It's @lancermylove's birthday! (Or soon will be... I could very well be early haha.)
I was planning on drawing something for your birthday, but my days got away from me. I hope you like this tribute to your day of birth more!
Kei x Reader
Suggestive towards the end, but otherwise sweetness and fluff.
~*~
Walking into Starless, you got used to certain things always happing, to the extent of becoming a norm. Smiles and greetings from the cast members in varying levels of excitement, including Unei. His was usually followed by hurried footsteps as he approached to ask your assistance in one task or another before someone else caught your attention.
This was always Kei. If he saw Unei attempting to get your help in any way, he would always cup your shoulders with both of his strong hands and steer you away to another room in the shop. There, he would sit you down, ask you about your day, offer sustenance, et cetra.
Today, however, you were not greeted by his shining smile or twinkling blue eyes and you felt your shoulders slump slightly and a sigh escape your lips. Out of everyone, you looked forward to seeing him the most - as one usually would when it was their boyfriend doing said greeting. It was your birthday after all.
"Where's Kei?" You asked Unei when he approached, a question on his lips.
"He texted Haseyama, saying he wouldn't be here today. Errands of some kind from what I understand. He chose a good day to do so since we didn't have a performance planned..."
Everything else Unei said fell on deaf ears. Kei wasn't here today? You pulled out your phone to send him a text about it, but paused with your fingers hovering over the keyboard on your phone screen. Perhaps he really did have errands. Surely he would be back tomorrow. Memories of last year threatened to take hold of him disappearing for months on end, but you shook your head to scatter them like fallen leaves.
"Ok, I guess I'll just see him tomorrow then. What did you need help with, Unei? Best take advantage of it while he isn't here, right?" You gave the young man the best smile you could manage.
~*~
Several hours later, you felt your phone vibrate in your pocket followed by a ding, notifying you that you had received a message. When you pulled your phone out to see who had sent it, you saw Kei's name and felt excitement bubble up to your cheeks, taking the corners of your lips with it.
You quickly excused yourself from the project you'd been working on with Unei and escaped to the stairway on the far side of the backstage area where you could get some privacy. When you cast your gaze around, looking for any spying eyes, you quickly unlocked your phone.
"Dearest Princess - I'm sorry I wasn't there to greet you when you went to the shop today. I had some very important errands to do today and only just now finished them. I was working on a surprise for you for your birthday and wanted them to be perfect.
"Please meet my chauffer outside Starless in five minutes. He will bring you to me. - Kei"
A flush of excitement came to your cheeks at the idea of Kei doing something like that for your birthday.
Flying to the management office as if your feet had wings, you tell Unei that you had to leave, grabbed up all the gifts that you had been given by the other cast members throughout the day, and hurried to the front door of the shop. You didn't see the soft, knowing smile that Unei gave you.
~*~
The second the toe of your shoe settled on the concrete walk in front of the building the shop was in, you see a black stretch limo before you, all of the tinted windows were dark as night. At the back passenger side door, stood Kei's driver in his smart uniform suit and a smile.
"Good afternoon, Miss. Are you ready?" You nodded your head vigorously in reply, which made the older man chuckle. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a soft looking scarf. "Kei requested that you use this to cover your eyes. Can't have the surprise being ruined, now can we?"
Despite raising one eyebrow in suspicion, you took the indeed soft cloth and wrapped it around your eyes. The gentleman then helped you sit in the seat before closing the door and moving away from you. Several moments later, you felt the vehicle moving.
This continued for a while, with multiple turns and failed attempts at conversing the destination from the kindly driver.
Eventually, the vehicle came to a stop. A moment later, far sooner than it would have taken the driver to move around from his seat to your door, said door opened and you felt a warm finger on your arm to get your attention.
"You made it."
A different kind of heat from the flush earlier, consumed you at the deep voice you heard. Perhaps it was because your vision was blocked, causing your body to react more strongly than usual to the timbre. It was certainly a different reaction than usual to the sound of his voice, but not unwelcome.
"Kei-"
His comforting hand wrapped around your offered limb to help you climb out of the vehicle.
The moment the door was closed behind you, the limo drove off to destination unknown. Once you both were alone, Kei moved around to face you before releasing your hand. You could feel him move close, the tip of your nose touching his bare chest as he reached around behind you to untie the scarf. He didn't need to be so close to do so, but you weren't about to complain at being so close to him. When you inhaled, you took in the scent that was uniquely him and felt a calm come over you that always calmed your ails.
