sakurai-kun? WOW! hee hee, awwh, i want to see oh-chan's reaction!


keep up the good work

arigatou for those glorious comments!!!

let's see ohno's reaction...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CHAPTER 8:

Ohno waved sadly as the taxi he was riding on started to leave. Anna was standing at her doorway, waving back.

“Did I just tell him that my favorite is Sakurai Sho?” she asked the door. She just shrugged as she knew well that it would not reply to her. “Tadaima!” she said as she opened the door.

“Nee-chan, did I just see a man taking you home?” her little brother asked.

“Maki, he’s a friend,” Anna said as she limped on. Her little brother did not even notice her limping status as he started to rant on.

“Nee-chan, he looks familiar. Is he the guy in the poster in your bedroom? Are you two dating?” he asked.

“That,” she ruffled his hair with her hand, “is none of your business, little kid.”

She took an ice bag from their fridge and proceeded to her bedroom, still musing on the things she had said. It was true, her favorite is Sakurai Sho. “But favorite is different than like, isn’t it? I was not lying when I said Sakurai Sho was my favorite member,” she thought as she touched her foot. The bump was getting smaller. “And I’m not stupid enough to spill everything. But that’s so rude! It was like I’m telling him off!”

“No, I’m not telling him off. He is not interested in the first place!” she though further.

“But why am I worried crazy, anyway?” she asked herself. “He doesn’t even care about it!” she suddenly said aloud, throwing a pillow to the mirror she was talking to.

“Who doesn’t care about what?” his brother butted in, causing her to jump on her swollen foot.

“You!” she shouted rudely.

***

“Tadaima,” Ohno said as he opened the door of their house. As usual, his mother was waiting there in the living room.

“’Toshi! Have you eaten dinner?” she asked. “It was cold outside, didn’t you feel cold when you were going home?”

“I’m alright,” he said as he smiled at her.

Of course, a mother will always be a mother. She knew that he did not look so well, judging with the smile he gave. “’Toshi, you might be the greatest butai actor here in Japan but your acting skills never worked for me,” she said in a stern tone. “What’s your problem?” she asked, diverting back to her motherly tone as he embraced her son.

“Betsuni,” he just replied. “I’m just tired and sleepy,” he lied, faking a yawn.

His mother smiled as she let go of him and let him go upstairs to sleep. “Satoshi, where did you get your scarf?” she asked when he was halfway up.

“A friend lent it to me,” he replied. That was the only time when he noticed that he was still wearing the scarf.

“Who?” she asked.

“Nino,” he replied as the name popped out of his head. Of course, telling her that a girl let him use her scarf would cause suspicion to his mother.

“I did not know Ninomiya-kun uses a girl’s perfume,” she said. Her son stood at there at his spot, transfixed. “Boys will be boys,” she reflected, giggling like a schoolgirl.


He locked his door as he entered his room and started to remove his clothes. “She said she likes Sho-kun,” he sighed as he gently placed the scarf on top of his study table. “Ah, I thought I’m her favorite,” he sighed further. He went to bed but he could not sleep.

***

“Wrong again!” Anna said, pointing at Ohno. “From the top!”

“Again?” Aiba said, kneeling down. “We’ve been repeating this same song for about a gazillion times that I now know the lyrics by heart.” He added his exaggerated hand gestures while saying so.

“Of course you have to memorize that song by heart,” Nino remarked. He was also panting.

“Minna, I also get tired with these stuff,” Anna explained. “Please cooperate so we can move on to the next one…”

“If she were our past choreographer, Riida, she would have kicked us out of the window by now,” Aiba whispered to Ohno. He just stared at her as she went back to the stereo to play the song again.

“Ready, everyone?” she asked them. They all nodded in reply. “3… 2…1…”

After they had managed to perfect the song, Anna called for a water break. Sho approached Anna and asked, “Is your foot fine now, Anna-san?”

“I feel great!” she said.

Ohno was watching them from afar. He was gripping his water bottle tighter than the normal grip. “She might be getting giggly all over.” If Sho wasn’t his friend, he might have chucked the bottle to hit his head.

“Oh-chan, what’s wrong with you?” Nino asked. Then he looked at the deformed bottle, then at Anna talking to Sho, then at Ohno. He smirked. “Ohno Satoshi is jealous,” he whispered to his ear.

He looked at Nino disbelievingly then back again at Anna, who was nodding at Sho. “Am I really jealous?” he asked himself.

After the water bottle, they did a few rounds of the songs and then lunch break. Anna, as usual, brought lunch to share with everyone.

Now he was starting to see it. Ohno had this strange urge to strangle Sho while he was commenting on Anna’s cooking. So that was really meant to be jealousy. He just puffed his cheeks to calm himself down.

“Kawaii!” Aiba told him, pinching his cheeks.

“There’s something wrong with him again,” Anna thought. “Sakurai-kun,” he called Sho.

“Sho will be fine,” he replied. “What is it?”

“Sho-kun,” she repeated. “Is there something wrong with your leader?” she asked.

“What made you say that?”

“A person cannot lie when he dances,” she said smartly. “So, he cannot lie that he has no problem.”

“Maybe,” Sho answered. “We’ll try to talk to him later.”

“Good,” she said, smiling before she continued her meal. “It should not be about me telling him that my favorite member is Sho-kun,” she tried to assure herself. “Of course. He’s up there, I’m down here. It’s obvious that he won’t like me back.”

They started the practice again. Ohno was still spacing out but this time, the choreographer was joining the club.

“Now she has a problem,” Jun remarked as Anna hit her head with her palms as she forgot the count.

“What is happening to me?” she asked the room mirror.

“Anna-san, are you alright?” Aiba asked, approaching her. He smiled at her and undoubtedly, his smile was indeed contagious.

