Good Morning, Mr. Hyde, Today I'm Gonna Rock Your World - Chapter 15B
Title: Good Morning, Mr. Hyde, Today I'm Gonna Rock Your World - Chapter 15B
Author: Mayonaka no Taiyou/ unare_haineko
Pairing: hyde x tetsu
Rating: R-ish overall
Summary: What started of as Hyde having marital problems and Tetsu finally deciding to exploit the opportunity to address his longtime obsession with Hyde has turned into the multi-chaptered epic journey of the exciting and passionate relationship between Tetsu and Hyde.
0-0-0-0-0
“Are you all his family?” asked the assistant when they had all gathered in the doctor’s office.
“No, we’re his band members,” explained Ken.
“His body’s just gone into shock,” said the young doctor, running his fingers through his spiky hair while reading off some scribbles on the clipboard in his hand. “Low blood pressure…possibly from all that blood he’s been coughing up. The paramedics noted that his skin was rather clammy and pale, his breathing shallow, racing pulse, and that he appeared to be dehydrated…which may explain why he fainted…”
“So what’s wrong with him?” asked Ken.
“Well, we’re not entirely sure at this point. We’ll need to do some more tests, but we found these in his pocket,” the doctor said gesturing to the three vitamin bottles and small silver flask on his desk.
“What are those, vitamins?” asked Ken. “Can you overdose on vitamins?”
“Yes, you can take too many vitamins,” said the doctor, opening the bottles and dumping the colorful pills onto the metal tray that they were placed on. “Increased dosage does not lead to increased health.”
“Those are some pretty funny looking vitamins,” commented Hyde.
“Those aren’t vitamins,” said Ken.
“Correct. We’ve identified most of these pills. Most of them are over the counter medications like ibuprofen, allergy antihistamine pills, motion sickness pills, sleeping pills, etc. No illegal substances though.”
“What’s in the flask?” asked Ken.
“Whiskey.”
“Is it safe to be taking all of those at the same time with alcohol?”
“No.”
“Was he taking all of those together?”
“Most likely.”
“For what?”
“We think it’s for his hands. There was one pill that is generally prescribed to relieve joint pain and since his hands appeared to be swollen, we had his hands tested.”
“And…?”
“Let me ask the three of you something. Were you aware that he was having problems with his wrists and hands?”
“Problems? What kind of problems?” asked Hyde.
“Did he ever mention the pain in his wrists or possible numbness he might have been feeling?”
“Not to me,” said Ken. “Yuki?”
“No.”
“How bad?” asked Hyde.
“Well, gauging by the apparent damage…it would have been pretty painful if he was actually playing an instrument, probably like trying to sing opera with laryngitis. He was the vocalist right?”
“No, I’m the vocalist,” said Hyde. “Tetsu’s the bassist.”
“As in bass guitar?”
“Yes,” answered Ken.
“How many hours do you guys practice for?”
“Well, at rehearsal, practices can easily run twelve or more hours-“
“With breaks?”
“Yeah, smoke breaks, food breaks, but most are really short. We don’t rest much when we’re on tour. We’re rehearsing most of the time before the concert so that they can get the lights and sound up and working.”
“And do you all feel the strain at the end?”
“Well, it’s tiring, but we’re okay, right Yuki?”
Yuki nodded in affirmation to Ken’s question.
“Hyde is the only one there but not really practicing since we don’t want him to lose his voice before the concert. It’s usually at Tetsu’s insistence that we practice so much before the concerts. If he was in pain, he never showed any signs of it while we were practicing…”
“I see,” said the doctor, noting all the information Ken and Hyde were sharing. “So did anyone notice anything peculiar about the patient?”
“Peculiar?” repeated Ken. “Like what?”
“Like shakiness, irritability, anything out of the ordinary?”
“Hmm…” went a unanimous hum.
“Oh,” said Yuki.
“What?” said Ken.
“Did you notice that Tetsu suddenly started using forks and straws to eat his food?”
“Forks and straws?” asked Hyde.
“Yeah, the other day, I saw him eating ramen like it was spaghetti or something and he had a straw coming out of the soup. I thought it was weird, but I didn’t say anything to him at the time.”
“Well, the fork would be less painful to grasp than having to hold on to the chopsticks,” reasoned the doctor. “Since chopsticks require a much wider range of motion…”
“I just thought of something,” said Ken suddenly. “When I was in the hotel one night, this guy brought like 20 kilos of ice in buckets to my room because he thought that I was Tetsu. My room was 1510, but Tetsu’s was 1501, so I sent him down the hall. I didn’t think anything strange of it, but it was like 11 pm when he did that. I’m pretty sure Tetsu wasn’t making margaritas in his room. So he might have been icing his hands after practice, right?”
