Omedetou
~
Leaning against the side of the church, J watched the smoke dance and
drift
away from the cigarette he held between his fingers just before
throwing it
to the ground. The sunlight illuminated the melancholy face. He
didn't know
how long he had been sitting there, but it didn't seem long enough
before he
was interrupted.
Sugizo cast a wary glance at the slumped figure of the bassist before
deciding to approach him.
"C'mon, you better get inside before the ceremony starts." J looked up
for a
second before resting his head back on his knees again. Sugizo was
dressed
from head to toe in a black tuxedo and the only color being his purple
tie.
Seeing no response from the other man he took the hint and walked away.
* * *
The sun was slowly setting and the music inside the church could be
heard.
Sugizo sighed and ran towards the exit, J was probably still outside he
thought to himself.
J's eyes were brimming with tears as he watch the sun slowly sink
beneath the
horizon. He smiled to himself and quickly wiped the tears away before
heading back inside. As soon as he got up, Sugizo ran right towards
him.
Without another word, the guitarist grabbed his hand and led him
inside.
Suddenly realizing he was still holding onto J's hand, he stopped
abruptly
and turned around to face the bassist.
"You're not happy about this are you?" he questioned.
J made a face, "What are you talking about Sugi? C'mon, we're already
late!"
he said before sprinting away. Sugizo wasn't sure but he could swear
that
there were tears in J's eyes and not they weren't the kind you shed in
joy.
* * *
"Gomenasai... but there will be a slight delay in the ceremony!" Inoran
spoke
into the mic.
Sugizo laid a reassuring hand on Ino shoulder trying to calm down the
nervous
groom, "Don't worry, a wedding dress is easy to repair."
Ino smiled a genuine smile at the other guitarist and nodded his head.
He
had meticulously planned his wedding day for months now. He held his
breath
and smiled, *There's nothing to be worried about* He looked around the
room,
all his closest friends were here. Ryu was busy fixing his hair in the
mirror
and Sugizo was behind him making faces to annoy him.
"Sugizo! What are you doing!!!!" Ryu shouted.
"Nothing. Just trying to get a good impersonation of the great KR!" he
smiled
mischievously before breaking into a line from Ryu's solo song Glass.
Ryu mumbled something under his breath and went back to fixing his
hair.
Inoran chuckled to himself, that was Sugizo. He was the only one who
wore a
purple tie while all the other best men wore silver ties. *I guess he
wanted
to match his hair*
He spotted Shinya in another corner paying his respects to the bride's
parents and J... *where's J?*
Spotting him down the other end of the hallway, Ino walked over to his
best
friend. He had his head resting on the wall behind him and his eyes
were
staring at the ceiling.
"So. What are you thinking?"
J snapped out of his reverie when he heard Inoran speaking to him. J
smiled,
Ino who usually dressed like a slob looked great in his tux! Leaping
to his
feet, he wrapped his arms around his best friend and hugged him
tightly,
"Omedetou Ino!"
Ino gasped for air at the tight grip J had on him, "Th.. anks... J.
Ano, I
think you're choking me!"
* * *
Sugizo, who was tired of pestering Ryu glanced around looking for the
groom
and spotted him talking to J. The two were laughing and seemed to be
enjoying each other's company. His eyebrows knitted in a frown, *J you
seem
so happy, but what are you REALLY feeling?*
* * *
Ino excused himself when his parents called for him, leaving J to stand
there
all alone. The smile was now gone from his face. His lips were pressed
together in a frown and his eyes seemed lost and lonely. He knew this
day
would eventually come, but he hoped that Ino would somehow return the
feelings he had always harbored for him.
* * *
J had never been the best student in class, and he was known for
causing
trouble, so there he was stuck in class after school again so the
teacher
could have a "talk" with him. He waited impatiently outside of the
classroom
and stood up when he heard the door open. To his surprise, a boy with
long
hair and the most angelic face stepped out of the classroom. He blinked
in
surprise and didn't know how to react when the other boy smiled in his
direction, "Konnichiwa! Watashi wa Inoran desu!"
J fumbled for the correct words and finally managed to say, "Ano... ah!
Konnichiwa. Jun desu."
The two boys started to laugh and that was the beginning of their
friendship.
* * *
J sighed, that was how they met each other. He knew when he first saw
Ino,
that the other boy would change his life forever, but he would have
never
imagined to what extent. Without the other man, he would never had
enough
courage to become a musician. Without Ino, he wouldn't be himself.
Tears
slowly materialized in J's eyes and rolled down his face. *Why don't
you
feel the same way?*
* * *
J was pacing back and forth in his room, he had decided to tell Ino how
he
felt. After long deliberation, he knew that he would not be able to
sleep
unless he found out if Ino reciprocated the same feelings for him. The
doorbell rang and J ran towards the door, "Coming!"
He was greeted by the smiling face of his best friend, "Ohayo! Are you
ready
to practice?" Ino chirped as he patted the guitar under his arm.
Since the coast was clear, J snuck into his sister's room and took the
bass
out of the case carefully. Cradling the instrument in his arms, he
headed
back to his room. Ino was already sitting on his bed strumming his
guitar
while humming softly. J stood there for a moment just enjoying the
scene
before him, *How do you tell your best friend you love him?* As if in
cue,
Ino looked up and saw J staring intently at him with a look in his
eyes.
