Amnesia, His Memory Block ~Chapter 4~
Title: Amnesia, His Memory Block
Author: kore_dake
Length: Multi-Chapter
Pairing: Yabu/Inoo
Rating: PG-13... to keep it safe. XP
Genre: Angst/Fluff (these will surface later on. It's leaning more toward on angst though.)
Disclaimer: Only owns the plot... If i owned these guys, would I really be writing all this? HeeHee >.>
Summary: Ever since a few months ago, ever since that happened, Yabu has stopped coming to work, at least everyone says so. Inoo doesn't believe what the others might say, and he doesn't remember what happened; he sees Yabu everywhere. As the days pass, a confused Inoo desperately tries to find out the truth behind the rumors. The sleuthing begins and Inoo slowly finds out a horrible secret that his mind has been hiding from him all along.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Inoo stared at the phone, speechless.
‘Did I hear that right? Did she just say… come… to the building?'
Inoo stayed silent, a trance enveloping his body.
“Inoo-kun? Inoo, are you there?” Inoo shook his head out of its surprised state.
“Who? Oh. Sorry, yes, ma’am. I’m here.” His brain was still registering the information given to him so reaction time proved to be quite slow.
“Come to the building.” The manager said in between laughs, completely aware of Inoo’s confusion. “We have to talk and go in detail about you coming out of your hiatus. And your schedule…”
Inoo finally understood and a smile broke into his face. His first smile in 4 months. He immediately replied, cutting off her final words.
“I understand, Madam. I’m on my way. I’ll be right there.”
Before the manager could say another word, Inoo slammed down the phone and bolted out the door, grabbing a few things on his way out
~ooxOxoo~
Inoo sped to the Jimusho, only stopping once he got to the actual building. He took a breath and walked up to the entrance. The automatic doors smoothly slid open, revealing the lobby that he last saw over 4 months ago. Adrenaline rushed through his veins as he walked up to the receptionist.
The girl turned around just as Inoo reached the front desk. She looked up, surprised, but her eyes dimly revealed compassion. Inoo tilted his head to the side and the girl immediately smiled, knowing that her supervisor is going to chew her for it later on. The fact that she’s a female isn’t going to help either. Heartfelt contact wasn’t allowed towards the talents. Unreasonable isn’t it?
“Inoo-kun, Kitagawa-san, everyone actually, has been expecting you, although I must admit, you arrived here pretty quickly.” She paused; she dialed on the phone located next to her. She stayed silent for a little and someone picked up on the other end. “Kitagawa-san, he’s here. Yes, sir. No, sir, he looks perfectly healthy. Very well, sir. I’ll inform him right away. I’ll send him up in a few minutes after I brief him of the situation, sir. Ah… I’ll leave that information for you to tell him, sir. I am aware that that type of information is under your jurisdiction, Kitagawa-san. Thank you, sir. He’ll be up soon.”
She put down the phone and looked at Inoo, who in turn smiled.
“Kitagawa-san and your manager are waiting in the conference room located right across the Hey! Say! JUMP rehearsal room up on the 10th floor. He wants you to go straight there. But he says that if you wish to see your friends and band mates along the way, you may.”
Inoo turned to leave, but the receptionist stopped him.
Inoo turned around to face her, a smile threatening to mold itself on his lips. He was ecstatic to be back.
“Hm?”
“I have to brief you on the situation. My orders.”
“Situation of… the Jimusho?"
The receptionist nodded, her dark brunette side bangs covered her right eye.
“Right now, the Jimusho is doing fine but that only started to change and become this way recently. The building was in chaos after the accident in Shibuya. That combined with the hiatus of you and Yabu, the other groups lost not only morale but only had fear in their hearts. Johnny-san will go into detail on this when you see him later. As for now, just keep in mind that some of the talents are still sensitive about the event that occurred 4 months ago.”
Half listening, Inoo nodded and waited for the receptionist to continue on. Sensing that he was expecting more out of her, she indicated that she could not say anymore.
“That’s all I can say, Inoo-kun. The rest is up for Johnny-san to tell. This is all I’m allowed to say.” She repeated the last line again, as if she was resolute and firm.