“Oh, and did you notice Tetsu was dropping stuff recently?” said Yuki. “I dunno, every time I’d see him, he’d be dropping stuff…his pick, his water bottle, his wallet, pens, papers…I think he dropped a wine glass at one of the hotels…”
Hyde’s eyes widened as he recalled that time that Tetsu came to bed with cold hands and the time he dropped the glass in the kitchen sink.
FUCK! The signs were all there! I’m going to hell for being such an insensitive dolt!
“Hyde, did you notice anything?” asked Ken, interrupting Hyde’s thoughts.
“Um…he was pretty irritable every time I tried to talk to him…Doctor, is he going to be okay?”
“Well, the damage is fairly significant. It looks like some variant of a repetitive strain injury that is common among professional musicians. Normally, we ask patients to take steps to decrease the strain to prevent further injury in the beginning, but seeing as he’s already collapsed from the OTC drug cocktail he’s concocted, I would say the damage has already been done. Because of the advanced stage of the damage, chances are, he’ll need surgery to correct the problem. But he’s so weak and frail, not to mention his body’s probably going through withdrawal…No doctor in their right mind would operate on him, but if he doesn’t get this corrected soon, he may lose some or all feeling to his fingers, range of motion in his hand-“
“So he may never be able to play again?!” Hyde said.
“That is a possibility. It’s hard to know for sure, but I would say it’s pretty likely if he doesn’t do something about it.”
“But you just said no one in their right mind would operate on him-“
“The thing is, he may have a stomach ulcer or something else that is causing him to vomit up blood all the time. That is his first priority. Then we can worry about his hands. But we’ll need to perform more tests and talk to the patient when he regains consciousness to know more of the situation and what course of action to pursue. Until then, get some rest and leave his care to us.”
0-0-0-0-0
Hyde came by every day twice a day to see if Tetsu had regained consciousness. For four days, there was nothing. Then on the fifth day, there was a breakthrough.
“Good morning,” Hyde said, waving to one of the nurses. “Is Tetsu awake?”
“Um…come with me,” she whispered, leading him into an unused room.
“Is he awake?”
“Yes, but you can’t see him…”
“Why not?”
“He has requested that no one be allowed in his room.”
“What happened?!”
“Well, he woke up, disoriented and in a lot of pain. After we calmed him down, the doctor came and saw him. He asked your friend about his hands and what he had been doing…”
“And what did he say?”
“Nothing.”
“Did he tell Tetsu all that stuff about needing surgery and the possibility of losing feeling altogether?”
“Yes.”
“So now he won’t see anyone?”
“That’s correct.”
Hyde sighed and massaged one temple.
“All right, let me talk to the other members.”
0-0-0-0-0
Hyde gathered the remaining two members in his hotel room to update them on Tetsu.
“So, I went to the hospital this morning,” said Hyde, puffing on a cigarette.
“And…?” Ken said, lighting up one for him and one for Yuki.
“Tetsu woke up and they told him he might not ever be able to play again.”
“So what happened?”
“He now refuses to see anyone and-“
BEEP BEEP BEEP!
Hyde’s cell phone began to ring loudly.
“Excuse me,” Hyde said, answering his phone. “Hello?...KAZ! It’s been a while. How have you been?...Mm hm…You’re finally ready to do that English language album we’ve been talking about…? You’re in Osaka right now? Uh huh…okay…well, we kinda have a situation right-WHAT?! A WHAT?! Okay, let me call you back.”
“What?” asked Ken.
“Hold on,” Hyde said, pulling his laptop from his bag and turning it on.
Hyde connected to the internet and opened the browser.
“What’re you looking for?” asked Ken, hovering about Hyde’s shoulder.
“Yahoo…Yahoo Japan…music…” Hyde trailed off, clicking various links. “L’ARC~EN~CIEL 3 YEAR HIATUS.”
“WHAT?!” said Ken, nearly choking on his cigarette.
“A representative for the ever popular band, L’Arc~en~Ciel has just announced that the band will be taking a three year hiatus until 2011,” read Hyde. “Members will be pursuing solo career work and preparing for their 20th anniversary special tour. That is all.”
“Did you know about this, Yuki?” asked Ken.
“No.”
“Hyde?”
“No! I just heard about it from KAZ! He gets news sent to his cell. That’s how he knew…”
“What is he thinking…” mumbled Ken.
