Writing this chapter turned out easier than I expected it to be. I started in the morning (about 11 o'clock) before I stopped at 12 o'clock to apply a skincare routine. I ended up napping until 1 o'clock. I got some chores to do after that and continued writing from 3 o'clock until late in the evening. I spent a few hours at night to edit everything and here we go! I am all fired up to see the ending for this story, just like my other three complete stories.

CHAPTER 7

It was a month ago that Otoya left them in despair. Speculation about possible motives of his death and culprits still circulated around the media. Fans were still mourning and could not accept his death, especially the fact that he was killed brutally.

But STARISH could not care less about any of them when they had the most terrible feeling in their plates.

The dream which was about them returned to their past and had Otoya around them... it felt so real. His complaints about his lyrics, his wish to write a song that would make Haruka happy, his will to be Haruka's shoulder to cry on despite not knowing where did the tears come from...

And the sudden attack on Otoya. Someone tried to harm him when he was walking alone and happily after the success of Brand New Melody which was way back during their academy days. Not only none of them was around when he was attacked...

The dream ended cruelly because it ended with anxious questions. They were frustrated because anything could happen to the redhead. Even none of them could recall if they had ever encountered the injured Otoya on the timeline, it was still nerve-racking.

The last part of the dream could mean anything. It was entirely impossible for it to be random and coincidental.

The day when they woke up from the dream passed but no one had the guts to share their dream to one another. The hectic schedule, their tendency to lack focus on their works and their compassionate surroundings had suffocated them so no one was in a very good mood to say anything.

Plus, they expected Cecil to open his mouth first about the dream but to no avail. Their morning and afternoon schedules were hectic and they wanted nothing more than the time to pass so fast. After that, they spent a few hours for a talk show recording in the evening before they took a short break. That was when Ren did not want to waste any time since they were all spaced out in their waiting room.

"Cesshi..." Everyone lifted their heads as they noticed how stern the man's voice. As expected, the guy who he mentioned just had his green eyes sized up, making oblivious face. "Do you have anything to say to us? No, 'say' is not the right root word. Rather, do you have anything to explain to us?"

It was enough to give hints to his childhood friend, Masato that he would not pull his punches if Cecil decided to be secretive and made everyone anxious and frustrated again.

"What?"

"Stop asking that. You know what Jinguuji meant, Aijima," Masato interrupted, drawing more puzzled looks among them.

"Why? Did something just happen to both of you?" Natsuki asked before something quickly crossed his mind. "Wait... Let me guess. Do you guys have a dream about Otoya-kun?"

With the remark, all of them sized their eyes up.

"A dream about Otoya in Saotome Academy. Is it what you meant, Shinomiya-san?" Tokiya asked, quickly followed by nods from the said guy.

"Man, what on earth is this?" Syo interposed, his hand running through his hair with a bitter smile. "Guess I am the not the only one, huh? I thought if I brought it up, it would ruin everyone's mood."

"It's much better if you do bring it up, Syo. We aren't going to sit and do nothing if it involves Otoya's murder," Tokiya said, returning the smile. "The last moment where someone attacked Otoya does give a hint to us. What do you think, Aijima-san?"

When all of them had eyes glued to him, Cecil just sighed heavily.

This drove him nuts. If it was not because of Haruka and his friends, he would never agree with the decision to use his magic. He could not be uncertain but so far, he had a bad feeling about it.

"The magic went wild unexpectedly. I am sorry," he said. Looking at his sad face, they all were less tense. They knew each other long enough to know that Cecil was in a tight spot. Anything silly or 'funny' happened and he would shoulder the guilt forever. "It was part of the risks that we have to take once we want the magic to take control. It kept bringing you guys to any random moment, right? As far as I know, it should be that way because it gave you hints for what are you trying to achieve."

"So, what do you want to say it... the fact that we're late for the entrance ceremony and warned by the president... it could hint something about Otoya-kun's death, right?" Natsuki concluded, followed by Cecil's nod.

"Do you have any idea what is it, Cecil?" Syo asked. "Or at least, do you see someone that could match the person who attacked Otoya?"