“It’s just… headache,” she lied. She took one last deep breath and said, “Let’s continue.” “I must not make a mistake,” she further thought. “This should not bother me.”

***

Anna was the last person who left the hall as she was the one who would hold the key. Aiba invited everyone to karaoke. It was a miracle that he still had the energy to do so. Jun and Nino did not refuse the offer, but Sho insisted that he and Ohno had to talk.

As she was waiting at the taxi stand, she mused at the stars for a while. “Maybe he’s going to talk to him,” she thought. “If the problem’s solved, I’ll be at peace.”

“Miss,” the old man from the udon stand called. “Where is the man you were with yesterday?” He was shouting from the other end of the road.

“He left earlier,” she replied. The old man just smiled at her and returned inside.

“Maybe I should take a bus,” she mused as she left the stand.

***

“I’m sorry, Sho-kun, but I need to go home,” Ohno snapped, trying to be rude and not to be rude. Trying to make him feel that he was annoyed.

“What about next time?” he asked.

“Maybe some other time, Sakurai-kun,” he said again, waving him off and running away.

“Sakurai-kun? This guy really has a problem,” Sho said, shaking his head. “Gomen, Anna-san, I was not able to talk to him.

Ohno continued to run about three blocks away from Sho. He was a little mad. He knew it was wrong but he was mad. Like earlier, he would have chucked anything on Sho’s face when he said he wanted to talk with him.

Once again, he tried to hide his sadness from his mother.

“’Toshi, who is Anna?” she asked after he pulled away from her embrace.

“Eh?” he suddenly said, jerking. “How did you know?”

His mother smiled mischievously. “The scarf was not owned by Ninomiya-kun. I have laundered it. I think you have to return it to her, what do you think?”

“Hai,” Ohno replied, taking heavy steps up to his bedroom.

“Aren’t you going to eat?” she asked him.

“I’m not hungry,” he replied, he’s at the top of the stairs by that time.

“Sure?”

“Hai,” he replied again, and his mother heard him close the door.

“Why am I thinking of these things?” he asked himself. Until now, the sketch of Anna was placed parallel to his vision.

He was thinking heavily that he did not realize he was asleep and dreaming.

“Ohno-kun!” Sho called out to Ohno who was waiting for him in a café.

“Yo!” he called out, beckoning Sho to go to the seats he reserved. “What is it that you’re going to tell me?” he asked.

“Be patient, Riida,” Sho said, smiling happily. After a few minutes of silence and a little humming from Sho, the bell at the door sounded. “Here!” he called out.

It was Anna. “Sho!” she called out, sitting beside him.

Ohno was shocked. She called him Sho? “What’s happening here?” he finally asked, even though he felt his throat has gone dry.

“Anna is now my girlfriend, Ohno-kun!” Sho said excitedly, earning a playful slap form Anna.

“Not that loud,” she said.

“No way, this is not HAPPENING!!!” Ohno shouted. “Sho-kun, tell me that this is a big joke!”

“Iie,” Sho replied, confused.

“NO WAY!”

“’Toshi, wake up!” Ohno’s mother said, shaking him. “You were shouting in your sleep!”

“Was that a… dream?” he asked as he looked around. It was dark and he only saw the outline of his mother who was sitting beside his bed and the silhouette of the sketch he made. “Yokatta,” he breathed out.

***
Anna went inside the room and started unpacking her stuff.

“Anna-san, aren’t we going to start practicing?” Aiba asked.

She nodded. “That was what I was about to say!” she said, chuckling a little. Everyone went to their positions and waited for the cue. Anna played the music and observed the five. They just finished all songs in one round.

“Now I wanted to see Ohno-kun’s choreography,” she said.

“Eh? Riida only taught us 3 songs!” Aiba spilled.

“Three songs? I thought it’s supposed to be 6?” she asked back, looking at Ohno, who gulped guiltily.

“Gomen,” he apologized.

Anna looked at the ceiling. “Just show me what you’ve finished,” she told the five.

She played the music and observed everyone. It looked like they did not yet master the steps. “Yameru!” she exclaimed, stopping the track. “I think I’ll have headache if I’ll continue to watch you like that,” she said. She was not smiling and it looked like she’s going to spit at them anytime.

“Gomen,” Aiba apologized. It was the first time they saw her talk like that. It was scary that Aiba looked like he was near to tears. The others patted his back.

Aiba’s teary eyes did not soften anything yet. “I’ll give you this one whole day to finish those three songs.” She strode to the door. “I thought you were responsible enough,” she said in a low voice.

But he heard it. And Ohno knew she was talking about him. He hung his head low as he heard the door close.

“She looks pissed off,” Jun commented. They all looked at Ohno.

He looked up again and gave a thumbs up. “Let’s start practicing,” he said with a smile. But everyone saw through this fake smile.

***

Anna clutched her chest as she faced the mirror in the bathroom. “Was I too rude?’ she asked herself, her voice echoing the empty bathroom. She wiped her wet face and went out, carrying her bag.

She met Johnny. “Ah, Ohayou, Kitagawa-san,” she said. She did not expect his arrival in the dance studio.

“Mitsuhashi-san, how are the others doing?” he asked. “I heard you left them.”

“Kitagawa-san, I left them because Ohno-kun did not finish his choreography. I gave him time to do that and to teach it to them,” she said in a dignified voice. That old man could not scare her.

“Sou ka,” he said, smiling. “Mitsuhashi-san, do take care of yourself,” he said as he patted her shoulder before leaving. “Take good care of those boys,” he said.

“I will,” she replied, bowing down after him. She decided to take a peek on what was happening to Arashi inside the rehearsal room.

***

“Riida, we have to practice hard or Anna-san will be mad,” Aiba said.

“Wakatta,” Ohno replied, annoyed. It was the hundredth time Aiba said those words. But it’s true. He really had to do everything now. “Let’s repeat it once again,” he said.