Inoo showed that he understood and bowed to take his leave. He smiled brilliantly to the receptionist and turned to leave.
“Wait, Inoo-kun!”
Inoo faced her; he was starting to get impatient. The young lady took note of this and decided to keep her warning short.
“I’m sorry for stopping you so many times. All I wanted to say was… Don’t be surprised with what you find here in the Jimusho. A lot has happened within 4 months. Just take caution and don’t be so surprised.”
Inoo looked at her curiously. He knew the words had a grave meaning, but he didn’t understand. If he was back, surely was Yabu, wasn’t that all that mattered? Right?
‘How much can a whole building change in 4 months anyway?’ He selfishly thought. Nonetheless he took the receptionist’s words seriously and headed to the elevator.
~ooxOxoo~
He reached the 10th floor moments later and walked out of the elevator feeling a sense of giddiness within his body. The place was nostalgic; each corner reminded him of a time to remember. He passed Jrs. and senpais, greeting them all with the same sincerity and enthusiasm.
“Inoo-kun! Hey!” Akanishi said with Kame next to him. Kame smiled and patted Inoo on the back, “Good to have you back, Inoo.”
“Inoo-kun! You’re back!” Juri beamed, while Koki waved at him, half pre-occupied, and turned Juri’s attention back to the plans in his hands.
“Inoo!!” Koyama rushed over to Inoo’s side along with Tegoshi and Shige. “We’ve missed you!! We were wondering when they would bring you back.” They said all at the same time.
Inoo could only smile and nod as other Jrs. and members of the Jimusho began to welcome him enthusiastically. The sullen thoughts the swirled about his head only hours ago, gone and forgotten. For the moment that is.
~ooxOxoo~
He headed to the direction of JUMP’s rehearsal room, when one particular person got his attention, delaying his arrival to the conference room even further. Inoo noticed that the person looked like he was trying to hide from him, so Inoo decided that he should make the first move and greet him.
“Shintaro! What’s up?”
Inoo called out. Hearing his voice, Shintaro froze as he turned and saw Inoo approaching him. Little did Inoo know that Shintaro’s heart felt like it was about to burst from its owner’s body, beating faster and faster with every step that the other boy took toward him. The younger boy lowered his gaze and avoided Inoo’s eyes when he found the older boy standing in front of him.
Inoo bent down and tried to look at Shintaro in the eyes.
“Hey, Shintaro. Are you alright?” Inoo kept his eyes on Shintaro, attempting to make the latter look at the former back in the eyes. Shintaro forced to keep eyes down, and remained silent. Inoo put his hands on the shorter boy’s shoulders. “What’s wrong? Did something happen? Are you feeling sick?”
As Inoo’s final words escaped his mouth, he didn’t realize that he sounded exactly like a certain member of JUMP, but Shintaro did. The younger’s head slowly faced up and into Inoo’s eyes. He shook his head.
“Then why are you so quiet?”
“I was worried about Inoo-kun.” Shintaro said simply, speaking for the first time. Inoo noticed that the words seemed unnatural, but he pushed the thoughts aside.
Silence befell the two and Shintaro began to fidget. Unable to take the silence, he unwillingly broke it.
“So I-I-Inoo-kun, h-how have y-you b-been?” He managed to stutter out.
Inoo smiled, holding in a chuckle.
“Wasn’t I the one who asked you that first?” Inoo tilted his head. Shintaro mentally slapped his forehead, feeling stupid.
“O-oh, right. I-I’m sorry.” Shintaro mumbled. “I’ve been ok. I mean things have been a bit different around here ever-ever since…” His voice trailed as his eyes began to fog up. Inoo remembered the receptionist’s words and immediately cut off Shintaro.
“Ever since I decided to stay home?” Ok. So he had to lie. ‘But this is Shintaro, Ryutaro’s younger brother. How can I tell him that they decided to take me out? That’s just cruel. He’s just a child.’ Inoo inwardly concluded.
Shintaro noticed that Inoo had tried to lighten the blow, he couldn’t help but feel a little thankful
Question was…
Was it because Inoo had saved him the tears?
Or was it because Shintaro had no intention of feeling whole-heartedly thankful to him?
