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FIC: Unmasked, Part 13 of 25
This chapter (and the next) are dedicated to Bronze Ribbons as a belated birthday present--sorry I didn't finish it on time, but better late than never, right? ~_^ I wanted to write a bit of Kenzaki/Yoshizumi for you, and the plot bunnies for these chapters sort of blossomed out of our discussions about the two of them.
Title: Unmasked, Part 13 of 25
Rating: NC-17 overall
Fandom: Haru wo Daiteita (Embracing Love)
Pairing: Kikuchi/Onozuka, Miyasaka/Onozuka, Kenzaki/Yoshizumi
Characters: Kikuchi, Onozuka, Yoshizumi, Asano, Kenzaki
Disclaimer: No money is being made off this story; consider it a little wish fulfillment on my part.
Word count: ~5,375
Sequel to: Unexpected Opportunities, Comeback (Part 1 and Part 2), Forgiveness, Firsts, First Date (Part 1 and Part 2), Going Steady (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6), Audition (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3), Cookout (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3), Press Conference (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3), Sanctuary, The Prince vs. the Groupie (Part 1, Part 2), Family Visit: Tokyo (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5), Gigolo (Part 1, Part 2), Yoshizumi's Night Out (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3), Family Visit: Okinawa (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5), and Interlude. The series also includes two side-stories that are outside of the main timeline: Valentine's Day Surprise and Strictly Business.
Summary: Onozuka needs a place to stay and gets an unexpected offer from Yoshizumi.
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12
***
Onozuka arrived at the studio early again, well before his first scheduled scene. He stopped by the cafeteria and paused in the doorway, trying to decide whether he should get some coffee to wake himself up, or just go to his dressing room and try to take a nap before he started work. He'd have to sleep on the floor, but that couldn't possibly be worse than trying to sleep in the tub with Katou and Iwaki going at it in full volume.
"Onozuka-kun!" Yoshizumi called, waving at him from across the room. Onozuka shrugged, then went over to get a cup of coffee and join his colleague. This early in the morning, the place was pretty empty--he and Yoshizumi were the only actors present at the moment, although there were a few crew members having breakfast.
"Wow, you look terrible, Onozuka-kun," Yoshizumi said frankly as Onozuka collapsed into the seat next to him.
"Don't hold back for my sake, Yoshizumi-san," Onozuka replied sarcastically. "Tell me what you really think."
Yoshizumi chuckled and said, "Sorry if I was less than tactful, but you really do look awful. I hope you're not coming down with something."
"I'm not coming down with anything other than a lack of sleep," Onozuka grumbled, taking a sip of his coffee. "I slept over at Katou and Iwaki's place last night."
"Oh," Yoshizumi said knowingly, that single word filled with overtones of amusement and sympathy.
"The guest bedroom is right next to theirs, so of course I could hear everything!" Onozuka groaned. "Not that it made a difference when I moved downstairs to the couch, either! I ended up sleeping in the bathroom with my ears plugged, but even that didn't shut them completely out. And they didn't just do it once--they did it three times, and I swear, it went on for hours!"
"It was exactly the same for me when we were staying at that inn together," Yoshizumi commiserated. "I didn't get a wink of sleep all night!"
"Tell me about it," Onozuka said sourly, rolling his eyes.
"By the way," Yoshizumi said casually, "why were you sleeping over at their house? I thought you shared a place with your friend, Miyasaka-kun."
Onozuka flushed and said hastily, "Ah...well, our place is being renovated, so I needed a place to crash for a few days."
"Just you and not your friend?" Yoshizumi asked slyly. "You never mentioned anything about Miyasaka-kun staying over with you at Iwaki-kun and Katou-kun's place."
Onozuka glared at Yoshizumi, but he was really more irritated with himself--lack of sleep must be fogging his brain! "Oh, fine!" he huffed. As annoying as Yoshizumi could be at times with his too-sharp perceptiveness, Onozuka knew that he could be trusted not to spread gossip around. "If you must know, I had a fight with Miyasaka. It's nothing serious, but I thought it would be better to spend a few days apart to give us both time to cool off."
"I'm sorry to hear that," Yoshizumi said, sounding genuinely sympathetic. "But are you sure you're going to survive another few days with the two lovebirds?"