"You can open your eyes, you know." Kei's voice rumbled from before you when he pulled back, taking the scarf with him.
You did and was met with a peek of bare chest, barely covered by a mesh shirt. You took a step back to look at him better and saw the black with gold accents of his the costume he wore for his Treasured performance.
'My favorite...' You took your lower lip between your teeth unconsciously as you admired the view before you. Kei chuckled at your appreciation and leaned forward to place a kiss on your cheek.
"I knew this was your favorite and borrowed it for the day since it's your special day."
You looked up at him with a smile and he stared at you for a moment before leaning down to place a warm, lasting kiss on your lips. You felt goosebumps form on your arms at the feeling, arousal threatening to grow stronger the longer the kiss lasted. A moment before you were about to moan, he pulled back with a smirk.
He reached up to cup your cheek, thumbing your downturned lips to massage it away. "There will always be time for more of that later, my love. Right now, it's your birthday and I plan on celebrating it."
You reached your hand up to run a finger approvingly along different parts of the costume. "What did you have planned?"
When you cast your gaze up to meet his, it was met with blue eyes filled with playfulness and love. "It wouldn't be much of a surprise if I told you."
"But you've already surprised me by going this far. The rest is just a bonus."
His hair swayed in the light breeze landing perfectly back in place as if the wind's fingers combed through his golden locks. Your hands itched to do the same. "Just wait and see."
He finally stepped from in front of you to reveal a beautiful park space, filled with flowers of all colors. The beauty of the space was breathtaking in its perfection.
"Where are we?" Over the time since you first came to town and found Starless, you'd been all over but had never found such a gem in the city.
"An... acquaintance of mine told me their summer garden was blooming, so I asked if I could borrow their estate for the afternoon and they agreed."
This caught your attention. "You borrowed their home?"
"Vacation home, really."
The large rainbow botanical garden sat nestled up to the side of a two story, brick home that looked very old. "This is bigger than the home I grew up in! It's just a vacation home?"
Kei just nodded before taking your hand to direct you towards the middle of the grounds, rubbing his thumb in circles over your flesh, sending zings of sensation with every pass. Once you reached the center, you fund an intimate table for two was set up with lit candles and a bouquet of flowers on the table setting of one side. When the two of you reached the quaint setting, Kei picked up the bouquet and handed it to you.
Pulling the bouquet up to your nose, Kei released your hand to move to your other side so he could pull the chair out for you. You smiled in appreciation as you sat down.
The moment Kei settled in his own chair, a tuxedoed butler began bringing out food and drink from inside the house. Fine wine, warm bread and three dainty appetizers started off the meal. When those were done, a man and woman in tuxedos brought out two plates with filet minion wrapped with bacon, steamed vegetables on a light sauce. You watched the two individuals place the plates before both of you, but you could feel Kei's eyes on you and only you.
During your many dates over the last year, whenever he had the time, he always took you to the finest dining the city had to offer. This time, however, was better than anything you had eaten at any of the places he had taken you. It took every ounce of strength to take everything slow and savor every morsel.
In his way, Kei knew what you were thinking and already had a response before you could say anything. "I brought in a two Michelin star chef to put this together. I hope you are enjoying it."
That made you pause for a moment. Michelin star chefs were highly trained and much sought after. What did he have to pay to do all this? "Kei, you didn't have to do all this, you know. Please don't think I don't appreciate the effort you put into this, but it's too much."
"You are worth every penny. I wanted to show you how much I appreciate you being brought into this world since I can't thank your parents."
You looked down at your half-eaten plate to contemplate his words. Any further protest would, not only be rude to Kei, but also ignored. Once Kei had his mind set on something, he didn't deviate. 'I should just enjoy this.' You smiled at him again and continued eating the food that tasted like a dream.
After the main course, the plates were removed and a plate with a white ramekin of chocolate soufflé was placed before you. Next to the ramekin was a quenelle of vanilla bean ice cream on the side with a sprig of mint added as decoration.
When the entire meal was finished, you felt as if you could have died right then and there and have been happy. Well, almost happy. There was one more thing that would have made the night even better.
You jumped when Kei took your hand in his again. "I hope you aren't thinking that just because dinner is finished that this is the end of the night."
Kei reached into his pocket and pulled out a small light blue box with a white ribbon with his free hand and handed it to you. It was roughly the size and shape of a ring box and anxiousness started to fill you. 'Is he proposing??'