"No, I couldn't. There is no way I could unless the dream appears again. It'll be harder since I wasn't a Saotome Academy student. I joined STARISH way later than you guys," he said. "I wasn't even a cat at that moment. When you guys were still happy to see Otoya once again, I was in my country, fighting with my family for being half Japanese and getting scared since I would be cursed by them anytime."

They were all astonished to offer even a few words of comfort at that moment.

"I am sorry," Ren initiated. He should not be that blunt in the first place when Cecil turned out the most frustrated since so far, he could not meet Otoya at all. "I didn't mean to act that way. It's just that..."

"I know, Ren. That's okay. Everyone is not really smiling these days. That's also painful for me," Cecil said, smiling as bright as possible. They could not help but notice the resemblance between the Agnapolis prince and the late Otoya. They had realized it before but they brushed it off. Now when the redhead was no longer with them, the resemblance was not only obvious but directly struck their hearts. "I hope no matter what happens after this, STARISH will always be STARISH that everyone knows. The band that always enjoys singing and spreading happy virus like our composer. I am sure that's what Otoya has always wished no matter wherever he is right now."

They smiled, attempting to be as bright as Cecil's. They were all talkative and had their own 'assigned' habits once they were around each other. Masato and Ren would bicker about everything depending on what kind of topic that Ren had decided to pick a fight with the blue head. Natsuki did not waste any time to contribute the horror to Syo's life by forcing him to do a cosplay. Otoya and Tokiya were not really the most peaceful duo in STARISH since the blue head had the tendency to act like a grandmother who scolded her grandchild about his recklessness. Yet, the duo sometimes did have their serene moments when Cecil joined them, naively asking about idol works.

But now, all of them put those 'routines' aside for God knew how long and Cecil did not approve that at all. The calmest duo like Masato and Tokiya worked even harder every time they looked like they were distracted by interview questions or any moment that would remind them of Otoya. Ren and Natsuki were less cheeky and talkative than usual. Meanwhile, a sports enthusiast like Syo preferred to spend his free time in his room, probably thinking that any sport would remind him of Otoya.

Knocks on the door echoed suddenly before a staff poked his head inside.

"Sorry for disturbing. The shooting will start again in five minutes."

"Thank you," Masato replied, followed by others who returned the nods and smiles from the staff.

They looked at each other who sat in circle before smiling bitterly. No one bothered to leave or exchange words to each other. Eye contacts were sufficient for them to convey that they always cheered up one another despite they did not show it often.

After all, up until now, their cheers were led by Otoya, their unofficial leader. When he left so sudden, they thought no one could replace him in that sense.

It was better to leave it that way since even he was no longer with them, they still could hear his voice echoing those colorful words that they needed as STARISH members.

"STARISH, fighting!"

"We can do it, guys!"

"I am all fired up! Everyone is with me, right?"

Elegant steps echoed along the corridor. Seven men made their way together, walking past their squealing fans which was the reason why all of them wore the calm demeanor. Something that they had been trained with and become their second nature. The word HEAVENS itself had conveyed what the band concept was all about. They were bold. They carried the seducing and charming aura, unlike STARISH who had been promoted as a group with sweet friendship and their deepest love through their songs.

All HEAVENS members were crystal clear with what their president, Raging Otori had in mind when he decided to introduce them to the showbiz. Otori thought that STARISH's concept was cheesy and out-to-date. So, when HEAVENS was picked as his best-selling group, he expected them to bring the contrast for STARISH.

Of course, when the expectation was tied with pressure, their leader, Otori Eiichi would shoulder them the most. He had to be the exemplary figure among them while they absolutely had no objection about it since he deserved it the most. He was the face and center of the group. While Eiji was known for his sweet and angelic voice, Yamato with his masculine and Nagi with his bluntness about how cute he was, Eiichi remained special to everyone and was arguably the most popular member in the group.