“Eh?” Nino complained. “My spinal cord will be split into two!”

“I thought you all want to help! We have to do this then. We need to master the choreography for our concert,” Sho said.

“Encouraging, “Jun replied as he emptied his water bottle. “Ikuzo!”

They did a group hug and a shout. “We can make it!”

“Let’s start from the first song,” Ohno said, the flame of determination obvious in his eyes.

They finished all six songs. The three other songs were made with the help of the whole group.

There was a knock on the door and Anna entered. “Is everything fine now?” she asked.

“Anna-san!” Aiba said happily. He was wiping the sweat from his face. But his genki smile suddenly changed to a different grin.

“I was just going to ask Ohno-ku… Wahhh!!” she shouted when she turned to the side, seeing a topless Ohno approaching her, and now looking at her, with the same shocked face.

Anna quivered as she closed her eyes. “Gomen!” she shouted, getting out of the door and slamming it shut in front of Ohno’s face as the latter tried to go near her to apologize.

All the other members looked at Ohno, then at his half naked body, then at the door. All of them tried to stifle their laughter.

“What are you trying to imply, going near her without wearing a shirt?” Nino asked, trying to hide his laughter that he was hitting the floor with his fist.

***

“What was that?” Anna said from behind the door, panting as though she was chased by bulls and her heart beating faster. She also felt herself red. “He’s trying to approach me without… without wearing a shirt?” She slumped to the floor. “Kami-sama, what do you want to do with me?” she asked the heavens.

It was full fifteen minutes (the time for lunch) before she entered the room, carrying the packed lunch. She tried to avoid Ohno’s gaze and everyone noticed that.

“Your food tastes good, Anna-san,” Aiba commented, his face a little messy.

“Arigatou,” she replied, smiling. She stole a glance at Ohno behind the cloth she used to cover the bento, which was aqua blue today. “Gomen for shouting at you earlier,” she apologized.

“You did not shout,” Sho explained.

Ohno just rolled his eyes as he stabbed his food with his chopsticks due to his hidden anger.

“Oh-chan, that’s rude,” Nino remarked, taking away the chopsticks. “I think you better eat with your hands. It seems like you want to stab someone with these chopsticks, ne?” he added.

“Urusei yo,” he replied, taking back the chopsticks and started to eat at top speed.

***

“This afternoon, we’re going to start with the solo dances,” Anna stated. She took the folder and said, “Sho-kun, you’ll be the first one. We’ll have three days for you. Then Aiba-kun, another three days. Ninomiya-kun, two days since yours is just a simple one…”

“Told ya,” Jun told Nino, who shrugged.

“Then another two days for Matsumoto-kun,” she said, closing the folder. “All of you are not excused to practice. I’ll just have the person who’ll do the solo here with me and the others will continue practicing. Is that clear?”

“Hai,” they chorused. Everyone stood up and left, except Sho.

***

“Oh-chan, why are you there?” Nino asked, suddenly popping out from behind. Ohno was looking through the glass window at the practicing two. Anna was clapping her hands in the beat as Sho tried to follow the steps. “You are so nosy,” he added, poking his nose.

“I am not nosy,” Ohno retorted. “I just forgot something inside.”

Nino gave him the all-knowing smile. “Well, then…” he knocked the door three times and sighted Anna letting go of Sho’s back. Sho was trying to bend his body, with difficulty, in his dance and Anna was assisting him. She went for the door.

“Hai?” Anna asked, opening the door, seeing Nino smiling at her while holding Ohno’s shirt. Ohno was trying to run for it.

“Anou… Oh-chan forgot something,” Nino said. Ohno stopped. He’s doomed. He did not forget anything.

“Ah, sou ka,” Anna said, closing the door again. Ohno sighed with relief but the door creaked open again.

“Is it this?” Anna asked, holding out some keys. It was obvious that Ohno owned it because of the little clay sculpture that served as the keychain.

Leader’s eyes grew wide as he fumbled through his pockets. “Ha…Hai! That’s it!” he said. He held out his hand so that Anna could give it to him.

Instead of letting it fall on his hand, she placed her hand on his palm to pass the keys. Ohno gulped as he felt an electric shock go through his body. Even Nino saw this.

“I’m going back inside now,” Anna said, pointing towards the room. “Take care of those keys, ne, Ohno-kun?” she smiled before closing the door.

Ohno was stuck in that position like a mannequin until… “Oh-chan, you’re going doki doki,” Nino said, his ears near his chest.

“Nani?” he asked, pushing Nino away.

“Aha! You’re red!” he further said, prancing away. Ohno went after him, causing Nino to run for his life.

***

“Have you talked to Ohno-kun yet?” Anna asked Sho as they were the last ones to leave the studio. He was accompanying her to take a taxi ride.

Sho just shook his head. “It looked like he doesn’t want to talk.” He stared at her for a moment while she used the toe of her boot to play with a stray rock at the alley. “Anna-san, is it really fine for you to wait for a taxi?”

She just nodded. She looked fascinated playing with the rock.

“I’ll take you home,” Sho said in a final tone, taking his keys from his pockets.

Anna looked up. “I don’t want to be a bother,” she said.

“You’re not. I think we’re the ones bothering you. Come,” he said, offering a hand.

A sudden wind blew. “Itai!” Anna said, closing her right eye.

“Did something get in your eyes?” he asked, going near her.

“This is nothing,” she replied, trying to blink the eye so that tears fall out to cleanse it.

Sho grabbed the hand that covered her eye, touched her face slowly opened her eye before blowing it. “This will make it better,” he said.

“Arigatou,” she said, blinking a few times.

“Let’s go?” Sho asked, offering his hand again. Anna took it and they went to the studio parking lot to ride Sho’s car. Anna looked back. She thought she saw something move in the shadows. “Doushitano?” he asked her.