“Who, Tetsu?” offered Yuki.
“Yeah…” Ken scratched the back of his ear. “Well, I guess it means you can pursue that thing with KAZ after all, Hyde.”
“Huh?”
“I mean, we’re not really active right now as a band and well, Tetsu’s out of commission and refusing to have non-medical human contact right now, so maybe you should take this opportunity and go record and promote with KAZ. It’s not often you get offers and stuff so soon after switching off the L’Arc~en~Ciel neon sign plastered to your forehead.”
“I guess,” Hyde said slowly.
“Why don’t you go to Osaka from here? It’s better than going up to Tokyo and then back down.”
“But…”
“I mean weren’t you trying to get KAZ to do something with you for like the past five years?” asked Ken.
“Yes…”
“And now he’s finally ready to work with you.”
“I know, but what about Tetsu…”
“So go!” urged Ken. “Don’t worry about Tetsu. He’s a big boy and can take care of himself. He doesn’t wanna talk to nobody right now, so the best thing to do is just to let him be. He’ll probably go back to Tokyo when he’s feeling better.”
“But he’s injured-“ protested Hyde.
“Tetsu won’t ever admit he needs help, Hyde. I’m sure he’ll be fine. He just needs to come to accept that he’ll need to stay in the hospital, maybe have some surgery, and sit at home like a good boy and recover. He doesn’t like being weak and helpless, but I doubt the hospital will release him for at least three weeks. By then, you’ll be done recording and you can help Tetsu out.”
“I guess…” said Hyde with uncertainty in his voice.
“Just go. What is Tetsu always telling us about not letting opportunities pass us by?”
“I know, but…”
“Just go,” urged Ken. “A few days won’t hurt, right?”
“I guess…”
“So it’s decided,” said Ken, extinguishing his cigarette in the crystal ashtray. “Hyde, you will go to Osaka and record with KAZ. Yuki and I will finish up here. I’ll tell the nurses to let Tetsu know what’s going on with you once he’s feeling more receptive. In any case, you better get going Hyde. As they say, you gotta strike while the iron his hot. Come on, Yuki.”
Ken and Yuki closed the door behind them and walked out into the hall, leaving Hyde to himself.
“Ken…” said Yuki when they reached the end of the hall.
“Hmm?”
“Why did you send Hyde with KAZ? He seemed like he really wanted to be here with Tetsu…”
“What good would that have done? Tetsu doesn’t wanna see nobody and probably won’t for awhile. He put a halt to group activities for three years. He’s very much aware of the gravity of the situation. He knows that he’s going to be a useless entity for awhile. I mean, it’s not like we can go on tours or run promotions and stuff either. We’re missing a very big one-fourth of our group. He’s not going to risk losing feeling to his fingers permanently, so I’m thinking he just wants us to pursue opportunities should they arise. Hyde can go there every day and wait outside of Tetsu’s door waiting for him to let him in. But when Tetsu puts his foot down, he doesn’t budge. He’s not going to do or see anyone until he’s good and ready.”
“I see…You really know Tetsu well, don’t you, Ken?”
“I’ve known him for many years, Yuki. I was the first member he recruited for his no name band. And I know this sounds odd, but I feel like in the last year or so that Hyde has gotten closer to Tetsu than I’ve ever gotten in all the years I’ve known him.”
“Are you jealous?”
“I dunno…I don’t think so. Just thinking aloud…” sighed Ken, opening the door and letting himself into his room.
0-0-0-0-0
It was nearly Christmas when Hyde returned from Osaka a couple of weeks later. It was deadlock traffic and Hyde was sitting in a taxi being driven back from the train station to Tetsu’s house.
“Good afternoon, Kanagawa Prefecture General Hospital. This is Kitani. How may I direct your call?” said the pleasant young voice over the phone.
“May I have the room of Ogawa Tetsuya?” said Hyde, lighting a cigarette while he held the mobile phone to his ear with the crook of his neck.
“One moment please…”
“Thank you.”
Hyde heard the sound of computer keys clicking in the background as he waited to be transferred.
“Thank you for waiting. I’m sorry, I don’t have anyone under that name. Are you certain that is the correct name?”
“Oh…was he discharged already?”
“I’m sorry, I cannot give that information over the phone.”
“I see…okay, well thank you anyway.”
Hyde closed his phone as they pulled up to Tetsu’s driveway. He paid the driver and unloaded his suitcases, figuring that Tetsu must already be inside.
“I’m home,” Hyde called, wheeling his suitcase in the front door. “Hmm, why are all the lights off? Tetsu? Tetsu? Are you here? Where are you? I’m back from Osaka-Tetsu?”