Yet, his charisma was solely shaken when they bumped into STARISH at that moment. Both two groups were not really friendly to each other except for two or three duet project partners like Tokiya-Eiji, Masato-Kira (even Masato led the talk the most which made the scion looked extra talkative) and Natsuki-Nagi (even Nagi's luck was just like Syo; the second victim of Natsuki's fanboy mode whenever he looked cute which was every time they met each other).

Or maybe Otoya and Eiichi did have a close relationship since everyone could spot how sad Eiichi was when Otoya died. It had also become the side subjects for the mass media.

"Hi, guys," Eiji greeted them first. Even they did not challenge each other with their dramatic gestures like they had always been doing in the past, the rivalry between them remained unconcealed. Even after Otoya's death, HEAVENS still had the same target in their mind which was they would beat STARISH in any cost while the said group had no mood to be in a fighting mode at that moment. After a serious meeting in their waiting room which also included Haruka's pregnancy, the only thing that they were resolute to do was meeting their president by today. They had no time to waste. "Were you guys just..."

"Yes, it was Chit Chat With Mori if that's what you really want to know," Syo said sardonically, sent Eiji to flinch while Natsuki secretively patted his arm, asking him to calm down. "How about you guys then?"

"Oh, it was a practice for Music Station. You know, the cliched stuff. We're going to dominate the chart anyway but we still have to practice hard for our fans," Nagi replied, ignoring a look from Kira which only his teammates knew that he disapproved Nagi's words.

"Good luck," Tokiya answered with a small smile before eyeing his teammates to leave the place as soon as possible. Making his way just behind his teammates, the soft words from Eiichi did not go unnoticed.

"Good luck to you too."

He was about to turn to face the man but Syo's annoyed voice drew his attention right away.

"Can you walk faster, Tokiya? We're going to be late."

He knew the grumpy guy did not mean it literally. Syo just could not stand to be in the same space and inhale the same air with HEAVENS. Tokiya could understand his friend that much.

Yet, without him and others knowing, Eiichi silently eyed them with a certain look before his teammates called him out.

"What did you say?" Saotome asked back. He knew the guys too much that "what" should not be in his vocabulary anymore.

But still, what they just informed was surprising.

"You heard us, president," Ren said. "We would like to take a career break until further notice. We can't work like this if we need Cesshi's magic to delve into Ikki's death."

"We don't know what kind of situations will we end up in the past timeline and what kind of situation will we end up in current timeline if the magic is still ongoing," Cecil supplied. "The magic just randomly put them in crucial moments. I myself can't even predict the timing. If we return to current timeline just before an important event like a grand concert or something, STARISH will be screwed up and it'll also ruin your reputation, president."

"Just so you know, right when we noticed that it was all a dream, we had a rehearsal for an interview. Who knows what might happen after this if the magic keeps transporting us to those different timeline. We don't want that to happen, president," Natsuki added.

"We know that this is too much. We shouldn't take a break but we really need your consideration when it comes to Otoya's death. You might not show it but we know you felt the same when he was killed all of sudden," Tokiya words struck a certain feeling in the president's heart. "We dare to promise you that after all of these mysteries solved, we'll work harder for you, president."

Saotome gave a bitter smile. He eyed each of the idols. When had they grown this mature? He never noticed it but unbeknown to them, they always had his trust. He knew he could count on them. Back then, no one would expect that the troublemaker like Ren could change this much and the same goes with Tokiya who used to have no sincerity in his singing. All of them had grown so much which made him felt like a proud father for them.

A proud father... he had been ironically longing the feeling these days.

"If those words come from a perfectionist like you, Mr. Ichinose, I know I can count on you. But, the rest of you guys will have a hard time to put up with you," Saotome remarked, attempting to enlighten the serious atmosphere. It worked since he could spot their chuckles and the way they cheekily glanced at Tokiya.

"I promise that I won't be harsh. I have learnt from my mistakes," Tokiya said. He knew that despite the jokes, there were people who actually and sometimes could not stand his perfectionism.

Me too, Mr. Ichinose. You are despondent as his best friend. How about me then?