"Will you open it or just stare at it?"
Your cheeks warmed at his words and you opened it awkwardly with one hand and let out a small gasp. Inside was a teardrop cut Peridot in a diamond and platinum setting pendant, strung on a fine platinum chain.
"Kei, I..."
Kei stood and moved around to stand behind you. He took the pendant from the box, mindful of the chain, and secured the clasp behind your neck.
He placed his hands on your shoulder and leaned in so his lips were right next to your ear, his warm breath warming you from the inside. "The only thing, from this whole night, that I ask is that you wear this and only this while we make love tonight in every room of the house behind us."
As always, if you have any platonic gift suggestions for the remaining members, including Unei and Nekome, hit me up! I'm still looking for ideas :)
~*~
As it was when looking for Ginsei to give him his gift, I had no problem finding Team K's leader. Even though he was working the floor during the Christmas holiday shows, he still managed to gather a crowd after the performances were done and the teams performing were meeting and greeting fans in front of the stage.
I waited patiently nearby, smirking as a flurry of females gathered around, offering compliments and proclaiming their affection for the performer. A chuckle escaped my lips when I watched him look up and around discreetly, his gaze honing in on me.
"I'm sorry, ladies. I must go now." With a gentlemanly bow, Kei excused himself and made his way over to where I stood, bag of gifts in hand. "Come with me."
Kei placed his large hand at the small of my back and guided me towards the kitchen, to the small storage room off to the side.
"Were you, of all people, having trouble with your fans, Kei?" My smirk returned as I looked up at the man before me.
"They were making it particularly difficult to work. They were also in the way of my getting to your side."
Kei often said things like that and I knew he meant them, but that didn't change how I felt about him or any of the other members of Starless, and he knew it.
"Well, I'm glad I could help you escape the bad guys, Kei."
Kei gave me a look that was one only I got to see from the Ikemen. "Was there something you needed?"
"Yes!" I reached into my bag and pulled out a squishy package wrapped in red and green paper. "Merry Christmas, Kei!"
A perfectly sculpted brow rose in question as I handed the gift to him. "For me? You didn't have to get anything for me."
"I wanted to, Kei! I hope you like it."
Kei opened the gift while still looking at me, looking as if he never thought something like receiving a gift would happen. It made a little sense - not many people at Starless were big fans of his, let alone good enough friends to give him a gift for the holiday.
Paper removed, Kei looked down at the scarf in his hands. "Did you make this?" He asked as he unfurled it to give it a once over. The fabric flowed over his hands, but I knew it would be thick and warm during the cold winters.
"I did. I found the fabric and sewed it into a scarf so you could stay warm. I also sewed an Omamori charm into it."
Kei's sky-blue eyes twinkled at that. "An Omamori charm, huh?"
"I don't know why or how, I just have gotten the feeling since I came to Starless, that you could use something like that."
He wrapped the long article of clothing around his neck and held the ends in his hands where I'd placed the charm. He cast a very charismatic grin towards me. "It was very thoughtful of you, Princess. I'll treasure it."
Kei and MC are reunited after being apart for years and finally get married in a private ceremony with a couple friends as witnesses. When the ceremony is finally over, it's time for the honeymoon!
Requested by @lancermylove <3
~*~
Tonight was a night for just the two of us.
A night to let our passions and heat explode and fill us, over and over again, without a worry in the world.
The entire flight to where our honeymoon would begin, I felt nervous for reasons unknown to me and I did my best to hide it from Kei, but I never could hide anything from him. He knew me too well. As we sat in our first-class seats, he laid his large hand over mine as I squeezed them together in my lap and peered out of the window as we flew over an ocean and large bodies of land at thirty-six thousand feet.
I turned my hands over and squeezed his hand back, looking up to see he wasn't even looking at me - he was reading some kind of agreement that Starless dropped on his lap right before we left for the airport. However, regardless of how busy he was, he always knew when something bothered me and how to fix it. I smiled down at our clasped hands before looking out of the window at the scenery below, never releasing his hand.
In no time, we began to land, and I saw nothing but white on the ground below us. Just how far north did he take us?
When we entered the airport from our gate, every sign around us was in a language I didn't understand. Of course, Kei understood what everything said and he took my hand to casually lead me through customs, security, and towards a man holding a piece of paper with that same language on it. Kei told me that it had his name on it while we closed the distance.
Five minutes later, we were in a large black SUV, with equally blacked out windows, and we were traveling away from the airport and up into the mountains.
