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After slamming the metal doors behind himself shut, he picked up a small rock from the ground and threw it in anger. It bounced on the concrete before landing in the nearby grass. In another attempt to relieve his frustration, he kicked a trash can standing not far from the studio's backdoors. It wasn't enough for him, but he knew he should control himself better. Surrounded by the silent and dark night, illuminated only by a streetlamp from afar, he leaned against the wall. His long, red hair fell on his face as he looked down at the floor beneath his feet. A cross necklace dangled on his chest, slightly exposed between the material of his pure white shirt.
Shizuru Ruchi, who's been a model and a semi-popular celebrity working for several agencies since he was a toddler, now couldn't get over his constant failures as an idol. This night was no different. He had just left a concert he took part in, dissatisfied. His muscles were sore from dancing on stage, and his throat was burning more than usual. Shizuru touched his aching neck as he felt the sharp pain spread further in every place he traced with his fingers. His teeth grit in discomfort.
'It wasn't supposed to be like this.' Ruchi remembered the times when everyone feared and respected him. This amazing feeling of being referred to as Lord Ruchi by every other idol in the industry.
The pain struck again, snapping him out into the harsh reality. The present was not so pleasant. His aching muscles reminded him of what it was now, just as if his life got turned upside down. Even if he did his best to entertain those around him, like he always did, the results repeated themself with every performance. His efforts were equal to those of the rest of the group members, if not better. So where was the crowd of fans yelling his name with the enthusiasm the other idols had? Why was he being left out and ignored like air even on stage? He had a pretty face, an amazing voice, a charm women fell for up until this point. And yet, ever since he joined SPLEEN, everything he has ever done didn't matter now. The spotlight was taken from him that one awful day.
It wasn't fair.
He sighed and fixed the collar of his shirt before walking off to avoid being seen in such a pathetic state. Everything, but this - he couldn't stand any more humiliation. On the empty streets, in the middle of the night, he walked across the road with a bag around his arm without slowing down even for a moment. Passing building by building, he did not stop. There was a place he had to be right now, somewhere special.
During this surprisingly warm night, the idol made his way without a break. A gentle, cold wave of air hit his face. He wanted to run. His wish was to escape from all of the people watching the show who don't notice his efforts, the staff that forgets he exists, his annoying manager, and the worst of them all - the other idols. Remembering those faces looking down upon him made him sick. They were no better than him! What made them so special?! Wasn't he supposed to be their leader? And yet he was ignored day by day like he never existed in the first place. But what sparked his anger couldn't have been further from guys like Ikari or Domon.
The man stopped for a moment, remembering those names in his head.
The two rivals of his, both always illuminating in a charming aura - Toru Mugami, and Ruchi's co-idol, the main star of SPLEEN - Kanata Aoki.
Having to deal with Kanata daily was already a pain in the ass, but no one knew him better than he did. Kanata was different from the person he saw when they first met. The teenage idol everyone would fold on the ground for was not so perfect. One could even call him a complete moron. Yet, Ruchi got used to this guy's constant urge to pull a prank or make a fool out of himself. His spiky greeny blue hair, his pretty face, his aura that conflicted with his personality of a circus clown - he could live with it.
But not with Mugami.
Ever since that guy appeared in his life, he turned into a ticking bomb, ready to explode at any moment. Mugami, who has never even acknowledged Ruchi's existence, nor their one-sided rivalry, got on his nerves often for this reason. It didn't matter if they played in the same dramas together every week, or saw each other during shows, interviews, and concerts, he had no chance against him. Mugami was always ahead and getting all the praise with minimal effort, despite it being just a few months since his debut. Shizuru had no luck being even remotely close to his or even Kanata's level.
'Those lucky bastards.' He walked ahead again, trying to forget about these guys, at least for a while. Turning left on the nearest crosswalk, he was getting near his goal. He breathed deep to mute away the unpleasant thoughts playing on repeat inside his head. That's why he's here in the first place.