Hyde walked around the house, looking for a sign that Tetsu was there, but it was all dark. Opening the door to the garage, he stuck his head out and looked around.
“His car is still here…” he said, returning to the kitchen. “Here’s his keys in the usual spot…”
Hyde opened the refrigerator.
“Nothing in the refrigerator…what the hell has he been eating? I bet he’s been ordering out every night since I’m not here to cook for him…”
Hyde ran his fingers over the counter and stared at the thin layer of dust it had picked up.
“Hmm…dusty…well, I guess he’s probably not in a real cleaning mood…Where’s the mail…?”
Hyde walked back to the mailbox and found it nearly overflowing with envelopes.
“Whoa…look at all these bills…” Hyde said, taking them to the kitchen to open up. “I wonder if he hasn’t been paying the bills….nope, it’s just a receipt. I guess he pays them by credit card. And…this credit card bill….is deducted automatically from his checking account. He’s got everything set up…I guess I never really noticed since I was the wife doing all the cooking and cleaning…Tetsu would always do the money reconciliation…I wonder if Tetsu took a trip somewhere…”
Hyde wandered into the bedroom and opened the closet where Tetsu kept all his suitcases.
“What the heck…his stuff and the suitcases are all still here. How odd…nothing’s missing, but it’s like no one’s been living here for quite some time…hmmm….”
Hyde sat on the bed and tried to plan out his next course of action.
“Stupid me! I’ll call his cell, see where he’s at.”
Hyde pulled his mobile device from his pocket and dialed Tetsu’s number.
“Pick up your phone…” Hyde grumbled when Tetsu had not answered after about three rings.
Then he heard a vibrating sound coming from the kitchen.
“What the-“
Hyde ran to the kitchen and saw Tetsu’s phone on the counter, plugged into the charger behind the toaster, ringing. He picked up the phone and looked at the main screen.
“104 unread messages…79 missed calls…last answered call…December 4 at 17:42…what’s today-the 22nd?! What the hell…?”
Hyde quickly dialed Ken.
“Ken, it’s me. Sorry, did I wake you? Where are you?”
“Matsuyama.”
“In Ehime?”
“Yeah, on vacation with Mari-chan.”
“I see…Hey, listen, have you talked to Tetsu recently?”
“Not really…Ever since that announcement, I’ve just let him be. Why?”
“No…No reason.”
“What’s up?”
“Nothing. Forget it.”
“Hyde?”
“Where’s Yuki?”
“He went to Europe with his friend. Something about international percussion exhibition forum something or another…he’ll be back in January.”
“Oh. I guess everyone’s on holiday, huh?”
“You sound disappointed.”
“It’s nothing.”
“Didn’t you just come back from Osaka? How was the project with KAZ?”
“Oh, okay. We just gotta decide on a jacket design for the album and we’re done.”
“That’s good…”
“Well, sorry for bothering you.”
“Hyde-“
“Say hi to Mari-chan for me. Bye.”
“Hy-“
The line went dead as Hyde closed his phone on his side. Hyde felt his knees go weak on him and stumbled into the living room to the couch. As he lay on the couch, he stared at the carpet dejectedly. Rolling off the couch and onto the floor, Hyde tumbled left and right restlessly on the soft carpet. When he finally stopped, he saw a red light above the DVD player blinking.
“What’s that red light?” he mused to himself sitting up.
Hyde turned on the television and pressed the play button.
The screen flickered for several moments before switching to video mode where it displayed a familiar face on the screen.
“Te…tsu…” Hyde whispered staring intently at the screen.
The Tetsu on screen cleared his throat and paused for several moments before looking down sadly.
“Good…bye, Hyde,” said Tetsu, bowing heavily as the screen faded into black and went into the black and white fuzzy frenzy when the signal was lost.
0-0-0-0-0
To be continued…? Or is this the end…? ┐(^-^;)┌さぁ・・？ ヾ( ￣▽)ゞｵﾎﾎﾎﾎﾎ
Navigation | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3A | Chapter 3B | Chapter 4A | Chapter 4B | Chapter 5A | Chapter 5B | Chapter 5C | Chapter 5D | Chapter 6A | Chapter 6B | Chapter 7A | Chapter 7B | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9A | Chapter 9B | Chapter 9C | Chapter 10A | Chapter 10B | Chapter 10C | Chapter 11A | Chapter 11 B | Chapter 12A | Chapter 12B | Chapter 12C | Chapter 13 | Chapter 14A | Chapter 14B | Chapter 14C | Chapter 15A | Chapter 15B | Chapter 16 | Chapter 17 |
Author: Mayonaka no Taiyou/ unare_haineko
Pairing: hyde x tetsu
Rating: R-ish overall
Summary: What started of as Hyde having marital problems and Tetsu finally deciding to exploit the opportunity to address his longtime obsession with Hyde has turned into the multi-chaptered epic journey of the exciting and passionate relationship between Tetsu and Hyde.