"Are you going to tell me where we're going now?"
Kei simply stared at me and smirked, not saying a word - it was as if he was waiting eagerly to see my reaction like a child eager to open gifts on Christmas.
After traveling through snow-covered countryside, the driver guided the vehicle we were in through a quaint, tourist-filled village, and up the mountain just beyond. When we finally came to a stop, it was in front of a small cottage nestled in a copse of trees. The front, while covered in snow, was warm and inviting with the lights on inside and a trail of smoke coming from the chimney.
The moment we were alone, the driver generously tipped and away, Kei crowded me against the door to the cabin and began attacking my neck with lips and teeth as he began undressing me.
"Right here, Kei?"
"We've been traveling for hours, and I've managed to keep my hands off you until now. The moment I watched you walk down the aisle in your wedding dress, all I wanted to do was take it off of you and ravish you. I can't take it off now, but I certainly plan to ravish you."
~*~
And ravish me he did.
For hours and through so many orgasms, I lost count.
I awoke with a sigh - what time it currently was was a complete mystery to me - and felt his warmth behind me on the bed. I didn't recall falling asleep, but we must have passed out from exhaustion where we were at the foot of the large bed. A small giggle creeped up from my chest until it escaped my lips when I realized that, not only were we at the foot of the bed, but we were also facing the foot of the bed.
"Finally awake?"
"Kei! I thought you were asleep." I rolled over to face him, admiring how he glowed golden in the light of the fireplace at the foot of the bed. My fingers trailed up over one of the kiss marks I left on the flesh of his chest. This caused him to shiver and goosebumps to form around it in awareness.
"I awoke a while ago and was enjoying watching you sleep limned in the light of the fireplace. You are a picture of loveliness, my love."
I felt a blush creep up my chest to gather at the apples of my cheek and buried my face in his chest. A finger curled under my chin and tilted my face up. The kiss he placed on my lips, while not as all-consuming as the one that he gave me when we first entered the cabin, was no less effective in making a heat pool deep in my belly, reawakening my arousal as easy as breathing.
My hand moved from the bite mark near his collarbone, down the flesh of his chest that felt like velvet poured over steel and was as hot to the touch as if I were reaching for the glowing metal itself. Gooseflesh continued to rise with my feather-light touch as I moved my hand slowly down his chest. I trailed my manicured around his rosy nipple, gently scratching the flesh. My mind filled with a memory from earlier in the evening when that same nipple had had chocolate sauce drizzled on it, and my mouth watered like it did when I licked the delicious confection off completely with my tongue.
Kei cupped the sides of my head to deepen the kiss and I opened for him, feeling his tongue prod my own and I pressed back, distracting him as my hand trailed down his torso from his nipple and teased the muscles of his stomach, delving into his cute belly button.
Still not satisfied touching him, I moved my hand further to wrap around his rapidly hardening shaft. Kei pulled away to frown and growl at me, sending a shiver down my spine. “Unless you’ve recovered from earlier, I would suggest you stop what you were doing.”
His whispered word, directly into my ears, made me want to whimper. I somehow managed to keep that from happening as I pulled my hand along his flesh towards me before moving it back down, stroking him twice more like that. I felt a need to be teasing come over me and I smirked at him.
“Very well,” I murmured to him and pulled away, acting as if I was leaving the bed. Kei quickly wrapped his strong arms around me and pulled me close, my back to his front. He made sure to rock his hips forward and into my bum to show how I had affected him.
“Just where do you think you’re going?” The low, rumbling rasp of his voice made a lump form in my throat that I couldn’t swallow around. I arched my back to press my ass into his lap, unable to help myself.
“Until you showed me otherwise, I thought it might have been too soon for more lovemaking because of what you said. I wanted to give you time to recover?” I felt a familiar jolt of lust tingle all the way to my toes when he took my earlobe into his mouth and trailed kisses along my jaw, neck and shoulder. I tried to pull away again, but he wrapped both arms around me, effectively locking me against him. I whimpered when he started licking and sucking, no doubt leaving another hickey on my flesh to add to the flurry of petals he left behind over the course of the night.
“Do you really think I need more time to…recover?” Kei growled, moving a hand to cup my breast and squeeze. I gasped and pressed back into him again. He moved his hand down my belly and between my legs, feeling my wetness coating the inside of my thighs. “It looks like you don’t need any recovery time either.”
Flames licked at my limbs at the sound of his voice, surrounding me, filling me, promising untold pleasure once more.