It was time to take the shortcut - almost needing to squeeze through a small gap in the walls, Ruchi reached the other side. The idol walked right out and sighed with relief. He was alone again. Now surrounded by trees and plants, he appeared in his favorite place - a corner of a local park. He could still see the water fountain in the center from a distance, but it was far enough from anyone that could interrupt him even during the day. He loved spending time here during the night as well. It became somewhat of a routine of his. He would rather sit alone in this park for hours than go straight home from work.
Was he ever actually alone?
Putting his bag down, Shizuru sat on the bench and rested his arms on his legs, gently grabbing onto his claret pants as the belts around his left thigh pressed against the wood beneath him. It was finally a moment for rest, he could now be at peace, away from the studio and the annoying faces. Looking up into the sky, he observed the hundreds of stars shining above him. He reached out his hand in the air, watching how far he must've been in reality. Maybe he would reach them one day.
Shizuru felt his eyes close as the energy he had left began escaping from his body. His sore muscles relaxed after another of many of his exhausting performances. The empty park in the middle of the night was a perfect place for the well-deserved rest, away from bright lights and loud music ringing in his ears. The idol rubbed his eye, smudging his eyeliner all over it. Even if he felt like it, he knew he wasn't supposed to sleep here - he decided to wait.
After a while, his heart stopped for a moment, hearing a sudden noise coming from one of the bushes. Opening his eyes in surprise, he listened closely. Slowly leaning in, Ruchi carefully reached out his hand and rubbed his fingers together, cautious to not scare it away.
A pair of tiny paws sticking out of the bush belonged to a kitten that ran in the idol's direction. He smiled at the adorable sight he secretly wished for the most. Before he realized it, a few more stray cats appeared from the other bushes. A crowd of a few fluffy creatures gathered around the idol and meowed, desperate for his attention.
"Did you miss me?" He said with a calm tone as his hand rubbed on the head of the white kitten. His eyes followed the soft balls of fur rubbing against his legs and sighed. "I'm sorry, I didn't bring anything today…" His back rested on the bench, disappointed with himself. He should've taken some cat food with him before the concert, maybe then he could've avoided this. He'll make sure to make it up for them somehow, soon. Noticing an empty spot, a chubby black cat jumped on his thighs and turned them into its new bed. Cuddled up on the idol's warm body, it was gently touched by his hand.
He couldn't remember how or when spending time with stray cats became his weekly routine, but he couldn't care less. His heart was at peace every time he arrived at night to meet his little animal audience. It was quite ironic for someone who's been called Lucifer during his career. Nobody he knew would have expected a proud, egoistical devil like him to act this way. And yet, that's what the truth was.
"Shhh," He hushed, calming down the impatient crowd. Ruchi's hand reached for the bag and grabbed a few pieces of paper. He felt lucky - having a lamp right above the bench came in handy sometimes. He thought as he unfolded one of the papers.
'Joker the Magic Eye Detective'
He stared at the script blankly as his eyes saw the same thing as every other time. Among the lines of the fan's favorite Joker played by Toru Mugami was his part. Just like expected, he was forced to play the role of a background corpse again. His grip on the paper tightened, wrinkling the script from the force. Why did he bother checking this script? After facing another disappointment, his eyes turned to the other document with hopes to see something to brighten his mood. Tanaka mentioned some new contract to him before, so maybe he'd get lucky this time.
As he was about to read the other page, a paw smacked the paper out of his hands. Before it could fall to the ground, the redhead caught it mid-air, reaching out of his seat. Seeing so many small pairs of eyes made Ruchi return to his senses. He didn't feel like making himself angry again with all of his little friends waiting for his attention. With a sigh of defeat, he hid the papers back in his bag as the image of the manager faded away from his mind. He wondered how many times he was saved from being fired because of him. There was no way he could ever know, but trusting the feeling in his gut and all the scolding he received so far, it must've been quite a few.
"I'll read it later."
It didn't take long for him to clear his mind. He has swept away from the constant problems of a group of stray cats sleeping by his side as he hummed a calming melody of a song he performed a few concerts ago. Gently touching one's fur, he could finally feel the silence in his heart. Despite all of the anger building up in him every day, he got to have a moment of peace. Shizuru noticed his black nail polish began slowly cracking away as his slender fingers ran over the animal's fluffy body. With the bag laying under the bench, he looked around, peeking at the lamp near him.