“Betsuni… I just thought…” she started. Shrugging of the idea, she followed Sho to the parking lot.

Ohno was backed up behind the wall, catching his breath and his heart beat.

***

“’Toshi, don’t tell me you’re not eating dinner again,” his mother said, her hands on her waist.

He just shook his head as he made his way up to his room. He locked the door and stared at the sketch he made. “Maybe they’ll look better together.” He rembered when he decided to return to the studio to give back the scarf, he saw Sho holding Anna’s hand and they looked like kissing! He almost had a heart attack because of that!

“Satoshi! Open this door!” a voice called out, waking him out from his stupor. He made his way to the door and opened it. “Onee-chan!” he said, startled.

“What is this I’ve heard that you’re not eating dinner?” she asked him. She made her way inside the room, gently kicking the art material boxes out of the way.

“You just can’t enter my room like that!” Ohno retorted.

“You’re growing up! Satoshi, before, I just…” he covered her mouth to stop her.

“Onee-chan!” he warned.

“Fine, I’ll stop!” she said, sitting down on his bed. She looked around and smiled at the sketch. He forgot to hide it. “You’re in a very confusing love situation, aren’t you?” she asked.

“Eh?” he looked to where she was staring and saw the sketch. He immediately took it down. “Iie!”

She went near to her brother and looked at him closely. “I’ve been there, Satoshi. ADMIT IT!”

“Onee-chan!” he said again, as though pleading for her to stop.

“What’s her name?” she asked going over the sketch. “Kiirei desu ne…”

“Mitsuhashi Anna,” he answered.

His sister nodded. “Ah, the new choreographer for your concert,” she said.

“How did you know?” he asked.

“Duh! From your manager, of course!” she said. “You won’t impress her if you won’t eat and you’ll get thin.” She approached her brother and pinched his chubby cheeks. “Tell you what, no one can resist this multi-talented brother of mine!”

“Well, except her,” he sighed.

“Nande?” she replied, letting go of Ohno.

“She said she likes Sho-kun.”

She gasped. “She did? I’m gonna go kick…”

“Iie, Onee-chan!” he said, trying to stop her kicking antics. “I can’t do anything about it anyway.”

“Who told you that?” she asked him. “You can do everything!”

“But if my friend likes her back…”

“You won’t know, not until you tried, ne?” she advised, giving a pat on his back. “I’m not even sure if you really heard it right. You don’t have any proof.”

“Do you want to hear my solo, Onee-chan?” he asked, trying to get away from the topic.

“I should, before anyone else does, you know,” she said, taking the CD and the player from his hands. He played the track and mused for a while. “So, are you going to stand and sing this slow song or will you do some crazy ballerina stuff?”

“I don’t do crazy ballerina stuff,” Ohno snorted. He was holding his pencil and sketchbook.

“Now you will,” his sister stated, pulling him and whispering something.

“Eh? Can I do that?” Ohno said, breaking free from his sister’s grasp.

“Of course you can. Then you’ll have your chance.”

***

Days passed and all four members were through with their choreography. It was the last day of Jun’s solo practice.

“That dance is s great, Anna-san, arigatou,” he said, bowing then shaking her hand.

“It won’t be great if you did not follow instructions,” she commented back. She started to wear her coat when she heard her phone ring. “Moshi moshi?”

“Ah, Anna-san…” a voice said from the other line.

“Ohno-kun, what can I do for you?” she answered. She was familiar with his voice.

“Can we meet in the udon stand?” he asked.

“Hai. But you have to wait,” she answered. He just made a noise for affirmative and hung up the phone quickly.

“Matsumoto-kun, you can go first, I have to do something,” she told Jun. he was supposed to be waiting for her.

“How about you going home?” he asked in a concerned voice.

“Daijoubu,” she replied, smiling at him. He nodded and got out of the studio.

She removed her coat again and took a CD from her bag. “It would be unfair if you won’t dance like them,” Anna said sadly as she took a notebook and jotted down notes as she listened to Ohno’s voice.

***

Ohno kept on stealing glances at the studio. There were still lights on, meaning Anna was still inside, doing something, maybe for the rehearsal tomorrow.

“Isn’t she here yet?” the old man asked kindly.

Ohno just smiled as he replied, “She has to do something first.”

He saw the lights closed so he stood outside the stand, smoke forming per breath he exhaled. Moments later, he saw Anna approaching him, running to him actually.

“Did you wait long?” she asked. Ohno just shook his head. “I don’t have much time,” she said. “What is it?”

“I want to dance in my solo,” he said. The hands inside his pockets were balled into fists, a sign that he was really nervous.

“I am not saying that you cannot dance in your solo, Ohno-kun,” Anna replied. “Maybe Ohno-kun thinks that he cannot dance in his solo since I did not give him any dance schedules,” she thought.

“I… I…” Ohno started. He took a deep breath. “I want to dance with you.”

“Eh? Nani?” Anna said, speechless, shock, and all numbness filled her body at that moment.

***

i think the next one will come in kinda late...[/i]

love this one..

does sho likes anna??

if i see sho-kun topless... i might nose bleed on the spot...