"J?"
Ino watched J slowly walk over to him and gently sit down beside him.
Turning
to face the other boy, he folded his leg underneath himself and put his
guitar down. He could tell J needed to talk to him.
"Ino, have you ever liked someone so much that it's impossible to get
them
out of your head?" J asked without pausing for an answer. "I guess what
I'm
trying to say is that, I ..."
Ino heart was beating rapidly in fear and dread, anticipating what J
was
about to say.
"Ino, I love you..."
Ino's eyes grew round at the confession and blinked a couple of times
in
disbelief. His heart sank. He sort of had this feeling all along that
J
liked him as more than just a friend, but he wasn't positive until now.
He
didn't know what to say, J of all people just confessed his deepest
feelings
for him! Ino forehead creased in thought, he just didn't how to tell J
how
he felt.
"Ino?" J asked cautiously.
"Jun..." Ino started to say. J's heart sank a little, Jun was what Ino
called him before they became such good friends.
"I love you -" J's felt like he was on a roller coaster as his heart
soared,
"but...." J's heart shattered in a million pieces as he became deaf to
anything else Ino had said, "I'm not IN love with you. You're my best
friend
and you mean a lot to me. Just... not in that kind of way."
J knew he was kidding himself when he thought that Ino might love him
as
well. He mustered up a little smile and said, "Let's just forget about
this
whole thing, ne?"
Ino nodded his head and smiled at J. It was getting late and he
thought and
J might need some time to deal with all of this, "It's kinda late, I
should
go home now. Ja mata." *I hope things won't change after this.* He
thought
to himself, but he already knew there was a strain on their friendship.
J leaned out the window to watch Ino's figure fade away into the
distance
before he fell back on his bed with a sigh.
* * *
With the back of his arm, J wiped away the tears from his eyes roughly
and
stood up, it was almost time. To his surprise, he saw Sugizo standing
there.
Watching him.
* * *
"I do." Ino answered the priest firmly.
Those words felt like daggers to his heart and although J knew he would
never
have a chance with Ino, this marriage was so finalized that it hurt
even more
than rejection. But deep down inside, J felt genuinely happy for Ino.
Sugizo had been watching J throughout the ceremony and he could feel
the pain
written all over the bassist's face. *Ino doesn't deserve you.* The
guitarist thought to himself, but deep down he could hear a voice
saying,
*What makes you think he deserves YOU?*
J didn't know it, but Sugizo knew all about J's hidden feelings for Ino
all
along. At first it wasn't so obvious but as time went on, he noticed
the
looks J always gave to Ino. His suspicions were proven correct when J
had
inadvertently confessed everything to him in a drunk stupor.
* * *
"Ya know wha Sugi? You and Ino! are nuzing alike... both guitarist but
so
different ne...
But I like you! You're always y'know good, there.. whatever. Ino, I
love him
too. But wassat? He dun like me too! I told him that.. but he didn't
say it
too. I told him that.... such long time ago but y'know what? no... he
dun
love me too. Now nothing's changed, I keep it the same but I still do
love
you Ino. I do." J sputtered out before he passed out on Sugi's couch.
The guitarist ran his fingers through his red hair in confusion.
Although J
speech was not slurred, his monologue made little sense. * What? Ino? J
loves
Ino, but he doesn't love him?* He shook his head, why even bother?
Sugizo
smiled gently and the sleeping bassist, *But what about me?*
* * *
At the reception, Ryu serenaded the newly weds with his KR performance.
Everything ran smoothly until Sugizo leaped on stage and did *his*
version of
a KR performance. By the time the night was over, everyone was having
fun.
Everyone but J.
Inoran sensing something was wrong pulled J outside and spoke to him
privately. "J! What's wrong? You've been like this ever since the
beginning
of the ceremony."
J knew it was wrong for him to admit his feelings at a time like this,
so he
kept quiet. "Ino, I'm just a little sad. With your new life and all, I
know
we'll have less time to spend together. And well, it just feels like
time's
passing by so quickly." J said hoping that this excuse would account
for his
lack of enthusiasm.
"I know. Sometimes, I wish things would always stay the same. But they
can't
and we all move on. That's how life is." Ino replied reassuringly.
"Well, I
should get back inside now." Ino started to head back inside when he
felt a
hand on his arm.
"Omedetou."
Ino's face lit up with a smile before he returned inside.
J was half expecting Ino to appear by his side again when he heard the
balcony door creak but it was only Sugizo. The guitarist walked up next
to
the bassist and without looking at him he said, "J, I know how you must
feel.
To love someone but to have them not feel the same way." J was
surprised to
hear the truth coming from the Lucifer's mouth. Sugizo, noticing J's
gaze in
his direction quickly changed his tone and joked, "Besides, Ino's not
your
type."
J laughed softly. *Thank you Sugi*
Sugizo leaned in closer to J and whispered seductively into his ear,
"But
what about me?"
J's felt chills run down his spine when Sugizo's lips slightly grazed
his
ear. He turned to face the guitarist but by then he was already gone.
*Sugizo?*
~
to be continued
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