Or maybe it was because Inoo reminded him of everything Shintaro couldn’t be and couldn’t have at the moment? Especially what he wanted.
But chances were… it was because he didn’t have to finish what he started to say.
Under these circumstances, he had to feel thankful for that; he just wasn’t ready to tell anyone just yet, particularly Inoo.
Shintaro fidgeted constantly and as their conversation continued, the more flustered he became. He couldn’t take it anymore.
“I-Inoo-k-kun, I’m s-sorry but I have to g-go. Juniors have a d-dance practice so…”
Inoo just nods and smiles.
“No problem, Shintaro. If there’s anything bothering you, feel free to talk to me ok? I wouldn’t mind. I’ll be around if you want me.”
Shintaro froze, hearing the same words that the person he liked said to him a while ago. He looked down, attempting to cover up a blush that was creeping up his face. Inoo patted him on the shoulder twice, and Shintaro’s cheeks turned bright red as he walked away from the older boy.
Inoo noted Shitaro’s odd behavior, but he merely passed it off as an aftereffect of “the change” that the Jimusho went through. He never noticed Shintaro’s flaming face as the younger walked away, and never even considered it as he turned around to watch the smaller figure walk away from him.
He suddenly remembered his manager and Johnny and quickly turned to the direction of the HSJ rehearsal room. He walked faster now, not wanting his two bosses to wait too long for his arrival.
~ooxOxoo~
He stood in front of the conference door. He reached for the doorknob and paused. He looked over his shoulder and saw another door: the HSJ rehearsal room. He heard Jounetsu JUMP blasted up, tempting him to open that door and forget about the conference room. He looked sadly at the door and with fierce determination; he faced the conference room, turned the knob, and stepped in.
The room suddenly became quiet as two figures turned their attention to the open door. One was a woman who welcomed Inoo with a smile; the other an old man with a straight face but soft, twinkling eyes. The woman stood up.
“Inoo-kun, you are finally here! We thought you forgot about our meeting here amidst all the excitement within the Jimusho due to your sudden arrival.”
“Johnny-san. Manager-san. It’s nice to see you again.” Inoo bowed formally. “I’m sorry I’m late.”
Johnny stopped him.
“You, how have you been? Sit down. We have a lot to talk about.”
Inoo half-bowed and sat across the two. Once he sat down, Johnny nodded to JUMP’s manager, signaling her to start whatever it was they had planned.
She decided it was best if started this meeting out slow.
“Well Inoo-kun. How have you been? How was your…” She hesitated on the last word. “Break.”
“I’m well.” Well he was in front of his seniors. You can’t expect him to talk informally, can you? “My break was fine. I was able to spend more time with my dogs and concentrate on my university homework. Other than that, I would catch up on lost sleep.”
Johnny chuckled and the manager smiled.
“Well I hope you’ll be able to adjust back to your old schedule.” She said as she ruffled through her briefcase and took out a 3-inch stack of papers, causing Inoo’s eyes to involuntarily grow wide. The young woman laughed. “Don’t worry. It isn’t all for you. It’s basically reviews of what you missed, in case you want to be up to date on things here.”
“Is that what JUMP did in the course of 4 months?” He asked incredulously. ‘I can’t believe it… That’s more than we ever did when we were a full group.’
The lady shook her head.
“It’s for the whole Jimusho.” She stated simply.
“Oh… I see.” ‘Never mind then…’
His manager handed him a stapled packet of papers.
“This is your new schedule. It includes JUMP’s entire schedule as well. Basically it will tell you everything that has to be done within the next few weeks. It might be overwhelming at first, but it is to make up for the 4 months that you have been gone.”
Inoo looked at the color-coded packet in front of him, finding his name marked in pink. So far, he already saw that his color appeared more than 15 times in the first week. He would have groaned, but he was happy to be back. He saw that he had something planned today at 7:45 p.m. He looked at the clock: 6:55 p.m. He had plenty of time.
He directed his attention to the gigantic stack of papers in front of him, and bit his lip in apprehension. This did not go by unnoticed by Johnny.
“You don’t have to read it.” Johnny spoke for the second time that evening, surprising Inoo. “I understand that the young female at the front desk briefed you on the situation here. How much did she tell you?”