I looked at him from over my shoulder and kissed his chin. “Kei, please~”
He locked his eyes with mine and frowned a little. “You never have to beg me, __________. Your wish is my command.”
Kei proceeded to stand, took my hand to pull me into a sitting position, then moved around until he could pick me up bridal-style and took me over to some blankets and pillows set out in front of the fireplace as a makeshift bed. We had been so focused on each other when we first arrived, this was the first time I noticed it and I felt ashamed. Someone put effort into putting this together and it went completely unnoticed by me.
Soon, my attention was once more on the man with me, my husband, as he set me down on the homemade futon and then covered my softer body with his harder form.
The blankets and pillows bunched and flattened with the rolling of our hips as we continued our previous activities from the bed. I could feel the flames from before growing with each roll of his hips pressing his shaft into my thigh, pressing into me near where I wanted him most but not close enough.
‘He must be getting payback for earlier.’ I thought to myself with a frown. “Kei… Please, I need you.”
“And I, you, my princess.” Kei trailed kisses across my chest, continuing to tease me with what I needed.
I growled and wrapped one leg around his hips, using the other for support, before pushing both of us over so I was straddling his hips and he was laying under me.
The surprise on his face lasted only a moment, but it made me smile as I trapped his manhood between my legs and rolled my own hips back and forth, feeling his shaft gliding more smoothly with each pass. Kei gripped my hips and I thought he was going to try to stop me, but all he did was help me move against him, his eyes never leaving me.
On one last stroke, I reached between us, clasped his manhood and sat up on my knees, rubbing the crown of his hard cock against my sensitive nub before pressing it back to line up with my entrance.
Impaling myself on his cock was easy enough with how aroused we were. When he was fully seated inside me, I paused for a moment to grip him with my inner muscles. This earned me another growl and I smirked down at him before undulating my hips, feeling his impressive cock filling me perfectly - not too girthy, not too long.
Kei gripped my hips when I started moving my hips in circles as we made love, and I saw him close his eyes and tilt his head up.
“You aren’t about to climax on me, are you, husband?” I smirked knowingly as I started properly bouncing in his lap.
His grip tightened and I thought he was going to stop me, but he just brought me down harder on him when I lifted myself up.
Grunts and groans, moans and growls, echoed around the open space, the longer we made love in the glow of the fire light. Each sound erotic in my ears because it meant we were together, we were safe, and we could take time to enjoy each other.
Even as my own breath and heartbeat increased, I watched as Kei’s chest rose and fell faster, his grip on me grew harder, the knot in my belly growing tighter. But I wanted to see this moment through to the end. This was a special night - the first night of making love as husband and wife. One thing I never thought would happen due to Kei’s obsessive need to keep me safe.
I lost myself to thoughts of our earlier activities and how he climaxed inside me for the first time when we were particularly lost in each other. I’d never really thought of children before because Kei was hell bound and determined on my safety and didn’t want children because it wasn’t safe. The heat radiating from inside me when he released and filled me with his life had been unfamiliar but not unpleasant. However, I knew I couldn’t let it happen again - He was already stressed enough, and I didn’t want to make it worse.
Images of possible futures blinded me to the extent that Kei suddenly flipped us over, took my knees in his hands, and pressed one to the bed and one over his shoulder to open me further. Kei became a man possessed, thrusting harder and faster, looking down towards where our bodies were connected. His luxurious hair hid his features from me, so I reached up to push the lengths out of his face, the strands tickling my palm, the sweat gathering at his scalp.
Kei lifted his head suddenly to look down at me as I cupped his face with one hand. I was drawn to how his blue eyes were lit like the hottest fire while his pupils were blown with arousal.
Nothing slowed him down except his impending climax. I knew it was close because of the look in his eye, his stuttering hips, panting for breath.
I was nearly there and wanted us to finish together, so I reached between us and began playing with myself, wanting to help get closer. But Kei just pushed my hand away and took over the circular movement, sending zings of pleasure directly to my core and driving me towards climax like a Mack truck without brakes going down a hill.
“Kei, I…”
“Yes.”
“Kei, come for me.” My voice deep and raspy from screaming pleasure earlier and moaning now, had a desired effect on him. Kei’s entire body shivered, and he moaned at the sound I made, making him redouble his efforts in making me come. Of course, it didn’t take long, and before I knew it, I was screaming as my orgasm shot through me, tears pooling at the corners of my eyes from the power of it. This, in turn, caused Kei to finish. He pulled out and left streams of white all over my belly and breasts, as he climaxed. It felt as if he was claiming me like a beast.