The big bright light coming from it with hundreds of little stars above it. Was there anything that didn't remind him of them?
The man's eyes began to close again, seeking rest. The weight of the stray cats sleeping on his knees distracted him from the awkward feeling of the wood behind his back. They sought comfort, just like him. The mutual feeling of safety and the bond he shared with those animals other humans couldn't possibly ever understand. Wishing he could take them all home if not his job, he smiled and let himself be put to sleep.
"Leader?"
The idol jumped at the sudden noise, unintentionally scaring away the cats. How long was he asleep? He felt dizzy, as his sleep was so abruptly disturbed. The voice was ringing in his ears, but luckily he wasn't the type to get scared easily. The young boy's voice felt too familiar to be worried. Ruchi slowly turned around, hoping to find the one he could blame for a guaranteed headache. He wasn't surprised to see a turquoise-haired guy in a red short-sleeved hoodie with a backpack over his arm, staring at him behind his back.
"What are you doing here?" His huge raspberry-red eyes focused on the older idol, curiously waiting for an answer, leaning forward and tilting his head to the side.
"...I was sleeping." Shizuru turned away, and rubbed his eye, smearing his makeup even more. "You scared the cats, Kanata."
"Sorry, I didn't expect to see you here." The boy leaned further, looking at him from his arm.
"Me neither." Shizuru's special routine was ruined. He could have expected this to happen one day, but not now. Today's concert was awful enough, so why was he there to ruin his day more? "I come here to spend time with those stray cats after work." Looking down, he frowned. He didn't want to see him after thinking of these awful things during the concert.
Walking around the bench, Kanata carefully sat next to him. Dropping his backpack on the grass around them, he smiled, noticing the cats slowly approaching them again. Ruchi could've guessed even animals would love him, because who wouldn't adore someone like him? A guy with so much pleasant aura he could never have.
"Are you okay? You looked angry than usual." One of the cats jumped on the boy's legs and received a backrub from him.
More than usual? Funny thing to say to a "devil". Shizuru swallowed his pride and sighed, turning his head to his rival. 'I give up,' he would've thought, if not for his stubbornness, as he suddenly looked away from him. Kanata watched him curiously, awaiting an answer from the leader full of the attitude he's gotten used to after all this time. Met with silence, Aoki crossed his arms. After a moment of thought, his eyes suddenly brightened up.
"Have you read the scripts Tanaka gave you? I think you're gonna like this!" He reached for the backpack, as Ruchi slowly turned his head back to him. Kanata handed the older idol a folder of a new project containing both of their names below the title.
His thumbs pressed against the file as he grabbed onto it with more force. It was at this moment he realized he was given the same one. His ocean-blue eyes sparkled in interest as he carefully opened the folder. A commercial… for a fashion designer. Shizuru read further into the script, unable to comprehend that he was given a chance. It wasn't a role of a background character either, he seemed to have as much of a role as Kanata.
"I've talked about it with Tanaka… I meant to ask him if he could find something good for you for our next contract." Kanata watched Shizuru's hand turn the pages as he read further. "What do you think?"
He let out a soft sigh and closed the file. He was struggling to guess the reasons why Kanata, who supposedly despised him as much as the rest of SPLEEN, acted this way when no one was around. Regardless, he couldn't let his emotions take over. "Thanks," Ruchi spoke under his breath and fixed the choker, as it began slightly burning the skin on his neck after long hours of performing. "I'm looking forward to it…"
Kanata's cheeks turned pink - the boy's sweet smile warmed up his leader's demonic heart, even if Shizuru himself couldn't admit to that.
Surrounded by the darkness of the late night, Ruchi's exhaustion finally kicked in. Kanata watched him in surprise, carefully allowing the idol's head to rest on his shoulder. Ruchi's eyelids began to close as the older idol slowly surrendered, embraced in a warm hug, and the smell of clone syrup from his teal hair.
"Idiot…"