hmmm... so far, i can't tell who likes who... nyahahahah!

~~~~~~~~~

CHAPTER 9:

Sho was confused as he stepped inside the dance studio. The room they used for practice was locked and there was a note.

“Arashi members please proceed to the next room for your rehearsals.”

He tried peeking at the door window but it was covered by blinds and also locked. He proceeded to the next room to find the other three warming up. “Why is the other room locked?”

“Anna-san said it’s a secret,” Aiba replied. He was stretching his legs. “Maybe it’s Riida’s choreography,” he wondered aloud.

“But why a secret?” Sho further asked.

“Johnny-san told Anna-san that it should be a secret from everyone. Well, except the concert organizers, anyway,” Jun said. He was tilting his head from side to side.

“Maybe Oh-chan’s getting excited right now,” Nino said. He was performing some back flips to practice himself.

Sho sighed. He removed his cap and started to do his own set of warm ups. “Anna-san’s with Riida then?” he sighed.

“Hai,” Aiba said. “Ikuzo!” he told everyone, clapping his hands. He was assigned by Anna to be in-charge of the CD. “Eh? Where’s the CD?”

“Anna-san told you to keep it safe!” Nino scolded, giving him a hit on the head.

Jun just sighed and went on the bench. “Look for it, Aiba-chan. It’s your responsibility.”

“Maybe Anna-san has it,” Aiba said, not losing hope. “Iku, Sho-kun, let’s go to their rehearsal room.”

“Chotto matte,” Sho started but Aiba was already dragging him out. He knocked on the door next to their room. “Anna-san… Anna-san,” he called out.

Anna opened the door. Beads of sweat were at her face. “Hai? Aiba-chan? Sho-kun?”

Sho took a peek inside. Ohno was inside, performing some turns.

“I… I think I lost the CD,” Aiba said shyly.

“Yappari,” Anna said. She went back inside. She did not close the door, making Sho see more of what Ohno was doing. He was shaking his head because he did not perfect the spin he did.

“Douzo,” Anna said, giving Aiba a CD. “I’ve got lots of copies in my bag but that does not mean you’re free to lose this one.” She looked at Sho, who was still trying to make out what Ohno was doing inside. “Sho-kun?”

“Hai?” he said, awaking from his stupor.

“I’ll assign you in-charge of this one,” Anna said, pointing at the CD Aiba was holding. “Take care of this CD and start practicing in the other room. I want to see a polished performance in two days.”

She closed the door behind her. Aiba and Sho proceeded back to the room to start the practice.

***

Ohno stood in awe as Anna started to spin around. “Is it like this?” she asked. He wanted to choreograph the dance so they exchanged their choreographer-student identities. As much as Anna was a good teacher, she was also a good follower.

“Good,” he managed to say as he started his own spin. They ended up near each other and held hands. Suddenly, Ohno grabbed her waist, causing Anna to shake a little.

“Gomen,” she apologized, pulling away. “Can we start again?”

Ohno nodded slowly. He took deep breaths before starting the song again.

They started to dance again, first their solo parts and then their paired parts. However, as Ohno was about to carry Anna, she suddenly slipped from his grasp and fell on the floor.

“Gomen,” he apologized. “My hands are slippery.”

“Daijoubu,” she replied, trying to stand up. Her back hurt.

Their practice was full of awkward moments. It seemed like Anna always loses her focus everytime they come in contact. Ohno, too, had his awkward moments. He sometimes hesitated to touch Anna that they have to start everything all over again.

As much as they tried their best to dance well, they could not blend with each other when it’s time for them to dance together.

After their practice, Ohno heard Anna’s phone ring. He took it from the bench and passed it to her. “You have a call,” he said.

She looked at the phone with a puzzled face and answered it. “Yes? Later? We had just finished our rehearsals. We could meet there. I’ll arrive in twenty minutes.”

Ohno looked at her and could not avoid looking at the name that appeared at the outer screen of the cellphone.

Sakurai Sho.

***

“How’s your practice with Anna-san?” Nino asked Ohno, who has just came out from the shower.

Ohno just made undecipherable sounds.

“It looks like it did not go well,” Jun said. “Look at him.”

“Where’s Sho-kun?” he asked, noticing his disappearance.

“He called someone and left early,” Aiba replied. “Guys, let’s go eat! I’m hungry!” he wailed.

Ohno sighed. “He’s going to go with Anna-san,” he though sadly. “He likes her too.”

“Oh-chan, aren’t you going with us?” Nino asked, carrying his bag and opening the door. “We can wait for you if you’ll shower,” he added.

“I’ll go home early,” he said, waving at them goodbye. Nino closed the door behind him, leaving Ohno in complete silence. Deafening silence…

He went inside the shower room with all his clothes on and felt the water fall on him. He stood there for a long time, letting the water flow with the tears on his eyes.

***

“Is anyone here?” Anna called out, opening the empty room with the lights on. She was making her final rounds inside the dance studio and saw that the room was still open. “Are you through yet?” she asked, whoever was inside the shower room.

She knocked the shower room door but nobody replied. “Hello?”

She heard a phone ringing. She searched the room and found Ohno’s cellphone ringing. “Ohno-kun’s still here,” she said, taking the ringing phone. She decided to answer it.

“Moshi moshi,” she said.

“’Toshi, where are you?” the voice from the other end of the line asked.

“Sumimasen, this is not Ohno-kun. He’s still in the showers,” Anna replied.

“Eh? Impossible! He called me thirty minutes before and told me he’ll just take a shower. It shouldn’t take that long.”

“May I know who’s calling?” Anna asked.

“This is his okaa-san,” the voice replied.

“Ohno-san, I’ll go check him,” Anna replied.

There was a sigh of relief from the other end. “Onegaishimasu. And may I know who’s talking?” she also asked.

“Ah, Mitsuhashi Anna desu,” she replied.

“Mitsuhashi-san, please do check my ‘Toshi,” she said. “I’ll ask his sister to go there and take him home then.”

“Arigatou,” Anna replied. The call ended.

“Ohno-kun,” she called out, knocking on the door. No reply. “Ohno-kun, answer me!” she called out again, pounding on the door. Only the sound of the showers was heard. Panic slowly climbed to her nerves. “Ohno-kun!” she shouted sternly.

Feeling that something was wrong, she decided to step inside the unknown territory. She then saw Ohno, unconscious and all wet. She gasped.

“Ohno-kun! Answer me!” she shouted in a panicked voice, shaking him. he did not respond whatsoever.

Anna’s senses were clouded by the cold water that hit her back. She then decided to drag Ohno, as she could not carry him, out of the shower room.

She took her own towel from her bag and wiped him dry. “Please wake up,” she pleaded repeatedly but still with no response. She managed to find some dry clothes from his bag and removed his shirt. She tried to calm herself as he was topless in front of her.

She started to wipe him dry when he suddenly embraced her. “Let go,” she said, pushing him away lightly.

He made indistinct sounds as he held her.

His phone rang again. “Moshi moshi?”

“Ah, is this Mitsuhashi-san?” another voice called. “This is Satoshi’s sister.”

“Please come inside the studio,” Anna said, her voice hoarse from all the shouting and the cold from inside the shower room.

“Hai,” she replied. “But where?”

“Arashi’s dressing room,” she said. Moments later, the door opened and the tall figure of Ohno’s sister showed up. She seemed shocked with what she saw. Anna was desperately trying to get the shirt on Ohno.

“Yokatta,” she said as she saw her. She still hasn’t managed to get Ohno’s shirt on.

“Kami-sama, what happened?” Ohno’s sister asked as she went beside him.

“I saw him unconscious inside the shower room and all wet,” Anna explained. She was getting dizzy.

His sister wrapped the towel around her. “That’ll be fine for you. I’ll carry Satoshi to the car.”