"I'm not going back there," Onozuka replied, shuddering. "Not to sleep over, anyway. I can always find someone else to stay with." But the truth was that he didn't really have any close friends other than Miyasaka, Katou, and Toshi. Oh sure, there were plenty of people in the business that he was friendly with, and he had no doubt that he could charm one or more of them into letting him crash on their couch for a few days. But they would want to know why, and even if he came up with a believable but harmless story, there was still the chance of gossip leaking out and spreading to the tabloids.
Toshi was trustworthy, of course, but his wife Misa was a good deal less naive than her husband, and while she wouldn't go to the tabloids, she would probably ask Onozuka some pointed questions that he didn't really want to answer. But the main problem was that their apartment was too far away from the studio to make the daily commute to and from work practical.
"Well, I suppose I can just stay at a hotel," Onozuka mused aloud. It would, as Iwaki said, be a waste of money, but he had enough saved up that a short stay wouldn't drain his bank account.
"You could stay with me if you want," Yoshizumi offered, and Onozuka stared at him in surprise. "I only have one bedroom, though, so you'd have to sleep on the couch--but it is a large and very comfortable couch."
"Thank you, Yoshizumi-san, that's very kind of you," Onozuka replied, suddenly intrigued. Having scrimped and saved as a struggling actor for so many years, he preferred to conserve his money if possible, but mostly he was curious about what Yoshizumi was like away from work. Upon first impression, Yoshizumi had appeared to be cool and unflappable, almost impossibly saintly, but he'd also shown a mischievous sense of humor that saved him from being a prig. And recently he'd shown that his temper could be provoked when he thought that his precious movie was endangered, and there'd been that hint of a mysterious lover when Yoshizumi had shown up wearing designer clothes that obviously didn't belong to him. Yoshizumi saw too clearly for Onozuka's comfort sometimes, so this was a chance to learn a bit more about Yoshizumi and even the balance between them. Besides, Onozuka loved unraveling a mystery.
"I'll accept your generous offer, then," Onozuka said, smiling gratefully at the other actor. "And of course, I'll be glad to share living expenses while I'm staying with you."
"Oh, don't worry about it," Yoshizumi assured him. "I live mainly in Kyoto and don't have a permanent place in Tokyo, so the studio is renting an apartment for me until filming is over. We can split the cost of meals, though, unless you prefer to eat out on your own."
"Done," Onozuka said, holding out his hand, and Yoshizumi shook it.
Just as they were finishing breakfast, Kikuchi and Asami arrived, and the latter exclaimed, "Wow, you look awful, Onozuka-kun!"
Onozuka sighed wearily and replied, "So I've been told--for the third time this morning."
Kikuchi gave him a concerned look and asked, "Are you all right, Onozuka-kun?"
He laid his hand gently on Onozuka's shoulder, and that light touch awakened a sudden, overpowering surge of longing in him, so strong that he nearly forgot where he was and only just managed to stop himself from reaching out to embrace Kikuchi in front of Asami and Yoshizumi and the crew members.
Horrified by his own reaction, Onozuka jumped up and jerked free of Kikuchi's grasp as if he'd been burned. Asami stared at him in shock, while Yoshizumi merely looked startled and then thoughtful. Onozuka silently cursed Miyasaka and Kikuchi for unsettling him with their confessions, and Katou and Iwaki for keeping him up all night so that he was too tired to think straight.
Kikuchi looked hurt for a brief moment, but quickly covered it up with a good-natured laugh. "Sorry, Onozuka-kun, I didn't mean to startle you."
"No, I'm the one who should apologize," Onozuka said, forcing himself to smile sheepishly at Kikuchi. "I'm afraid that I didn't get much sleep last night, and it's left me feeling a bit on edge."
"Were you up all night partying?" Asami teased.
"Not really," Onozuka laughed. "The landlord's doing a few repairs to my apartment, so I was crashing at Katou's place, but he and Iwaki-san were really noisy, if you know what I mean." This time, the lie fell glibly from his lips, and Onozuka rolled his eyes comically, causing Asami to giggle.
"How sweet, that they're still like newlyweds!"
"Yes, very sweet unless you have to listen to 'Oh, Katou!' and 'Oh, Iwaki-san!' all night long!" Onozuka groaned.
"They're very nauseating--and very loud," Yoshizumi confirmed.
"I hope that I get a chance to co-star with them someday," Asami sighed. "They sound like they'd be so much fun to work with!"
"You'll change your tune after you have to room next to them for a night or two," Onozuka warned, but Asami just giggled again. Kikuchi gave him a suspicious look, but Onozuka pretended not to see it.