Once his pleasure left him completely, he collapsed on top of me and to the side so he wouldn’t squish me. I turned to face him and wrapped my arms around him, holding him close and pressing a kiss to the top of his head.
Kei nuzzled his face into the space between my breasts and wrapped his arms around me in return.
“I love you, __________.” He murmured before he fell asleep there in my arms. I smiled gently down at him.
“I love you, too, Kei. More than I could ever say.”
Pairing: Would-be Pre-relationship between Kei and the reader/MC.
Rating: PG - Angst
Word Count:
Notes: Don’t ask me where this came from. I have no idea, it just kind of came to being. This happens at the end of Season 2 when Kei leaves Starless. Female pronouns used, and any time you see “__________”, that’s an “insert name here.”
Summary: Dreams of him plague you ever since he left. Is leaving to find him a good idea? Who else would go looking for him to bring him back? There’s danger to you out there, yes, but you learned the hard way you couldn’t always rely on Kei to be around to protect you.
‘Let me protect you!’
“__________!”
You woke with a start and looked around frantically, trying to find the speaker, but found no one nearby. Of course there wouldn’t be anyone there. The shop had yet to open for the day and you’d fallen asleep on the couch in the back, unable to stay in your apartment alone for too long. Unei had long since given you permission to come in early and you had been taking advantage of it over the last month.
Knees to your breast, you lay your forehead on them and released another shuddering sigh. Another dream. Dreams of Kei had been plaguing you since the day he left Starless without a word as to where he was going or why. Spending a majority of your time at Starless made you feel better. Somewhat.
What was he doing? Was he okay? You knew he had his reasons and that they were likely to be good ones - he rarely did anything without good intention.
However, though you told herself that, his absence was a heavy cloud over many at Starless. Had he thought about how, with his leaving the shop, would affect the others? Most were still upset, even weeks later. But there were a few that, in the two years you’d been coming to Starless, you’d never seen so happy.
You touch the screen of your phone, bringing the lock screen up, hoping for some kind of notification of a message about him or from him. Still nothing. The only hint of news that anyone at the shop had received was when Kasumi hinted he might have seen a blog article from America about Kei.
‘America? Why did he go back? Maybe I…’ You just shook your head with a derisive chuckle. ‘All this pining and thinking about looking for him. The pain I feel when I think about him and how he isn’t there to greet me with one of his gorgeous smiles? The feeling of contentment, of peace, whenever I see him, talk to him, spend time with him. I just need to face it - I’m in love with him. Too bad it took him leaving for me to realize it. I took for granted his presence until it was too late. Now, no one knows if or when he will return.’
The others at Starless knew how you felt about the Team K leader, even before you did. Some of them tried to console you, to make you smile again when yours started to falter. Some tried to convince you it was for the best that you and Kei were nothing but friends and that you should move on. That he wasn’t worth the loss of who you were, of the smile you brought to the shop.
But how could you after everything you found out about your past that you had forgotten and how it included him and Heath?
All you told them, whenever they came to you as a group or individually, was that you appreciate their concern and offered them a somewhat forced smile, before going about your day at Starless, lost in thoughts about the man who ran.
Shaking your head, you tapped on the ‘messages’ icon and clicked on his name to bring up the last message you two had shared, ignoring the playful last message he had sent you, and began typing the first to him since he left.
To Kei: ‘I will never again forget.’
The little fluttering icon representing your text flapped as if traveling before settling again, getting replaced by the word ‘sent’.
Just as you were about to close the phone screen and get up to help set up shop for the night, you saw small dots appear at the bottom of the screen on his side of the conversation, signifying he was responding. An excitement you hadn’t felt in ages filled you at the sight. ‘He’s okay! He’s replying!’ You settle back down on the couch and cross your legs, eagerly awaiting for him to finish typing.
After what felt like forever, he finally pressed ‘send’, but the message you received confused you, bringing you from the highest you’d felt in a long time, to even lower than you had before.
From Kei: ‘Good for you? I think you have the wrong number.’
You frown at the screen of your phone as you start to reply. ‘This isn’t Kei?’
From ???: ‘Who’s Kei?’
The phone in your hand fuzzes before your eyes. Did he get a new number? Why? That surely couldn’t be a good sign. You wanted to think of this as some kind of cruel joke by the Team K leader, but it wasn’t like him.