Anna took her bag and Ohno’s bag out of the room, following them. She locked the studio and placed Ohno’s stuff inside the car.

“Get inside, Mitsuhashi-san,” she said. Without further ado, she pushed her inside and closed the door. “You’re also getting cold.”

Ohno leaned his head on Anna’s shoulder in the remainder of the ride.

After twenty minutes, they arrived in Ohno’s house, his mother waiting at the front door. “What happened?”

“Mitsuhashi-san found him unconscious inside the shower room,” she explained, taking Ohno inside.

“You poor thing,” his mother said. “Take him upstairs. Ah, Mitsuhashi-san, doumo arigaotu. Please come inside.”

Anna staggered inside, holding her forehead. She felt sick. “Mitsuhashi-san!” That was the last thing she heard.

***

“Ah, you’re awake,” a voice said.

“Where am I?” she asked.

“In my old room,” Ohno’s sister replied. She smiled at her. “Gomen, I don’t have my clothes here anymore as I live in an apartment. You are wearing my brother’s clothes.”

“Eh?” Anna said with mild surprise. She looked at herself and found that she was wearing a green shirt and jogging pants.

“It fits you well,” she sighed with relief.

“How’s Ohno-kun?” Anna asked automatically.

“He’s in his room, resting. He was burning in fever when he arrived here. and you also had fever,” she explained to her.

“Can I see him?” Anna asked.

His sister just nodded and accompanied her to the room next door. It was lighted by the moon rays outside. His art materials were piled at one corner so that they would have space to walk on.

Anna approached the bed and sat beside it. She did not notice that Ohno’s sister has left. “What’s bothering you?” she whispered, holding his hand. “Why are you like this? I don’t want you to be like this.”

She stood up again to leave but he took her hand. “Don’t leave me,” he said in his sleep. His grip was strong.

Anna smiled sadly as she sat down again. “I won’t,” she whispered, touching his hair.

***

“Sho-kun, gomenasai,” Anna apologized, bowing down repeatedly before Sho.

“No problem,” he replied, smiling. “It was an emergency. I’m glad you saw Riida or else something worse might have happened.”

“Maybe we could go out next time,” Anna said, smiling.

“Oh-chan! What are you doing here?” Nino suddenly asked, looking at the open studio door. Ohno, with dark lines under his eyes, entered, looking tired.

Anna looked at Ohno. “You shouldn’t be here. You might get sick again.”

“You too, Anna-san,” Ohno said with concern. “You also got sick because of me.”

“That’s nothing compared to what happened to you last night!” she scolded him.

The others were looking at them as though they were a couple fighting. “Yamette,” Jun said. “I think both of you should rest. We can handle this, right?” A stern look from him earned the nods of the other members, as well as the Juniors who were at that room, warming up.

“Iie, I’m fine,” Anna said, waving off the idea of staying at home. “I think you should go home, Ohno-kun. We can continue the rehearsals tomorrow.”

“Demo…” Ohno retorted.

“Riida, we can handle this,” Jun said, dignified.

Ohno frowned at him. “I could manage,” he replied.

“Riida!”

“Onegai,” Anna pleaded, holding his arm. He stopped as she held his arm. “You can return here if you’re better.”

Ohno sighed. “I will go home. But I’ll return tomorrow.”

“Iie. Return if you’re feeling better,” Anna replied, touching his forehead which was still hot. “Wakatta?”

“Wakatteruyo,” he replied gently. He then turned around and left the studio.

“Do you need me to accompany you?” she further asked.

“Daijoubu,” he said, waving his hand without looking back. He closed the door.

Anna turned around, seeing the priceless expressions of the people inside the room. She turned red. “Gomenasai,” she apologized, bowing and running away.

Nino just smirked.

***

“Tadaima!” Ohno said. His mother stood up from the kitchen table.

“Where have you been?” his mother replied. “I was worried sick!”

“I went to the studio,” he said, holding his forehead. It was throbbing.

“I did not allow you to go to your rehearsals today!” she said angrily.

“Anna-san told me to go back home,” he replied, making his way up to his room. He let himself fall on his bed. “I really like her. I really, really like her,” he said, still holding his forehead.

He could still remember the warm hands that held him the whole night.

FLASHBACK

“What happened?” he wondered as he woke up. He felt something heavy on his chest. Anna was asleep, her head on his chest and her hand wound around his. “Anna-san,” he whispered. He moved the stray hairs that blocked her face from view.

“Hmm,” she said as she stirred in her sleep. She held his hand tighter.

Ohno laid his head once again on the bed. He smiled as he absentmindedly stroked Anna’s long hair.

END FLASHBACK

***

“Do you want to have some coffee with me?” Sho asked Anna.

“Sure,” she replied, smiling. “Let me just double check the studio.”

“I’ll wait for you outside,” he said, giving a small salute.

Anna started to pack her things. She picked up her towel and held it a little longer to her chest. Just last night, she used it to pat Ohno’s body dry. Then she remembered that she fell asleep with her head on his chest and woke up, their hands held.

“This is getting out of hand,” Anna thought to herself as she held her painfully beating heart. “Is to dance with you really my only goal?” she wondered.

She closed all the lights and proceeded outside to meet Sho.

“How does this…?” Anna started, having difficulty with the seatbelt strap.

“Douzo,” Sho said, taking off from his seat and assisting her. At that moment, their eyes met and their hands touched each other. Anna looked at him with surprise. He was sporting the same look.

“Gomen,” she said, suddenly bowing her head, breaking the contact. Sho fell back to his seat and started to drive off quietly. They were in the highway when Anna asked, “Where are we going?”

Sho tried to pull over in front of a café, but it was full. “Not here,” he muttered under his breath. He still hasn’t answered Anna’s question.

After few stops, they ended up in the park. They went down the car and Anna wandered to the riverside.

“Anna-san,” Sho said, making her look at him.

“Why did you take me here? Is it important?” she asked with mild curiosity.

Sho nodded. “This is very important,” he said, and taking a deep breath, he said, “I like you.”

“Eh?” Anna suddenly said, taking a step backward, almost falling down the river. Luckily, Sho was fast, holding her in his arms. “Arigatou,” she said, but she pulled him back.

“Anna-san… anou…” he started. “I’ll wait for your answer.”

Anna looked at the place, her senses clouded. “Ohno-kun and I ate here when we first had lunch together… only the two of us…” she thought.

“Sho-kun…”

“It’s not yet clear for you, Anna-san, but I’ll wait,” he said in a determined tone, holding her hand tighter. “Give me a chance.”

She looked at his eyes firing with determination. “I’ll try,” she said in a small voice. But her heart was not at it. She gasped when he pulled her and embraced her.

***

Ohno sighed sadly as he saw Anna and Sho get out of the studio by his car. He sneaked out of their house just to see her go home, and at least thank her. He was carrying her scarf with him.

“Anna-san,” he said, clutching the scarf tighter to his chest as he watched the two of them drive off. It was all heart-wrenching.

He went back to his house and went back to his room as quietly as possible. He found himself staring at the ceiling for an hour. “I love you, Anna-san. I love you so much it hurts,” he finally said, feeling heat at the corners of his eyes and his vision blurring.

***

is this sho vs ohno?

can't wait for the next chapter@@

Oh boy. Does she ever have a problem. And poor Ohno. He needs hugs. Lots of them.

omg. maaan shes got to choose! this is an awesome story. i cant wait till your next update.

awww oh-chan's sad! i wanna hug him :(

i hope anna chooses him :>

but i feel bad for sho-kun though....

let's all hug ohno-kun!!!

anyway, update!!