0-0-0-0-0
“Are you all his family?” asked the assistant when they had all gathered in the doctor’s office.
“No, we’re his band members,” explained Ken.
“His body’s just gone into shock,” said the young doctor, running his fingers through his spiky hair while reading off some scribbles on the clipboard in his hand. “Low blood pressure…possibly from all that blood he’s been coughing up. The paramedics noted that his skin was rather clammy and pale, his breathing shallow, racing pulse, and that he appeared to be dehydrated…which may explain why he fainted…”
“So what’s wrong with him?” asked Ken.
“Well, we’re not entirely sure at this point. We’ll need to do some more tests, but we found these in his pocket,” the doctor said gesturing to the three vitamin bottles and small silver flask on his desk.
“What are those, vitamins?” asked Ken. “Can you overdose on vitamins?”
“Yes, you can take too many vitamins,” said the doctor, opening the bottles and dumping the colorful pills onto the metal tray that they were placed on. “Increased dosage does not lead to increased health.”
“Those are some pretty funny looking vitamins,” commented Hyde.
“Those aren’t vitamins,” said Ken.
“Correct. We’ve identified most of these pills. Most of them are over the counter medications like ibuprofen, allergy antihistamine pills, motion sickness pills, sleeping pills, etc. No illegal substances though.”
“What’s in the flask?” asked Ken.
“Whiskey.”
“Is it safe to be taking all of those at the same time with alcohol?”
“No.”
“Was he taking all of those together?”
“Most likely.”
“For what?”
“We think it’s for his hands. There was one pill that is generally prescribed to relieve joint pain and since his hands appeared to be swollen, we had his hands tested.”
“And…?”
“Let me ask the three of you something. Were you aware that he was having problems with his wrists and hands?”
“Problems? What kind of problems?” asked Hyde.
“Did he ever mention the pain in his wrists or possible numbness he might have been feeling?”
“Not to me,” said Ken. “Yuki?”
“No.”
“How bad?” asked Hyde.
“Well, gauging by the apparent damage…it would have been pretty painful if he was actually playing an instrument, probably like trying to sing opera with laryngitis. He was the vocalist right?”
“No, I’m the vocalist,” said Hyde. “Tetsu’s the bassist.”
“As in bass guitar?”
“Yes,” answered Ken.
“How many hours do you guys practice for?”
“Well, at rehearsal, practices can easily run twelve or more hours-“
“With breaks?”
“Yeah, smoke breaks, food breaks, but most are really short. We don’t rest much when we’re on tour. We’re rehearsing most of the time before the concert so that they can get the lights and sound up and working.”
“And do you all feel the strain at the end?”
“Well, it’s tiring, but we’re okay, right Yuki?”
Yuki nodded in affirmation to Ken’s question.
“Hyde is the only one there but not really practicing since we don’t want him to lose his voice before the concert. It’s usually at Tetsu’s insistence that we practice so much before the concerts. If he was in pain, he never showed any signs of it while we were practicing…”
“I see,” said the doctor, noting all the information Ken and Hyde were sharing. “So did anyone notice anything peculiar about the patient?”
“Peculiar?” repeated Ken. “Like what?”
“Like shakiness, irritability, anything out of the ordinary?”
“Hmm…” went a unanimous hum.
“Oh,” said Yuki.
“What?” said Ken.
“Did you notice that Tetsu suddenly started using forks and straws to eat his food?”
“Forks and straws?” asked Hyde.
“Yeah, the other day, I saw him eating ramen like it was spaghetti or something and he had a straw coming out of the soup. I thought it was weird, but I didn’t say anything to him at the time.”
“Well, the fork would be less painful to grasp than having to hold on to the chopsticks,” reasoned the doctor. “Since chopsticks require a much wider range of motion…”
“I just thought of something,” said Ken suddenly. “When I was in the hotel one night, this guy brought like 20 kilos of ice in buckets to my room because he thought that I was Tetsu. My room was 1510, but Tetsu’s was 1501, so I sent him down the hall. I didn’t think anything strange of it, but it was like 11 pm when he did that. I’m pretty sure Tetsu wasn’t making margaritas in his room. So he might have been icing his hands after practice, right?”
