry, and she reached out to trace the side of his face, gently circling his temple. Eventually she observed the tension leave him, such that his eyebrows weren’t so stubbornly knit together.

With the stress having left him, Yamapi felt a surge of confidence. In one quick flow of movement, he had his back to the floor. “Ne Maki, this way, it won’t be that cold, I think. Join me?” He asked as he pat the jacket next to him.

“Sure.”

Cautiously she lay down next to him, catching a glimpse of his contented smile as she placed her head on his chest.

“Say…your heart’s beating real fast.”

He countered defensively, “Is it, really?”

Her grin was his answer.

Eventually her fingers found his, and she brought them to her lips. Simultaneously, she felt a soft pressure on the top her bent head. In her surprise she lifted her face, and her mouth landed straight against his. They kissed for the second time, but this time more tenderly than the first.

For the rest of the night they lay silently, in the dreamlike state halfway between consciousness and sleep. So wrapped up were they in their little sphere of happiness, that they never noticed the elevator jerking back to life, dragging them steadily down to reality.

Twelve, eleven, ten…

Once upon a time (which was a long time ago), there was a land named Enthusia, where royalty and peasantry, human folk and fairy folk, co-existed in harmony and peace. The land was wholly subjected to the Almighty sovereign God, and because of that was richly blessed. However much it would delight me to entertain you though, it would be quite impossible for me to give you an account of every single person. I have therefore placed it upon myself to make a very stringent selection, and hope that you, dear reader, will still take pleasure in my humble tales.

“Maybe next time we’ll come across it again.”

Her mouth curved in a wry smile as she walked away. Not particularly caring, or so she thought.

She went back the next day, in the guise that it was not at all intentional, her steps deceptively light. He was not there. Day after day, she found herself passing the very same spot, until it became part of a routine.

She found it ironic that it was she who had made less of whatever little they shared, and yet it was he who never made the effort to present himself. Had he forgotten her? Were his words just random syllables escaping his tongue?

One day she decided, she would rather not care. She was tired of not knowing, and continually having to search for the answer. Decidedly, she never visited the spot again.

Cursing, he heaved himself up the narrow ledge. Admittedly, he wasn’t the same lean youngster he was before. Well still young, but at times like this he had to admit that his indiscriminate taste for all foods was getting the better of him. Still, years of gruelling dance training (among other things) could still pay off. In one quick movement he caught hold of the window ledge. Her window ledge. Yet, with his face pressed against the familiar rough surface of her wall, he knew this place belonged very much to him as well.

With that thought, gentle memories weaved through his mind, but what most amused him was that after so many years, he was still concerned about people finding out. One never knew who could be looking out of their uniformed apartment windows, even at such an hour. A place like Tokyo was so small and populated, that the risk of accidental intrusions of privacy was high. Not that there was anything private about climbing up an apartment building.

Out of habit he almost knocked on her bedroom window, before he caught himself. Technically, he remembered, they were no longer friends. At least not the kind of friends who would sneak into each other’s houses in the middle of the night, hide under the bed, and tell each other ghost stories. Not even the sort of friends who would just hang around — Doing nothing, and talking about nothing of any consequence. Maybe that was why he was here. Sometimes he felt that if he had to beg, he would. If he had to force her, he would. Anything to regain what was lost.

Relieved, he found the window unlocked, and he pushed it up carefully with one hand, while tightly grabbing on to the ledge with the other. He wasn’t about to die just when he was so close to her. He could even see her. Yep, he could see alright, with the silky fabric of her nightgown outlining the gentle contours of her back. It would’ve have been incredibly poetic, if not for the fact that he had never seen her in anything quite as womanly before. What else could have changed?

He lifted himself over the ledge, one long leg after the other. Once he reached his destination, he proceeded to remove his shoes. It may have seemed like forever, but truthfully it had only been a few months ago when they had fought in this very room — her, over things that were too foreign to comprehend, and him, over feelings that had gotten too intimate.

Maybe she was still a heavy sleeper. And she was. She never stirred as he walked towards her. She never moved even as he lifted the covers, the bed to creaking softly under his weight as he made his way next to her.

Gradually his arms reached around her shoulders, and he pulled her close. No, some things did not change. Leaning closer, he took in the familiar scent. Nothing special, nothing fancy, but still distinctly her.

His nose grazed her hair for a moment, before he settled to resting his chin on the top of her head. For the first time in a long while he found himself drifting easily into sleep, cradled by a sense of comfort that reached far beyond the physical. He was glad he thought of coming, and even happier still that he actually did. Tomorrow she would awaken, and probably attempt to push him away for good. But tomorrow could worry about itself.

Maki tried to make herself as inconspicuous as possible, though it wasn’t all that tough to blend into the crowd. Never mind that she was a rising star in the entertainment world, the screaming fangirls were too mesmerized by the boys in the middle of the stage.

Speaking of which…

“YAMAPIIII!!! YAMAPPIII!!!”

Oh my. He was so sexy. Unconsciously her tongue touched her lips, and her heart started beating at an alarming rate.

“YAMAPIII!!! AAAAAAHH!!”

She always knew he was gorgeous of course. But here, at his concert with NewS, singing solo, and dancing so…seductively…she was absolutely blown away.

The screams grew louder and louder, reaching an almost feverish pitch. Maki herself found her body heating up, and just when she felt like she couldn’t take anymore Yamapi decided it was a great time to…

“OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG!!!!!”

…Rip off his shirt.

She almost lost balance for a split second, before scolding herself mentally that she should have known better, and willing herself to cling on to any semblance of calm she had in her. Perhaps, just perhaps, it was a bad idea after all. She had been so caught up with the thought of getting to see Pi again, but now it seemed childish. He would never notice her in the booming crowd, and to top that off, she was making an absolute fool of herself, getting so aroused over a mere performance. It was so unlike her.

She threw one last glance at the stage before pushing her way through the people. She made a good choice alright. She was beginning to hallucinate that Pi was staring straight at her. Must have been the lack of oxygen in the place.

—–

“Hey Pi, you alright?” Koyama asked, slapping his groupmate on the back.

“Huh? Uh, yeah…fine. Yeah.” Distractedly, he pulled his t-shirt on.

He must’ve dreamt it. He must’ve dreamt it. It wouldn”t be surprising, since she had been on his mind a lot recently. Well, technically he had been unable to put her out of her mind since filming for Kurosagi wrapped up. At first he thought he was suffering from some weird withdrawal syptom, then he figured that what he was feeling was just protectiveness to one he’d come to love as a…sister?

But if it was a dream, it sure was a good one. The image of Maki standing among a blur of faces, as poised as ever, and the look in her eyes…As if she couldn’t possibly move her gaze anywhere else. As if, she wanted him.

Groaning, he buried his face in his towel.

I’m far from perfect, so criticism is welcomed.

Also, Peters of the world never die.