~~~~~~~~~~~

CHAPTER 10:

Normal rehearsals started again, as the kick-off of their tour would start in a month. The Arashi members were inside their dressing room, back in the jimusho building, thinking of the sequence they’ll do for the songs. Along with them were the director and Shun, who was back from the States.

“What if we make Ohno’s solo the very last among all the solos?” Shun suggested. Ohno suddenly looked at him from his daydreaming.

“Good idea,” Jun replied. “Since that will be a surprise.” His eraser made noise as the people in the room were quiet. Nino was absorbed in his DS, Aiba was petting the dog he brought in the dressing room, and Ohno was still quiet as usual. Sho was not around.

“Ohno-kun,” Shun said, patting his back. “How’s the solo?”

“Eh?” he felt himself get red. “It’s… fine…”

“Good to hear that,” Shun said.

“I’m so excited with your solo, Riida,” Jun said. “I’ll help in making that beautiful. We’ll have fireworks and flying confetti, and…” he kept on giving stage designs that were so over-the-top.

“No need,” Ohno replied. “Anna-san said that it only needs one spotlight.”

FLASHBACK

Ohno’s hands passed on Anna’s skin as they concluded their dance, she lying on his arms.

“I’m really glad it worked out well now,” she said, wiping the sweat off her face. They both drank from their water bottle.

“Anna-san, if they ask me what kind of stage layout could this dance has, what are your suggestions?” he asked, trying to break the silence.

“Whatever you want,” she simply said.

“But you’re part of this dance too,” he said.

“I’m just like a backup dancer,” she replied.

“Iie. If it’s only the two of us dancing, you will not only be a backup dancer,” Ohno said, going near her. Both of them felt their hearts beating fast.

“Nothing,” Anna stated.

“Nothing?”

“No design, no anything,” Anna said. “Just one light that would show us dancing.”

“Wakarimasen,” Ohno said, lolling his head a little.

Anna walked around the hall. “Your song is beautiful as it is. You make it as beautiful as it is,” she said. “Anything could divert their attention away from you. You dance well, you sing well, let them see it.”

Ohno nodded in understanding. “Wakatta,” he said in understanding.

Anna went back to the table where the player was and played the track once again for them to dance on.

END FLASHBACK

“Anna-chan told you that?” Shun asked, smiling. “She really wants to bring out the beauty of your dancing. Appreciate that.”

“I really appreciate it,” he thought. He looked around. “Where’s Sho-kun?”

“He’s out,” Aiba replied, stroking the dog’s ears. “He told me he has an appointment.”

“Nice,” Nino said. “Appointment, huh?”

Ohno sighed. “I think I know.”

***

Sho was in a café, al fresco. He was writing his lyrics there for a song. He’ll play it on his radio show.

“Your coffee, sir,” the waitress said.