“Oh, and did you notice Tetsu was dropping stuff recently?” said Yuki. “I dunno, every time I’d see him, he’d be dropping stuff…his pick, his water bottle, his wallet, pens, papers…I think he dropped a wine glass at one of the hotels…”
Hyde’s eyes widened as he recalled that time that Tetsu came to bed with cold hands and the time he dropped the glass in the kitchen sink.
FUCK! The signs were all there! I’m going to hell for being such an insensitive dolt!
“Hyde, did you notice anything?” asked Ken, interrupting Hyde’s thoughts.
“Um…he was pretty irritable every time I tried to talk to him…Doctor, is he going to be okay?”
“Well, the damage is fairly significant. It looks like some variant of a repetitive strain injury that is common among professional musicians. Normally, we ask patients to take steps to decrease the strain to prevent further injury in the beginning, but seeing as he’s already collapsed from the OTC drug cocktail he’s concocted, I would say the damage has already been done. Because of the advanced stage of the damage, chances are, he’ll need surgery to correct the problem. But he’s so weak and frail, not to mention his body’s probably going through withdrawal…No doctor in their right mind would operate on him, but if he doesn’t get this corrected soon, he may lose some or all feeling to his fingers, range of motion in his hand-“
“So he may never be able to play again?!” Hyde said.
“That is a possibility. It’s hard to know for sure, but I would say it’s pretty likely if he doesn’t do something about it.”
“But you just said no one in their right mind would operate on him-“
“The thing is, he may have a stomach ulcer or something else that is causing him to vomit up blood all the time. That is his first priority. Then we can worry about his hands. But we’ll need to perform more tests and talk to the patient when he regains consciousness to know more of the situation and what course of action to pursue. Until then, get some rest and leave his care to us.”
0-0-0-0-0
Hyde came by every day twice a day to see if Tetsu had regained consciousness. For four days, there was nothing. Then on the fifth day, there was a breakthrough.
“Good morning,” Hyde said, waving to one of the nurses. “Is Tetsu awake?”
“Um…come with me,” she whispered, leading him into an unused room.
“Is he awake?”
“Yes, but you can’t see him…”
“Why not?”
“He has requested that no one be allowed in his room.”
“What happened?!”
“Well, he woke up, disoriented and in a lot of pain. After we calmed him down, the doctor came and saw him. He asked your friend about his hands and what he had been doing…”
“And what did he say?”
“Nothing.”
“Did he tell Tetsu all that stuff about needing surgery and the possibility of losing feeling altogether?”
“Yes.”
“So now he won’t see anyone?”
“That’s correct.”
Hyde sighed and massaged one temple.
“All right, let me talk to the other members.”
0-0-0-0-0
Hyde gathered the remaining two members in his hotel room to update them on Tetsu.
“So, I went to the hospital this morning,” said Hyde, puffing on a cigarette.
“And…?” Ken said, lighting up one for him and one for Yuki.
“Tetsu woke up and they told him he might not ever be able to play again.”
“So what happened?”
“He now refuses to see anyone and-“
BEEP BEEP BEEP!
Hyde’s cell phone began to ring loudly.
“Excuse me,” Hyde said, answering his phone. “Hello?...KAZ! It’s been a while. How have you been?...Mm hm…You’re finally ready to do that English language album we’ve been talking about…? You’re in Osaka right now? Uh huh…okay…well, we kinda have a situation right-WHAT?! A WHAT?! Okay, let me call you back.”
“What?” asked Ken.
“Hold on,” Hyde said, pulling his laptop from his bag and turning it on.
Hyde connected to the internet and opened the browser.
“What’re you looking for?” asked Ken, hovering about Hyde’s shoulder.
“Yahoo…Yahoo Japan…music…” Hyde trailed off, clicking various links. “L’ARC~EN~CIEL 3 YEAR HIATUS.”
“WHAT?!” said Ken, nearly choking on his cigarette.
“A representative for the ever popular band, L’Arc~en~Ciel has just announced that the band will be taking a three year hiatus until 2011,” read Hyde. “Members will be pursuing solo career work and preparing for their 20th anniversary special tour. That is all.”
“Did you know about this, Yuki?” asked Ken.
“No.”
“Hyde?”
“No! I just heard about it from KAZ! He gets news sent to his cell. That’s how he knew…”
“What is he thinking…” mumbled Ken.
“Who, Tetsu?” offered Yuki.
“Yeah…” Ken scratched the back of his ear. “Well, I guess it means you can pursue that thing with KAZ after all, Hyde.”