After that, Onozuka slipped off to his dressing room and locked the door before Kikuchi had a chance to try and corner him alone. However, Kikuchi was a persistent bastard, and Onozuka's cell phone rang with an e-mail from him a few minutes later: "Why were you staying with Katou? Did something happen between you and Miyasaka?"
Onozuka immediately typed up a curt reply that said only: "It's none of your business."
Kikuchi replied immediately with: "I'm really sorry that I made that crack about Miyasaka joining us in bed. It was stupid and thoughtless and I was completely out of line. Like I told you, I only said it to scare him off. You're the only one I want, Yuu."
Onozuka sensed a hint of impatience behind those contrite words, as if Kikuchi was only trying to pacify him. "Is that the only thing you're sorry about?" he sent back to Kikuchi.
"I'm sorry that I lied to you," Kikuchi replied. "But I'm not sorry for telling you how I feel about you. I wish I'd been more honest with you from the start, but I was afraid of scaring you off." Onozuka reluctantly had to admit, if only to himself, that if he'd known from the start that Kikuchi was serious about him, he would probably have cut things off before they'd had a chance to get this far.
"I can understand if you don't feel ready for a serious relationship yet," Kikuchi's message continued. "Can't we continue to see each other, and just take things slowly and see where they go?"
It was a reasonable suggestion and Onozuka was tempted to give in. He missed the sex and he missed Kikuchi's company, and the tension between them was making work difficult. But then he remembered the panic he'd felt when he'd imagined breaking up with Kikuchi, and the longing he'd felt just a little while ago when Kikuchi had touched him. It was as if he couldn't control his thoughts, his emotions, or even his body around Kikuchi, and as if to prove himself right, the hand holding his phone began to tremble slightly. If Kikuchi could manage to do this to him now, what would happen if he gave in and really allowed himself to get close to Kikuchi?
He was seized by another panic attack, and had to force himself to inhale and exhale slowly before he started hyperventilating. Onozuka wondered how Katou could possibly have survived his turbulent romance with Iwaki, with all its ups and downs, including the infidelity scandal that had led to their temporary separation. He knew how much it had hurt Katou, had seen him break down into tears on live TV over it, and he wondered if the pain was really worth the happiness Katou had found with Iwaki. Intellectually, he knew it must be so--Katou was always radiantly, nauseatingly happy just to be in Iwaki's company. And Onozuka had seen for himself how close the two were, to the point of being able to speak to each other without words, exchanging thoughts with a single, meaningful glance.
But Onozuka couldn't imagine ever making himself so completely vulnerable to another person, especially not a devious bastard like Kikuchi--even if he was handsome and charming and amazing in bed. And not even to Miyasaka, whom he did sincerely love and whom he knew loved him, even if it wasn't exactly the same kind of love that Miyasaka believed it was. He knew that Iwaki had the power to destroy Katou simply by leaving him--oh sure, Katou was stubborn and would fight to win his lover back, but if Iwaki ever truly stopped loving him, Onozuka knew that it would break Katou.
Not that Onozuka really believed such a thing would ever happen. As much as he disliked Iwaki, it was obvious that Iwaki loved Katou just as deeply as Katou loved him. Still, Onozuka couldn't imagine ever willingly giving anyone that much power over him--not even his own family and certainly not a lover. He suddenly remembered what Iwaki had asked him last night: "Are you sure that you aren't trying to push both Kikuchi-san and Miyasaka-kun away from you because you're afraid of being hurt, Onozuka-kun?"
Which made him sound like a coward, but wasn't fear a self-defense mechanism, after all? It was supposed to keep people from doing dangerous things, like jumping off a cliff or swimming with sharks. Although people being what they were, some idiots actually paid for the dubious privilege of doing such things, but Onozuka wasn't one of them. Did it really make him a coward if he wanted to protect himself instead of recklessly giving away his heart to the first person who asked for it?
"It's not cowardice, it's practicality," Onozuka muttered, but a tiny, nagging voice in the back of his mind was insisting that he was merely rationalizing to make himself feel better--which didn't do anything to improve his mood.
So he sent a reply to Kikuchi that said: "I'm still angry at you, you bastard, so don't think that I'll forgive you that easily. Whatever problems I'm having with Miyasaka are all your fault--you're the one who put all those weird ideas into his head!"