Inoo looked away from the pile and uncomfortably shifted in his chair. He moved his gaze upward and looked at Johnny.
“Not a lot, sir. She informed me that the Jimusho’s state now was just achieved recently after the disorder subsided. She also said that the other groups are still troubled at the moment. Some are still sensitive to the situation.”
“Is that all she told you?” Johnny raised his eyebrows, showing signs that he didn’t thoroughly believe what Inoo was saying.
“That was all, sir. She stated that what she told me was the most she could tell me. That the rest was for you to finish, sir.” Inoo left out the receptionist’s last words of “take caution and don’t be surprised.” He felt that she wasn’t allowed to say something like that.
‘Hmm… smart girl.’ Johnny thought.
“Well, it seems that she followed my specifics. We have established that the building was in chaos and a mess and all of that, have we not? So I guess I don’t have to repeat that again. The receptionist was correct; compared to a few months ago, this company has simmered and calmed down since.”
Johnny paused. The lone woman in the room continued.
“Apparently the hiatuses of 2 JUMP members fueled the turmoil causing the recovery process to proceed very slowly. It has taken 4 months to get this place to the way it is now, and even now…” She trailed.
“Even now, not everyone has completely calmed down yet. What happened 4 months ago shook this company. It seemed unlikely that it would actually happen in real life, yet it already has. This made everyone rethink of their safety and the safety of those involved, in this case the two members of JUMP. Do you get it?”
Inoo blinked and nodded, showing that he understood.
“This is still a difficult time for others. The reason why we advised you to go on a hiatus was not only because we wanted you to recover, but to also help the others in this industry. They would have never been able to forget that accident if they saw you running around the company. Their careers were at stake as well, in their former condition that is.”
Inoo couldn’t really say anything. He had nothing to say. He wasn’t in the position to say anything. The only way he could really respond at the moment was to give a hesitant nod.
Johnny leaned back in his seat and the manager held back a sigh.
“At the moment they are still fragile. It may not seem like it, but they are.” Thee manager solemnly said.
There was a slight pause in the room. Johnny rubbed his temple with his right hand.
“So. So far do you have any questions Inoo? Before we head off to the event scheduled for you today?”
“The event…” He said looking down at the pink infested schedule sitting in front of him. “’Is it…”
“A press conference, officially marking your return from your hiatus.” Johnny answered even before Inoo finished his question. “We have less than 20 minutes to get to the press-conference that is plenty of time to answer any other questions that you have. Or was that it?”
A thought suddenly appeared in Inoo’s head. He looked at Johnny and his manager straight in the eyes. From the look in Inoo’s eyes, Johnny knew he wasn’t going to like the next line coming out of Inoo’s mouth.
“It’s about the accident.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N: AHH!!! I'm sorry you guys!! it's almost been 4 weeks.. 4 WEEKS!!!! I MADE YOU GUYS WAIT FOR 4 WEEKS!!! -hits self for failure- I feel so disappointed at myself.. sure RL has been really mean to me lately.. but it didn't mean that i had to keep you people waiting.. -sigh-
So i was on a unannounced semi-hiatus... I was lurking around.. i just never wrote anything. I tried doing what my friend does and type up a little bit of the chapter at a time... RESULT: it failed.. >__> Talk about major failure.. I found that it took me longer to type it up if i did a little at a time.. every time i stopped for the day.. i can never seem to remember what my original continuation to the chapter was.. >__> so this chapter was a bit choppy and boring..
Another chapter without Yabu.. i think i only mentioned his actual NAME in this chapter like... 2 times.. >__>
Heads up... Yabu doesn't make an appearance until later on i guess..
Another heads up... I don't want to make this anymore draggy as it is at the moment, so i might end this at around Chapter 10... I know there's no way in my mind i can let this go on past 15. If i does get past 15.. it's going to be awfully boring and draggy... so anyone want to tell me what chapter they want this fic to last? I'd love your input. :D And i'm sorry for having such a long A/N... ]x
Remember:
1. Comments are sprinkles to my cupcakes.
2. Criticisms are music to my ears. I can handle them.
3. Comments/Incoherency motivate me. <<-- I just found that out. They make me happy and giddy, which gives me the drive to write some more. :DD heehee
Author: kore_dake
Length: Multi-Chapter
Pairing: Yabu/Inoo
Rating: PG-13... to keep it safe. XP
Genre: Angst/Fluff (these will surface later on. It's leaning more toward on angst though.)