“Huh?”
“I mean, we’re not really active right now as a band and well, Tetsu’s out of commission and refusing to have non-medical human contact right now, so maybe you should take this opportunity and go record and promote with KAZ. It’s not often you get offers and stuff so soon after switching off the L’Arc~en~Ciel neon sign plastered to your forehead.”
“I guess,” Hyde said slowly.
“Why don’t you go to Osaka from here? It’s better than going up to Tokyo and then back down.”
“But…”
“I mean weren’t you trying to get KAZ to do something with you for like the past five years?” asked Ken.
“Yes…”
“And now he’s finally ready to work with you.”
“I know, but what about Tetsu…”
“So go!” urged Ken. “Don’t worry about Tetsu. He’s a big boy and can take care of himself. He doesn’t wanna talk to nobody right now, so the best thing to do is just to let him be. He’ll probably go back to Tokyo when he’s feeling better.”
“But he’s injured-“ protested Hyde.
“Tetsu won’t ever admit he needs help, Hyde. I’m sure he’ll be fine. He just needs to come to accept that he’ll need to stay in the hospital, maybe have some surgery, and sit at home like a good boy and recover. He doesn’t like being weak and helpless, but I doubt the hospital will release him for at least three weeks. By then, you’ll be done recording and you can help Tetsu out.”
“I guess…” said Hyde with uncertainty in his voice.
“Just go. What is Tetsu always telling us about not letting opportunities pass us by?”
“I know, but…”
“Just go,” urged Ken. “A few days won’t hurt, right?”
“I guess…”
“So it’s decided,” said Ken, extinguishing his cigarette in the crystal ashtray. “Hyde, you will go to Osaka and record with KAZ. Yuki and I will finish up here. I’ll tell the nurses to let Tetsu know what’s going on with you once he’s feeling more receptive. In any case, you better get going Hyde. As they say, you gotta strike while the iron his hot. Come on, Yuki.”
Ken and Yuki closed the door behind them and walked out into the hall, leaving Hyde to himself.
“Ken…” said Yuki when they reached the end of the hall.
“Hmm?”
“Why did you send Hyde with KAZ? He seemed like he really wanted to be here with Tetsu…”
“What good would that have done? Tetsu doesn’t wanna see nobody and probably won’t for awhile. He put a halt to group activities for three years. He’s very much aware of the gravity of the situation. He knows that he’s going to be a useless entity for awhile. I mean, it’s not like we can go on tours or run promotions and stuff either. We’re missing a very big one-fourth of our group. He’s not going to risk losing feeling to his fingers permanently, so I’m thinking he just wants us to pursue opportunities should they arise. Hyde can go there every day and wait outside of Tetsu’s door waiting for him to let him in. But when Tetsu puts his foot down, he doesn’t budge. He’s not going to do or see anyone until he’s good and ready.”
“I see…You really know Tetsu well, don’t you, Ken?”
“I’ve known him for many years, Yuki. I was the first member he recruited for his no name band. And I know this sounds odd, but I feel like in the last year or so that Hyde has gotten closer to Tetsu than I’ve ever gotten in all the years I’ve known him.”
“Are you jealous?”
“I dunno…I don’t think so. Just thinking aloud…” sighed Ken, opening the door and letting himself into his room.
0-0-0-0-0
It was nearly Christmas when Hyde returned from Osaka a couple of weeks later. It was deadlock traffic and Hyde was sitting in a taxi being driven back from the train station to Tetsu’s house.
“Good afternoon, Kanagawa Prefecture General Hospital. This is Kitani. How may I direct your call?” said the pleasant young voice over the phone.
“May I have the room of Ogawa Tetsuya?” said Hyde, lighting a cigarette while he held the mobile phone to his ear with the crook of his neck.
“One moment please…”
“Thank you.”
Hyde heard the sound of computer keys clicking in the background as he waited to be transferred.
“Thank you for waiting. I’m sorry, I don’t have anyone under that name. Are you certain that is the correct name?”
“Oh…was he discharged already?”
“I’m sorry, I cannot give that information over the phone.”
“I see…okay, well thank you anyway.”
Hyde closed his phone as they pulled up to Tetsu’s driveway. He paid the driver and unloaded his suitcases, figuring that Tetsu must already be inside.
“I’m home,” Hyde called, wheeling his suitcase in the front door. “Hmm, why are all the lights off? Tetsu? Tetsu? Are you here? Where are you? I’m back from Osaka-Tetsu?”