Hitting ‘send’ on the quick apology to whoever had Kei’s number now, you sat there on the couch, thinking as memories of him at Starless flit past your mind’s eye.
There had to be some kind of explanation to all of this, but none of the rest of the cast seemed to care as much as you did. Not even Ginsei, which was surprising. He just assured her that Kei would return and to be patient.
It was up to you now. You would find Kei and either bring him home or join him.
~*~ 6 months later ~*~
One sunny afternoon, as the cast was preparing for that night’s show - Team W was performing Out In Out - Everyone’s gaze was drawn to the back where their customers entered, watching in confusion as the double doors opened with a loud creak. Instantly, all chatter was silenced as every head turned to see who could possibly be coming through the door.
Ginsei was closest to the doors and felt his skin pale with the shock of seeing the person standing in the doorway with the spotlights of the lobby shining at their back.
“...Kei? Is that you?”
Kei turned his head to face his number two with his signature smirk.
“Ginsei. I’m glad to see you are well,” his gaze scanned the rest of the cast, seeing the expected reactions at his sudden return. Except one. The one he had missed the most these past seven months. Kei turned back to Ginsei. “I see almost everyone is here. Where is __________? Has she not come in yet today?”
A tortured look came over Ginsei’s face and he looked down and to the side, gripping the handle of a broom he’d been using to sweep the shop floor. Kei watched as his grip grew so taught on the metal handle that the other man’s knuckles turned white against the pressure.
“Kei… __________… she…”
“She left to go looking for your sorry ass!” Heath practically shouted as he stomped over to Kei and Ginsei. When he was right in front of Kei, and without even missing a beat, his fist was already back and sailing towards Kei, hitting the older man in the jaw with all the force he could muster.
Kei’s head snapped to the side from the power of Heath’s attack. He reached up to tenderly touch where he’d been hit before looking at Heath in confusion.
“Explain.”
“No! She’s gone. Again. Because you failed to protect her! But this time?” Heath released an angry huff. “This time, it’s worse.”
The poison in Team B’s MC was so strong that it felt as if it had been injected right into his own veins. Kei turned to Ginsei for confirmation, receiving a nod from the silver-haired male.
“After you left, __________ started smiling less and less when she came to the shop. No matter how any of us tried to help her feel better. She tried, often, to do what she could to distract us from asking her questions, but we knew. She missed you.” Ginsei paused, releasing a sigh so filled with sadness it felt like a tangible thing falling to the ground. “She had taken to spending more and more time at the shop, only going to her apartment for a couple hours at a time.
“Then one day, a group of us went over to her apartment to check on her when we hadn’t seen her for a week. There, we found her home ransacked and two notes on her kitchen table. One was from her to the cast, explaining that she would do everything she could to bring you back home. The other was… not hers.”
Kei felt his stomach clench at Ginsei’s ominous words. “What do you mean? What did it say?”
“Ginsei, don’t. You’ve told him enough.”
He knew Heath was saying that because he was hurting - it had happened before. Kei knew that Heath wanted him to feel the same kind of pain. So why stop Ginsei from explaining?
Ginsei just shook his head at Heath. “He deserves to know, Heath. I think __________ would want us to tell him.”
“What did the note say? Tell me everything. I will find her again, I promise.”
“There’s no need for your empty promises. We found her a couple of weeks ago.”
“What? Where? Where is she now? Tell me.”
~*~
Kei stood where the cab had dropped him off and looked down at the text message Ginsei had sent his new number, containing the address of __________’s location. When he looked up at the sterile building before him, he felt as if a knife had wedged itself into his chest, slowly starting to twist. The numbers matched. He woodenly entered the building and heard himself talking to the receptionist inside as if from a great distance.
Another twist.
Everything the cast members had told him was slowly falling into place in this new puzzle of his life. He’d planned to be gone long enough to throw off the scent of those in the shadows that were after him, wanting to use __________ as a means to an end to hurt him. By leaving and having a wall of protection twenty-four members thick, it had to work. But one month turned into two, turned into seven in the blink of an eye. But the entire time, he’d had faith that she was well. He even changed his number so that it couldn’t be used to track him or to show the enemy that she was in contact with him.
Nothing had gone as he’d planned, and he hadn’t even known.
Kei started walking towards where he was told her room was, thinking back to when the other cast members had told him what had happened.