After STARISH left his office, God knew how long Saotome had stared in the sky. Those proposals, reports and emails on his desk were ignored. It was a perfect time and atmosphere for him to be spaced out without expecting any guest or client. It was past seven o'clock in the evening anyway.

For a super busy man like him, he almost had no time to think about his personal life. After all, his 'personal' life could be said as non-existent the moment he sacrificed everything for his idol world.

For a super busy man like him who would do anything for his career, his personal life was buried deeply in his heart. That was how it was supposed to happen.

Heavy sigh followed as his eyes still glued to the rainy sky. The sight was much more soothing than the big poster of STARISH on the wall which just happened to be right next to the window.

For the time being, he knew his strength was nowhere to be found to stare at the poster with seven guys in it.

"Eiichi, are you even listening to me?"

The familiar and intimidating voice finally could penetrate his deep hole of thought. He did not even notice when did he lower his head and eyes, which showed that he did not even pretend to listen to his father's words.

It was always the same anyway. STARISH. Shining Saotome. Music Station. Winner.

"Yes, I am listening."

"Really?" The old man lifted his eyebrow which suggested only one thing. Eiichi had to do what he indirectly asked instantly before his clear ignorance would get him into a hot water. The cool temperature in the president's office did not help him to calm down either.

"You want HEAVENS to use this chance to beat STARISH and QUARTET NIGHT forever."

"What do you mean with 'this chance'?"

"Otoya's death. When STARISH is still in grief, this is the best chance to do all-out and beat them."

"Excellent!"

I don't even need to listen, Daddy. Obviously, you're just being repetitive.

"I am glad that you're still listening. But..."

"But this is inappropriate in so many levels. I know we don't need to mourn Otoya's death forever but can we at least be sympathetic as friends from the same industry? You're being too obvious about it, Daddy. It's not good if other members see it since some of them are close with STARISH..."

"Don't tell me that you're also close with your partner, Otori Eiichi," Otori cut him short with a glare. "I can't disapprove it outright if Eiji is close with Ichinose or when Kira is also in a good term with that Hijirikawa. But, I absolutely cannot accept it if that kind of closeness come from you. You're the leader and I don't assign you as one for nothing. You need to always show your competitive side and you must know how to separate your work with personal feelings."

"But Daddy..."

"No buts. I don't want to hear any pathetically emotional excuse from you, my son. Just go back to you practice room, call everyone and start thinking how to boost their motivation as their leader. Or else, you won't be qualified to be my son anymore."

If anyone was asking him what was the insane talent of his legendary father and they would not mind if he wanted to be frank, he would not hesitantly say that Raging Otori always knew how to belittle his own son.

In the same day, when the sun started to conceal and give way to the moon to shine, a certain figure walked his way to the grave that had always in his mind since Otoya's death.

The sun itself had reminded him of Otoya. The sunshine who lit everyone's life with his presence, smile, sweet words and personality.

"It's indeed 'dark' when you're no longer alive. Just like the sun. At least, we know that the sun will rise again and again but you..." It was not his way to talk by himself like a mad man. He was a man with a logic.

But, since Otoya's death, he had grown to love this kind of comfort when there was no way he could find another shoulder to cry on. He was all on his own when it comes to this matter. He could not even rely on and drag along anyone into this matter.

It would be too dangerous.

He stopped right in front of the grave. He pushed back his hair so that it would be covered by his hood. Who he was for Otoya would not be an issue when people spot him in the area. It was not surprising but no matter how normal he acted, no matter how he just looked like he wanted to pay a visit like everybody else would do, he did not want to draw any attention.

As the smiling and innocent face on the stone kept stabbing his heart cruelly like a knife, his system froze. His frame collapsed as his brain sent command to him to at least land on his knees. His upset and rueful eyes were still locked on the picture on the stone. What he currently felt was what haunted him day and night, probably for the rest of his lives.

"I am sorry, Otoya," he said, along with tears streamed down his face and shaky breaths. "I don't have a choice."

Thank you for reading. While I am still pondering on the new title for this story, you can drop a comment if you have any. Byeeee!