Disclaimer: Only owns the plot... If i owned these guys, would I really be writing all this? HeeHee >.>
Summary: Ever since a few months ago, ever since that happened, Yabu has stopped coming to work, at least everyone says so. Inoo doesn't believe what the others might say, and he doesn't remember what happened; he sees Yabu everywhere. As the days pass, a confused Inoo desperately tries to find out the truth behind the rumors. The sleuthing begins and Inoo slowly finds out a horrible secret that his mind has been hiding from him all along.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Inoo stared at the phone, speechless.
‘Did I hear that right? Did she just say… come… to the building?'
Inoo stayed silent, a trance enveloping his body.
“Inoo-kun? Inoo, are you there?” Inoo shook his head out of its surprised state.
“Who? Oh. Sorry, yes, ma’am. I’m here.” His brain was still registering the information given to him so reaction time proved to be quite slow.
“Come to the building.” The manager said in between laughs, completely aware of Inoo’s confusion. “We have to talk and go in detail about you coming out of your hiatus. And your schedule…”
Inoo finally understood and a smile broke into his face. His first smile in 4 months. He immediately replied, cutting off her final words.
“I understand, Madam. I’m on my way. I’ll be right there.”
Before the manager could say another word, Inoo slammed down the phone and bolted out the door, grabbing a few things on his way out
~ooxOxoo~
Inoo sped to the Jimusho, only stopping once he got to the actual building. He took a breath and walked up to the entrance. The automatic doors smoothly slid open, revealing the lobby that he last saw over 4 months ago. Adrenaline rushed through his veins as he walked up to the receptionist.
The girl turned around just as Inoo reached the front desk. She looked up, surprised, but her eyes dimly revealed compassion. Inoo tilted his head to the side and the girl immediately smiled, knowing that her supervisor is going to chew her for it later on. The fact that she’s a female isn’t going to help either. Heartfelt contact wasn’t allowed towards the talents. Unreasonable isn’t it?
“Inoo-kun, Kitagawa-san, everyone actually, has been expecting you, although I must admit, you arrived here pretty quickly.” She paused; she dialed on the phone located next to her. She stayed silent for a little and someone picked up on the other end. “Kitagawa-san, he’s here. Yes, sir. No, sir, he looks perfectly healthy. Very well, sir. I’ll inform him right away. I’ll send him up in a few minutes after I brief him of the situation, sir. Ah… I’ll leave that information for you to tell him, sir. I am aware that that type of information is under your jurisdiction, Kitagawa-san. Thank you, sir. He’ll be up soon.”
She put down the phone and looked at Inoo, who in turn smiled.
“Kitagawa-san and your manager are waiting in the conference room located right across the Hey! Say! JUMP rehearsal room up on the 10th floor. He wants you to go straight there. But he says that if you wish to see your friends and band mates along the way, you may.”
Inoo turned to leave, but the receptionist stopped him.
Inoo turned around to face her, a smile threatening to mold itself on his lips. He was ecstatic to be back.
“Hm?”
“I have to brief you on the situation. My orders.”
“Situation of… the Jimusho?"
The receptionist nodded, her dark brunette side bangs covered her right eye.
“Right now, the Jimusho is doing fine but that only started to change and become this way recently. The building was in chaos after the accident in Shibuya. That combined with the hiatus of you and Yabu, the other groups lost not only morale but only had fear in their hearts. Johnny-san will go into detail on this when you see him later. As for now, just keep in mind that some of the talents are still sensitive about the event that occurred 4 months ago.”
Half listening, Inoo nodded and waited for the receptionist to continue on. Sensing that he was expecting more out of her, she indicated that she could not say anymore.
“That’s all I can say, Inoo-kun. The rest is up for Johnny-san to tell. This is all I’m allowed to say.” She repeated the last line again, as if she was resolute and firm.
Inoo showed that he understood and bowed to take his leave. He smiled brilliantly to the receptionist and turned to leave.