“The second letter was silver printed on black paper and placed just under her own. ‘You know you couldn’t protect her forever.’ was all it said. When the police told us that the active case for her disappearance had been labeled a cold case a month later, a few of the crew went to her apartment before it was released to the landlady, hoping to find something they might have missed. But nothing stood out and they started hoping that she had found you, that the black note had been a way to distract us from looking for her.
“Then, a couple weeks ago, Unei called all of us, frantic, telling us to get to the shop early because __________ had returned. When I got there a couple minutes later, he was still standing outside, looking at a pile of cloth at the base of the doors in disbelief. Shock. Pain. The whole gambit. It was __________.”
Kei watched Ginsei frown as he stared off into nothing, seeing the scene he was describing right before his eyes. When it was apparent he was having issues telling the story, Kokuyou stepped forward, placed a hand on Ginsei’s shoulder heavily and leveled his gaze at Kei.
‘She looked like she’d been put through the ringer, man. Cuts, scrapes and bruises were all over her. There were even some strange looking needle and angry red circular marks at her temples. To make things worse, the bastards that had captured her had attached another note to the flesh of her chest with safety pins. Somehow, they found her while she was out looking for you. Probably heard she was lookin’ for you and offered to help since she didn’t know who her enemy was. It said that, since she wasn’t under your protection anymore, she’d help ‘em find you whether she liked it or not. Guess no one got their answers since you look the peak of health.’
Kei stopped in front of the door to her room. He lifted his hand to knock, but paused, unsure of what he would find on the other side.
“__________?” Kei called out to her hesitantly as he opened her sliding door quietly in case she was asleep.
Inside the room, he found her familiar silhouette sitting in a comfortable chair, facing a large bay window. If he’d been there for better reasons, he might have admired the beautiful view more. As it was, his crystalline blue eyes never left the back of her head, taking in her slight form and scraggly, unkempt hair.
Any time before now, when he would say her name, especially after they grew close to one another again, she would turn to face him with a smile so bright and warm that it lit up her face completely. It lit up any room she happened to be in and affected them all in different ways. Then she would hurry over to him to greet him and he would feel warmed, healed by her presence, like he’d finally deserved forgiveness for what had happened fifteen years ago.
This time? Nothing. Not even the slightest of muscle twitches to acknowledge his presence. The knife in his chest pressed deeper, turned harder, the sharp edges scraping along the flesh of his heart.
Kei walked slowly towards her, the clack of the heels of his boots loud on the linoleum of her room, until he was standing before her, facing her. What he saw nearly made him cry out in despair, the knife making it’s final cut, shattering his heart into a million pieces.
There was naught but vacancy in her beautiful eyes. No recognition, no emotion, nothing. It was as if she was simply an empty shell. Blank, pale, listless The only actions her body did that showed even the tiniest sign of life that told him she was still with him, was her slow breathing and even slower automatic closing and opening of her eyes.
“Oh, my precious, precious little bird,” Kei’s whisper was broken as he crouched in front of her, placing his hands on her knees and looking into her familiar eyes from below. “I wasn’t there for you again and you got hurt. I should have just stayed away from you that day when you received the card with the old shop’s address on it. But I’d finally found you again! I couldn’t let you go, not this time. Now look at what my selfishness has done. You should have stayed at Starless. You had to know I would return to you. Why…”
Gently, he took one of her small hands in his and laid his forehead against them, willing whatever strength he could into her, to heal her and bring her back to him. He felt his shoulders start to shake as he attempted to suppress sobs that had tried to choke him. He squeezed her hand between his own as his tears started to fall, regret eating him alive.
He didn’t see the single tear that fell slowly from __________’s eye, disappearing into her hospital gown.
I can't remember exactly what prompted this. Might have been me wondering what event/holiday was next in Blackstar. I remembered Hanami was coming up at some point judging by the events from last year, so I got to wondering... What would other cast members look like in Hanami-themed outfits?
But I didn't want to copy Team C's gorgeous outfits, so here is my take on a Hanami outfit for Kei since he has taken up permanent residence in my brain thanks to @lancermylove...
Also, I'm not sure why, but the color seems more pale than when I was drawing it on my tablet ;n; However, I am quite happy with how his hair came out XD
The image that popped into my head after reading Pocky Kiss 2 by @lancermylove . If you haven’t read it, or anything BSTS, FFXV, FFVII, Obey Me, MLQC, Magi or Twisted Wonderland, check Lancer out! She’s contributed a lot to the fandoms listed and deserves to have her work read!