Onozuka's phone rang almost immediately afterwards, this time with an actual call. He hesitated for a moment before deciding to answer it with a cool, "Yes?"
"What problems?" Kikuchi demanded in a frantic voice, dispensing with the cajoling apologies. "What kinds of weird ideas is he getting?! Yuu--"
Onozuka smiled with grim satisfaction and hung up on him in mid-sentence. The phone rang several more times after that, but this time Onozuka refused to respond to any of his calls or messages.
Things were even more tense between them after that, but their screen time together today was minimal, and none of the scenes were particularly intimate, so they managed to avoid annoying the director. Still, the offscreen tension was noticeable enough that Asano started giving them speculative looks, and later Onozuka cornered him alone, fixed him with a cold stare, and snarled, "Mess with me again and you're dead, Asano."
Some of Onozuka's pent-up anger and frustration slipped out, making his voice sound even more menacing than he had intended, and Asano actually blanched and hastily backed away from him. "I haven't done anything!" he protested.
"And if you're smart, you won't," Onozuka warned him.
"Yoshizumi-san made it clear that he won't tolerate any feuding that might affect the film," Asano replied sullenly--and with a touch of guilt, although Onozuka wondered if he was just imagining it, since he didn't believe that Asano really had a conscience. He started to turn away when Asano called after him, "Onozuka-kun!"
"What?" Onozuka snapped.
"I...I..." Asano stammered, looking awkward, apprehensive, and resentful, as if he'd been charged with a particularly unpleasant task. He drew in a deep breath, then blurted out, "I'm sorry about what I did." Onozuka stared at him in shock, not quite believing that he was hearing correctly until Asano muttered, "I went too far with the tabloid thing."
"Did Yoshizumi-san put you up to this?" Onozuka asked suspiciously. "Or is this part of some other scheme you've come up with?"
"Look, I'm trying to apologize!" Asano said indignantly.
"Why should I trust you?" Onozuka retorted. "If you're really sorry, then make a public apology and confess to what you did."
"That would ruin my career," Asano protested.
"Do you think an 'I'm sorry' makes up for what my family went through?" Onozuka sneered. "They were publicly humiliated, so it's only fair that you should apologize publicly if you're truly remorseful. Otherwise, just shut up and keep your empty apologies to yourself!" He stalked off without waiting for a reply, and even though he was genuinely angry at Asano, he had to admit that it felt pretty good to vent a little of his frustration by telling the bastard off.
***
Asano glared after Onozuka, feeling a mixture of anger and guilt. It was humiliating enough to set aside his pride and offer an apology to his hated rival, but even worse to have that apology thrown back in his face. At the same time, the more rational part of his mind reluctantly acknowledged that Onozuka was right to doubt his sincerity, because he knew that he was apologizing more for Yoshizumi's sake than Onozuka's. He knew that he had gone too far by giving that story to the press, but he wasn't so much worried about Onozuka's hurt feelings or even those of his innocent family, who had done nothing to Asano other than be related to the Prince. What he couldn't stand was losing Yoshizumi's regard, and since he'd half-promised Yoshizumi that he would apologize to Onozuka, he felt compelled to follow through in the hopes that it might soften Yoshizumi towards him a bit, even though Yoshizumi had (correctly) predicted that Onozuka wouldn't accept the apology.
There was a weird sort of tension between Onozuka and Kikuchi--nothing overt; they were pleasant enough to each other in public, and even flirted with each other as normal, but it seemed staged rather than natural. Kikuchi's smile seemed slightly strained, and Onozuka's playful banter lacked its usual warmth, and during breaks, they both retreated to their separate dressing rooms rather than getting together in Kikuchi's room for their usual "English lessons."
Asano wondered if they'd had a lover's quarrel. It was a juicy rumor that the tabloids would jump on, but as much as he would have liked to take a little revenge on Onozuka, he knew that Yoshizumi would never forgive him if he pulled a stunt like that again, so he reluctantly refrained.
He reported to Yoshizumi about the apology, hoping that he could at least get a few brownie points out of it, but Yoshizumi remained distantly polite. "It's good that you apologized, but I warned you that an apology wouldn't be enough. If I were in Onozuka-kun's shoes, I probably wouldn't trust you, either. Only your actions can prove your sincerity, and that takes time."
"Forget about Onozuka-kun for a minute--do you forgive me, Yoshizumi-san?" Asano asked bluntly, trying not to sound too desperate.