“Wait, Inoo-kun!”
Inoo faced her; he was starting to get impatient. The young lady took note of this and decided to keep her warning short.
“I’m sorry for stopping you so many times. All I wanted to say was… Don’t be surprised with what you find here in the Jimusho. A lot has happened within 4 months. Just take caution and don’t be so surprised.”
Inoo looked at her curiously. He knew the words had a grave meaning, but he didn’t understand. If he was back, surely was Yabu, wasn’t that all that mattered? Right?
‘How much can a whole building change in 4 months anyway?’ He selfishly thought. Nonetheless he took the receptionist’s words seriously and headed to the elevator.
~ooxOxoo~
He reached the 10th floor moments later and walked out of the elevator feeling a sense of giddiness within his body. The place was nostalgic; each corner reminded him of a time to remember. He passed Jrs. and senpais, greeting them all with the same sincerity and enthusiasm.
“Inoo-kun! Hey!” Akanishi said with Kame next to him. Kame smiled and patted Inoo on the back, “Good to have you back, Inoo.”
“Inoo-kun! You’re back!” Juri beamed, while Koki waved at him, half pre-occupied, and turned Juri’s attention back to the plans in his hands.
“Inoo!!” Koyama rushed over to Inoo’s side along with Tegoshi and Shige. “We’ve missed you!! We were wondering when they would bring you back.” They said all at the same time.
Inoo could only smile and nod as other Jrs. and members of the Jimusho began to welcome him enthusiastically. The sullen thoughts the swirled about his head only hours ago, gone and forgotten. For the moment that is.
~ooxOxoo~
He headed to the direction of JUMP’s rehearsal room, when one particular person got his attention, delaying his arrival to the conference room even further. Inoo noticed that the person looked like he was trying to hide from him, so Inoo decided that he should make the first move and greet him.
“Shintaro! What’s up?”
Inoo called out. Hearing his voice, Shintaro froze as he turned and saw Inoo approaching him. Little did Inoo know that Shintaro’s heart felt like it was about to burst from its owner’s body, beating faster and faster with every step that the other boy took toward him. The younger boy lowered his gaze and avoided Inoo’s eyes when he found the older boy standing in front of him.
Inoo bent down and tried to look at Shintaro in the eyes.
“Hey, Shintaro. Are you alright?” Inoo kept his eyes on Shintaro, attempting to make the latter look at the former back in the eyes. Shintaro forced to keep eyes down, and remained silent. Inoo put his hands on the shorter boy’s shoulders. “What’s wrong? Did something happen? Are you feeling sick?”
As Inoo’s final words escaped his mouth, he didn’t realize that he sounded exactly like a certain member of JUMP, but Shintaro did. The younger’s head slowly faced up and into Inoo’s eyes. He shook his head.
“Then why are you so quiet?”
“I was worried about Inoo-kun.” Shintaro said simply, speaking for the first time. Inoo noticed that the words seemed unnatural, but he pushed the thoughts aside.
Silence befell the two and Shintaro began to fidget. Unable to take the silence, he unwillingly broke it.
“So I-I-Inoo-kun, h-how have y-you b-been?” He managed to stutter out.
Inoo smiled, holding in a chuckle.
“Wasn’t I the one who asked you that first?” Inoo tilted his head. Shintaro mentally slapped his forehead, feeling stupid.
“O-oh, right. I-I’m sorry.” Shintaro mumbled. “I’ve been ok. I mean things have been a bit different around here ever-ever since…” His voice trailed as his eyes began to fog up. Inoo remembered the receptionist’s words and immediately cut off Shintaro.
“Ever since I decided to stay home?” Ok. So he had to lie. ‘But this is Shintaro, Ryutaro’s younger brother. How can I tell him that they decided to take me out? That’s just cruel. He’s just a child.’ Inoo inwardly concluded.
Shintaro noticed that Inoo had tried to lighten the blow, he couldn’t help but feel a little thankful
Question was…
Was it because Inoo had saved him the tears?
Or was it because Shintaro had no intention of feeling whole-heartedly thankful to him?
Or maybe it was because Inoo reminded him of everything Shintaro couldn’t be and couldn’t have at the moment? Especially what he wanted.