Hyde walked around the house, looking for a sign that Tetsu was there, but it was all dark. Opening the door to the garage, he stuck his head out and looked around.
“His car is still here…” he said, returning to the kitchen. “Here’s his keys in the usual spot…”
Hyde opened the refrigerator.
“Nothing in the refrigerator…what the hell has he been eating? I bet he’s been ordering out every night since I’m not here to cook for him…”
Hyde ran his fingers over the counter and stared at the thin layer of dust it had picked up.
“Hmm…dusty…well, I guess he’s probably not in a real cleaning mood…Where’s the mail…?”
Hyde walked back to the mailbox and found it nearly overflowing with envelopes.
“Whoa…look at all these bills…” Hyde said, taking them to the kitchen to open up. “I wonder if he hasn’t been paying the bills….nope, it’s just a receipt. I guess he pays them by credit card. And…this credit card bill….is deducted automatically from his checking account. He’s got everything set up…I guess I never really noticed since I was the wife doing all the cooking and cleaning…Tetsu would always do the money reconciliation…I wonder if Tetsu took a trip somewhere…”
Hyde wandered into the bedroom and opened the closet where Tetsu kept all his suitcases.
“What the heck…his stuff and the suitcases are all still here. How odd…nothing’s missing, but it’s like no one’s been living here for quite some time…hmmm….”
Hyde sat on the bed and tried to plan out his next course of action.
“Stupid me! I’ll call his cell, see where he’s at.”
Hyde pulled his mobile device from his pocket and dialed Tetsu’s number.
“Pick up your phone…” Hyde grumbled when Tetsu had not answered after about three rings.
Then he heard a vibrating sound coming from the kitchen.
“What the-“
Hyde ran to the kitchen and saw Tetsu’s phone on the counter, plugged into the charger behind the toaster, ringing. He picked up the phone and looked at the main screen.
“104 unread messages…79 missed calls…last answered call…December 4 at 17:42…what’s today-the 22nd?! What the hell…?”
Hyde quickly dialed Ken.
“Ken, it’s me. Sorry, did I wake you? Where are you?”
“Matsuyama.”
“In Ehime?”
“Yeah, on vacation with Mari-chan.”
“I see…Hey, listen, have you talked to Tetsu recently?”
“Not really…Ever since that announcement, I’ve just let him be. Why?”
“No…No reason.”
“What’s up?”
“Nothing. Forget it.”
“Hyde?”
“Where’s Yuki?”
“He went to Europe with his friend. Something about international percussion exhibition forum something or another…he’ll be back in January.”
“Oh. I guess everyone’s on holiday, huh?”
“You sound disappointed.”
“It’s nothing.”
“Didn’t you just come back from Osaka? How was the project with KAZ?”
“Oh, okay. We just gotta decide on a jacket design for the album and we’re done.”
“That’s good…”
“Well, sorry for bothering you.”
“Hyde-“
“Say hi to Mari-chan for me. Bye.”
“Hy-“
The line went dead as Hyde closed his phone on his side. Hyde felt his knees go weak on him and stumbled into the living room to the couch. As he lay on the couch, he stared at the carpet dejectedly. Rolling off the couch and onto the floor, Hyde tumbled left and right restlessly on the soft carpet. When he finally stopped, he saw a red light above the DVD player blinking.
“What’s that red light?” he mused to himself sitting up.
Hyde turned on the television and pressed the play button.
The screen flickered for several moments before switching to video mode where it displayed a familiar face on the screen.
“Te…tsu…” Hyde whispered staring intently at the screen.
The Tetsu on screen cleared his throat and paused for several moments before looking down sadly.
“Good…bye, Hyde,” said Tetsu, bowing heavily as the screen faded into black and went into the black and white fuzzy frenzy when the signal was lost.
0-0-0-0-0
To be continued…? Or is this the end…? ┐(^-^;)┌さぁ・・？ ヾ( ￣▽)ゞｵﾎﾎﾎﾎﾎ
Navigation | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3A | Chapter 3B | Chapter 4A | Chapter 4B | Chapter 5A | Chapter 5B | Chapter 5C | Chapter 5D | Chapter 6A | Chapter 6B | Chapter 7A | Chapter 7B | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9A | Chapter 9B | Chapter 9C | Chapter 10A | Chapter 10B | Chapter 10C | Chapter 11A | Chapter 11 B | Chapter 12A | Chapter 12B | Chapter 12C | Chapter 13 | Chapter 14A | Chapter 14B | Chapter 14C | Chapter 15A | Chapter 15B | Chapter 16 | Chapter 17 |