Yoshizumi regarded Asano with a long, appraising look before replying, "You'll have to work at winning back my trust as well, Asano-kun, because I'm not completely convinced that you're sincere, either." Asano started to protest, and Yoshizumi cut him off with, "Oh, I'm sure that you're sorry--but are you truly sorry that you hurt Onozuka-kun and his family, or just sorry that you got caught?"
And since the truth was closer to the latter than to the former, Asano fell silent and allowed Yoshizumi to walk away. He wasn't exactly sure how Yoshizumi's opinion had come to matter to him so much, anyway. When he'd started off his career, he'd been determined to do whatever it took in order to achieve success--including lying, manipulating, and seducing if necessary. But somehow that had begun to change after Katou confronted him about the sleepover scandal with Iwaki. Asano wasn't sure why, but the opinion of those two had started to matter to him after that--perhaps he'd been infected with a touch of their idealism. And now, Yoshizumi's opinion mattered even more to him than Iwaki's and Katou's, because he wasn't just a rival or a mentor, but a friend.
Or he had been, anyway, until Asano had alienated him. Despite his easygoing manner, Yoshizumi had proven to be unswerving in his convictions, and Asano wasn't sure how to get back in his good graces.
He was still brooding about it at the end of the day, when he saw Yoshizumi and Onozuka leaving the studio and climbing into a cab together, and as his jaw dropped open in shock and outrage, he saw Onozuka peer through the car window and smirk at him as the cab drove off.
***
"I think that Asano-kun has a crush on you," Onozuka teased Yoshizumi. "He's been very depressed and subdued ever since you scolded him about that...ah...incident." The cab driver was one of Onozuka's discreet regulars, but there was no point in tempting fate by talking too openly about the tabloid scandal. "And he looked a little jealous just now when he saw us driving off together."
"You must be mistaken, Onozuka-kun," Yoshizumi replied skeptically. "I'm sure that Asano-kun doesn't think of me in that way. I think he's more passionate about his career than any one particular person, man or woman. And really, you of all people should know better than to gossip about your colleagues."
"Forgive me, Yoshizumi-san," Onozuka said meekly. "It was just a joke, but in poor taste, I suppose." However, he was quite certain that he was right--that look of outrage on Asano's face had been most illuminating, and he gleefully filed away that bit of knowledge for possible future use. What was even more interesting was that Yoshizumi seemed sincere in his denial of Asano's interest--how could such an intelligent and perceptive man fail to see what was staring him directly in the face?
Maybe it was simply his abhorrence of romance, Onozuka mused, recalling all Yoshizumi's complaints about Iwaki and Katou's nauseating sentimentality. That might explain why such a talented actor had never achieved leading man status, despite a more than sufficient amount of looks and charm. Most leading roles inevitably involved some romance, and if Yoshizumi couldn't play it convincingly, it was natural that he'd be passed over in favor of other actors. Onozuka wondered how the movie would've turned out if Yoshizumi had been playing Eisuke to Kikuchi's Ryotaro instead of him, but that reminded him that he didn't want to think about Kikuchi right now, and he tried to push the thought out of his mind.
Yoshizumi's apartment had the generic look of a temporarily rented place, but he had tried to personalize it a bit. There was a framed picture hanging on the wall, a comical portrait of a samurai warrior--or maybe a Kabuki actor posing as one; Onozuka had seen similar prints in the home of one of his father's wealthy clients. There were also little knickknacks that appeared to be props from his samurai dramas, or maybe just souvenirs from Kyoto: a ceramic tea bowl, an iron war fan of the type used by samurai warriors, and an ivory netsuke carved in the shape of a grinning fish. There were also a pair of miniature Shisa sitting on a shelf next to a row of historical novels, and Onozuka laughed.
"Did you get these in Okinawa?"
"Yes," Yoshizumi replied with a grin. "I also got a slightly larger pair as a souvenir for a friend. Well, make yourself at home, Onozuka-kun. The couch is there, as you can see, and there's an extra pillow and blankets in the closet." Yoshizumi opened the fridge and began rummaging through it. "Let's see, I've got bits of this and that in here--we could throw it all together and make a stir-fry, if that's okay with you."
"A stir-fry sounds great, as long as I'm not the one doing the cooking," Onozuka replied. "I'm afraid I'm not much of a cook." He smiled wryly, recalling last night's dinner. "But I can chop vegetables with the best of them."
"Then you can chop and I'll cook," Yoshizumi said good-naturedly.