But chances were… it was because he didn’t have to finish what he started to say.
Under these circumstances, he had to feel thankful for that; he just wasn’t ready to tell anyone just yet, particularly Inoo.
Shintaro fidgeted constantly and as their conversation continued, the more flustered he became. He couldn’t take it anymore.
“I-Inoo-k-kun, I’m s-sorry but I have to g-go. Juniors have a d-dance practice so…”
Inoo just nods and smiles.
“No problem, Shintaro. If there’s anything bothering you, feel free to talk to me ok? I wouldn’t mind. I’ll be around if you want me.”
Shintaro froze, hearing the same words that the person he liked said to him a while ago. He looked down, attempting to cover up a blush that was creeping up his face. Inoo patted him on the shoulder twice, and Shintaro’s cheeks turned bright red as he walked away from the older boy.
Inoo noted Shitaro’s odd behavior, but he merely passed it off as an aftereffect of “the change” that the Jimusho went through. He never noticed Shintaro’s flaming face as the younger walked away, and never even considered it as he turned around to watch the smaller figure walk away from him.
He suddenly remembered his manager and Johnny and quickly turned to the direction of the HSJ rehearsal room. He walked faster now, not wanting his two bosses to wait too long for his arrival.
~ooxOxoo~
He stood in front of the conference door. He reached for the doorknob and paused. He looked over his shoulder and saw another door: the HSJ rehearsal room. He heard Jounetsu JUMP blasted up, tempting him to open that door and forget about the conference room. He looked sadly at the door and with fierce determination; he faced the conference room, turned the knob, and stepped in.
The room suddenly became quiet as two figures turned their attention to the open door. One was a woman who welcomed Inoo with a smile; the other an old man with a straight face but soft, twinkling eyes. The woman stood up.
“Inoo-kun, you are finally here! We thought you forgot about our meeting here amidst all the excitement within the Jimusho due to your sudden arrival.”
“Johnny-san. Manager-san. It’s nice to see you again.” Inoo bowed formally. “I’m sorry I’m late.”
Johnny stopped him.
“You, how have you been? Sit down. We have a lot to talk about.”
Inoo half-bowed and sat across the two. Once he sat down, Johnny nodded to JUMP’s manager, signaling her to start whatever it was they had planned.
She decided it was best if started this meeting out slow.
“Well Inoo-kun. How have you been? How was your…” She hesitated on the last word. “Break.”
“I’m well.” Well he was in front of his seniors. You can’t expect him to talk informally, can you? “My break was fine. I was able to spend more time with my dogs and concentrate on my university homework. Other than that, I would catch up on lost sleep.”
Johnny chuckled and the manager smiled.
“Well I hope you’ll be able to adjust back to your old schedule.” She said as she ruffled through her briefcase and took out a 3-inch stack of papers, causing Inoo’s eyes to involuntarily grow wide. The young woman laughed. “Don’t worry. It isn’t all for you. It’s basically reviews of what you missed, in case you want to be up to date on things here.”
“Is that what JUMP did in the course of 4 months?” He asked incredulously. ‘I can’t believe it… That’s more than we ever did when we were a full group.’
The lady shook her head.
“It’s for the whole Jimusho.” She stated simply.
“Oh… I see.” ‘Never mind then…’
His manager handed him a stapled packet of papers.
“This is your new schedule. It includes JUMP’s entire schedule as well. Basically it will tell you everything that has to be done within the next few weeks. It might be overwhelming at first, but it is to make up for the 4 months that you have been gone.”
Inoo looked at the color-coded packet in front of him, finding his name marked in pink. So far, he already saw that his color appeared more than 15 times in the first week. He would have groaned, but he was happy to be back. He saw that he had something planned today at 7:45 p.m. He looked at the clock: 6:55 p.m. He had plenty of time.
He directed his attention to the gigantic stack of papers in front of him, and bit his lip in apprehension. This did not go by unnoticed by Johnny.
“You don’t have to read it.” Johnny spoke for the second time that evening, surprising Inoo. “I understand that the young female at the front desk briefed you on the situation here. How much did she tell you?”