So Onozuka chopped up the vegetables, some tofu, and a bit of chicken that was apparently leftover from last night's dinner, and Yoshizumi cooked it all together in a wok on the stovetop. As Onozuka watched Yoshizumi work, he was reminded of all the times that he had watched Kikuchi cooking for him, and he was filled with a sudden desperate yearning that hit him like a punch in the gut.
"Onozuka-kun, are you all right?" Yoshizumi asked in a concerned voice.
"Yeah, sure," Onozuka replied, attempting to flash a reassuring smile at the other actor, but he must not have succeeded because Yoshizumi still looked worried.
"Listen, if you need someone to talk to..." Yoshizumi offered hesitantly.
"Thanks, but I've done a lot of talking in the past couple of days and it hasn't really helped," Onozuka replied dryly. "I think I'm going to have to figure it out on my own."
"Okay," Yoshizumi replied, looking relieved. "At least I can provide you with a home-cooked meal!"
"It's better than anything I could cook for myself," Onozuka said lightly. Yoshizumi laughed, and they made harmless small talk over dinner about past projects they had worked on. The food was good, and Onozuka resolutely tried not to think about the fact that it was not quite as good as Kikuchi's cooking.
However, trying not to think about someone that he couldn't stop thinking about was exhausting, and he was already worn out from last night's lack of sleep. So he turned in early and bedded down on the couch, telling Yoshizumi, "Don't mind me. Just go about your normal business--as long as you aren't having very loud and vocal sex, I'm sure that I'll be able to sleep through it."
"I'm afraid that my life isn't nearly that exciting," Yoshizumi chuckled. "I was just going to check my e-mail and maybe do a bit of reading, and I can do that just fine in my bedroom." He turned off the living room lights and added, "Sweet dreams, Onozuka-kun."
Yoshizumi retreated into his room, closing the door, and the apartment was blissfully quiet--especially compared to Iwaki and Katou's place. He sighed with relief and quickly fell asleep, but his dreams were troubled and more bitter than sweet, filled with memories of Kikuchi...
***
Yoshizumi worked on his laptop while Onozuka slept, tinkering with a screenplay that he'd been working on during his spare time over the past couple of years--a story about a samurai warrior. Not one of the famous generals or duelists, but a low-ranking soldier, an ordinary man caught up in a war beyond his understanding or control. Yoshizumi knew that it was unlikely that it would ever get made into a film, but it was something that gave him pleasure, and who knew? Maybe someday a studio really would option it--although it was unlikely that he would be selected to star in the leading role, he thought to himself wryly.
It was all a pipe dream right now, though, and he wouldn't really mind if it never got made into a movie. It was a way for him to relax, while at the same time making use of the knowledge he'd gained while working on all those historical dramas over the years.
After working for an hour or so, he yawned and stretched, then headed to the kitchen to get something to drink, moving quietly in order to avoid waking Onozuka. As Yoshizumi walked past the couch, he heard Onozuka whisper, "Katsuya," in a voice filled with longing.
Yoshizumi felt uncomfortable, as if he'd been caught eavesdropping, and hurried over to get a bottle of water from the fridge. He wasn't really surprised to learn that Onozuka's troubles had something to do with Kikuchi, since the tension between them at work had been obvious, although Yoshizumi wasn't sure why that would result in Onozuka getting into an argument with his roommate. Maybe he was just short-tempered because of his romantic problems, and a minor disagreement had blown up out of proportion, or maybe they were two completely separate issues.
Either way, it wasn't Yoshizumi's business. He'd been relieved when Onozuka had refused his hesitant offer to talk, because he figured he wouldn't be much good at giving romantic advice. Still, he felt bad that he wasn't able to be of more help, because Onozuka seemed so unhappy about whatever had come between him and Kikuchi, and Yoshizumi liked the mischievous young actor in spite of his irritation over Asano and Onozuka's feud.
Just then, Yoshizumi's phone rang and he hurried to answer it, but he already saw Onozuka beginning to stir and sit up as he said, "Yes?"
"Hi, it's me," Kenzaki said.
"Oh, hi," Yoshizumi replied, speaking in a hushed voice. "I just got your suit back from the cleaners, and I was planning to drop it off when I have time." He had borrowed some clothes from Kenzaki after sleeping over at his place a few nights ago, and he was afraid that the too-perceptive Onozuka had noticed the change in wardrobe the next morning and had guessed that the high-priced designer clothes belonged to someone else.
"There's no rush," Kenzaki assured him. "I was just calling because a client gave me tickets to an exhibition of Sharaku prints at the Edo-Tokyo Museum in Odaiba, and I remember that you said you liked his work. I know you're busy filming, but do you think you can manage to get some time off this weekend?"
"I heard about that, and I'd love to go," Yoshizumi said. "I don't really have that many scenes left to film--most of the burden is on the lead actors at this point. I should be free on Sunday if that works for you."
"Sounds good," Kenzaki replied. "I'll call you with the details later. Hey, do you feel like coming by tonight or are you too tired?"
Yoshizumi hesitated, then said, "I'm not tired, but I sort of have a house guest."
"Oh?" Kenzaki asked curiously.
"Onozuka-kun is staying with me for a few days," Yoshizumi replied.
"I bet there's an interesting story behind that," Kenzaki said.
Onozuka sat up, blinking sleepily, but there was already a gleam of interest in his half-lidded eyes. "Don't let me cramp your style, Yoshizumi-san," he yawned. "If you have somewhere to be, go ahead. I'll be fine napping here on the couch."
"You can bring your friend if you want," Kenzaki told Yoshizumi.
"Eh?" Yoshizumi asked, startled by the unexpected offer.
"Sure, I'd love to meet the Prince," Kenzaki chuckled. "Of course, maybe a host club isn't really his thing, but then again, if the rumors about him and Kikuchi are true, then maybe he might enjoy it."
Yoshizumi hesitated again, while Onozuka gazed at him, looking much more alert and curious now. Then again, why shouldn't he bring Onozuka to the club? It was a harmless diversion that might distract Onozuka from his problems, and there was no reason to hesitate over introducing Onozuka and Kenzaki. Onozuka wouldn't be crass enough to openly threaten him with blackmail as Asano had, and there was nothing to blackmail him with, since he and Kenzaki were merely friends, nothing more. Well, technically, they were "friends with benefits," but the tabloids didn't care about Yoshizumi, and Yoshizumi wasn't that concerned about his reputation, anyway.
"A friend of mine manages a nightclub in Shinjuku," he told Onozuka. "Would you like to stop by there with me?"
"Sure," Onozuka replied. "Have I heard of it?"
"I don't think so," Yoshizumi said with a straight face. "It's a bit different from the kinds of places you go to with Katou-kun, but I think you'll enjoy it."
"Sounds like fun," Onozuka said, tossing aside the blanket. "Just give me a few minutes to get dressed."
"Yoshizumi-san, you didn't tell him what kind of club this is, did you?" Kenzaki asked, sounding amused.
"I figure it'll be more fun if it's a surprise," Yoshizumi said cheerfully.
Part 14
***
Afterword: The print of the samurai warrior (or actually, a Kabuki actor playing a samurai) in Yoshizumi's apartment is modeled after the type of prints created by the 18th century artist Sharaku. (I got interested in Sharaku thanks to Bronze Ribbons' discussion post here.) I'm not sure that Yoshizumi would have a Sharaku original--apparently they're very rare and costly, but he could have a copy, or a print by a less famous artist.
There actually was an exhibition of Sharaku prints at the Edo-Tokyo Museum in Odaiba last year, so it seemed like a nice date outing for Kenzaki and Yoshizumi. I was reading a bit about Sharaku, and it seems like he was a little too honest for his own good: "Sharaku designed likenesses of Kabuki actors, but because he depicted them too truthfully, his prints did not conform to accepted ideas, and his career was short, ending after about a year." (A quote from The Sasaya Kuninori Version of the Ukiyo-e Ryuikō in Sharaku: The Enigmatic Ukiyo-e Master by Muneshige Narazaki, p. 43. Since I see Yoshizumi as a bluntly honest guy, I really like the plot bunny idea of Yoshizumi starring in a Sharaku movie.
The fish netsuke in Yoshizumi's apartment is supposed to be the same one that Yoshizumi bought as a gift for Kenzaki at the end of Bronze Ribbons' Present Understanding. (I'm assuming that Yoshizumi hasn't given it to Kenzaki yet.)
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hehehe, Onozuka's now about to dive into WAMLAM universe too ^^
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Also good to see that your Yoshizumi actually has a passion with that play of his.
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Yoshizumi seems like the type who'd be interested in other aspects of filmmaking besides acting.