Inoo looked away from the pile and uncomfortably shifted in his chair. He moved his gaze upward and looked at Johnny.
“Not a lot, sir. She informed me that the Jimusho’s state now was just achieved recently after the disorder subsided. She also said that the other groups are still troubled at the moment. Some are still sensitive to the situation.”
“Is that all she told you?” Johnny raised his eyebrows, showing signs that he didn’t thoroughly believe what Inoo was saying.
“That was all, sir. She stated that what she told me was the most she could tell me. That the rest was for you to finish, sir.” Inoo left out the receptionist’s last words of “take caution and don’t be surprised.” He felt that she wasn’t allowed to say something like that.
‘Hmm… smart girl.’ Johnny thought.
“Well, it seems that she followed my specifics. We have established that the building was in chaos and a mess and all of that, have we not? So I guess I don’t have to repeat that again. The receptionist was correct; compared to a few months ago, this company has simmered and calmed down since.”
Johnny paused. The lone woman in the room continued.
“Apparently the hiatuses of 2 JUMP members fueled the turmoil causing the recovery process to proceed very slowly. It has taken 4 months to get this place to the way it is now, and even now…” She trailed.
“Even now, not everyone has completely calmed down yet. What happened 4 months ago shook this company. It seemed unlikely that it would actually happen in real life, yet it already has. This made everyone rethink of their safety and the safety of those involved, in this case the two members of JUMP. Do you get it?”
Inoo blinked and nodded, showing that he understood.
“This is still a difficult time for others. The reason why we advised you to go on a hiatus was not only because we wanted you to recover, but to also help the others in this industry. They would have never been able to forget that accident if they saw you running around the company. Their careers were at stake as well, in their former condition that is.”
Inoo couldn’t really say anything. He had nothing to say. He wasn’t in the position to say anything. The only way he could really respond at the moment was to give a hesitant nod.
Johnny leaned back in his seat and the manager held back a sigh.
“At the moment they are still fragile. It may not seem like it, but they are.” Thee manager solemnly said.
There was a slight pause in the room. Johnny rubbed his temple with his right hand.
“So. So far do you have any questions Inoo? Before we head off to the event scheduled for you today?”
“The event…” He said looking down at the pink infested schedule sitting in front of him. “’Is it…”
“A press conference, officially marking your return from your hiatus.” Johnny answered even before Inoo finished his question. “We have less than 20 minutes to get to the press-conference that is plenty of time to answer any other questions that you have. Or was that it?”
A thought suddenly appeared in Inoo’s head. He looked at Johnny and his manager straight in the eyes. From the look in Inoo’s eyes, Johnny knew he wasn’t going to like the next line coming out of Inoo’s mouth.
“It’s about the accident.”
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A/N: AHH!!! I'm sorry you guys!! it's almost been 4 weeks.. 4 WEEKS!!!! I MADE YOU GUYS WAIT FOR 4 WEEKS!!! -hits self for failure- I feel so disappointed at myself.. sure RL has been really mean to me lately.. but it didn't mean that i had to keep you people waiting.. -sigh-
So i was on a unannounced semi-hiatus... I was lurking around.. i just never wrote anything. I tried doing what my friend does and type up a little bit of the chapter at a time... RESULT: it failed.. >__> Talk about major failure.. I found that it took me longer to type it up if i did a little at a time.. every time i stopped for the day.. i can never seem to remember what my original continuation to the chapter was.. >__> so this chapter was a bit choppy and boring..
Another chapter without Yabu.. i think i only mentioned his actual NAME in this chapter like... 2 times.. >__>
Heads up... Yabu doesn't make an appearance until later on i guess..
Another heads up... I don't want to make this anymore draggy as it is at the moment, so i might end this at around Chapter 10... I know there's no way in my mind i can let this go on past 15. If i does get past 15.. it's going to be awfully boring and draggy... so anyone want to tell me what chapter they want this fic to last? I'd love your input. :D And i'm sorry for having such a long A/N... ]x
Remember:
1. Comments are sprinkles to my cupcakes.
2. Criticisms are music to my ears. I can handle them.
3. Comments/Incoherency motivate me. <<-- I just found that out. They make me happy and giddy, which gives me the drive to write some more. :DD heehee