“Arigatou,” he replied, taking the order near him. He made a double look at the girl serving coffee. “Anna-san?”

She smiled at him and tried to go away but he held her hand. “Matte.” He motioned her to sit down.

“My Oba-san is waiting for me inside,” she said. But he silently held her tighter and pulled her down. She looked into his eyes for a moment. She could read it: he did not want her to leave.

“Please stay here,” he said.

“Nande?” Anna replied. “I told you I’m still at work.”

“You don’t look like you’re working here,” he said. “You’re our choreographer.”

“I just feel like working here when I have time,” she replied, still not looking at him. She was eyeing the piece of paper on the table. “What are you doing?” she tried to keep herself as friendly as possible, no matter how awkward the situation.

“Writing a song,” he replied, sipping a bit of coffee and taking his pen to write some more. “It’s for my radio program,” he explained further.

“Gomen,” she replied. “I always listen to your program.”

“Don’t be sorry about that. I’m happy that you listen to my program,” Sho said. His spirit was slightly lifted up. His hand came across the table, holding her hand. “Anna-san, listen to my program this week.”

“I hope I could,” Anna replied. “I…”

“I am making this song especially for you,” he said, stopping her from talking.

Anna gulped. She did not know what to say. She pulled her hand away. “Ari…arigatou…” She stood up quickly and went back inside.

“I’ll never give up on you, Anna-san,” Sho said, going back to his job. “You’re more of an inspiration for me. I’ll do everything to make you like me back.”

“Gomen ne, Sho-kun,” Anna thought as she went back to the counter, looking at him through the glass. “I don’t want to give you false hopes.”

***

“The girl and your friend are going out and you’re not doing anything?” Ohno’s sister said, outraged. She kicked a box inside Ohno’s room, the contents spilling out.

“Onee-chan, don’t go in a tantrum like that,” Ohno replied, picking up the mess. “Besides, they look like they’re having fun.”

“Having fun my face,” she replied. “How did you know if Mitsuhashi-san’s enjoying herself?”

Ohno merely shrugged. He turned on the radio. At that time, it was Sho’s program.

“Anou… this song, I have composed this for a special friend,” Sho’s voice spoke. “It really took me some inspiration to make this certain kind of song so I hope all of you enjoy this.”

“The first time our eyes met
I’m not really sure…
But this feeling is awkward
And this feeling is pure…

I feel my heart jumping out…
It does want to get to you…

“If I know, he composed that for Mitsuhashi-san,” Ohno’s sister sneered.

“He really likes her,” he said sadly, listening to the low voice of Sho rapping. “He really likes her,” he repeated under his breath.

“Baka!” his sister said, hitting his head. “He’s showing her what he feels for her. You are not showing anything… yet,” she said, adding the last word with emphasis.

“What am I going to do?” he asked his sister with pleasing eyes.

“Show her how much you love her,” she replied. “Show her using the thing where you could convey your feelings the most.”

“Using the thing where I could convey my feelings the most?” Ohno repeated, looking at her sister in a puzzled way. She was rolling her eyes and her finger is pointing at the art boxes. “Onee-chan, domo arigatou!” he shouted with joy, embracing her.

“Oi, baka, what are you…?” she started, but Ohno has already left, carrying with him his art materials in a box. “You are really growing up,” she sighed, smiling. “Show him, otouto!” she said before leaving the room.

***

“Ohno-kun, are we going to rehearse today?” Anna asked Ohno on the phone.

“Iie,” he replied. “I am doing something,” he added. He was already seated by the riverside, preparing the canvas.

“Ah, sou ka,” she replied. She was a bit sad that there were no rehearsals. “Just give me a call then if we’re going to have rehearsals beyond the normal rehearsal time.”

“Hai,” Ohno replied. “I’ll just give you a call.”

Anna put her phone down. It has been a two days since they last saw each other for rehearsals. The boys were given their final two days of rest before going to their next level of rehearsals.

She looked at the clock. “Iatta! I forgot Sho-kun’s radio program!” She ran to the radio and opened it.

“… and this is Sakurai Sho of Arashi. Konbanwa.”

“I missed it,” she said, turning it off again. She felt bad that Sho invited her to listen to his show but she was not able to. Her phone rang.

“Anna-san, did you hear it?” Sho said from the other end of the line.

“Gomenasai, Sho-kun,” she apologized repeatedly. “I… I forgot.”

He was silent for a few moments. “Anna-san, open your computer,” he said.

“Ha…hai!” she said, opening her laptop. She looked at her mail. She has a new message.

“Since you were not able to listen to eat in my program, it’s better, I think, to send the song to you.”

“Arigatou, Sho-kun,” she replied.

“Douitashimashite,” he replied. “Ja ne.”

“Ja,” she replied, hanging up. She put on her headphones and listened to the song. “This is too much,” her mind screamed. “I’m getting confused.” She closed her eyes for a moment, taking in the song into her head. She opened her eyes after the track and said, “I think I know what to do.”


***

“At last!” Ohno said, looking at his handiwork. His hands were quite dirty after he made the painting that he took a towel to wipe his hands. He quickly packed up and called a taxi to go back home.

He looked at his painting, smiling. “I hope Anna-san would love this.”

He went to a framing shop after the painting dried up. “Can you please insert this at the back?” he asked the old woman guarding the shop. He passed a piece of paper to her. She just nodded.

“You could get it tomorrow,” she replied, giving him a claiming stub.

He happily placed the stub inside his wallet before going.

***

Two weeks before the first concert of the tour. Everyone was vigorously practicing. Anna was strictly supervising the group while Shun was giving attention to the Juniors, which was harder because of their number.

After each rehearsals, Ohno and Anna return inside the other dance studio to practice his solo to perfection, since this was a surprise the other four announced in magazine interview and many are curious about it.

The two of them went home late. “It’s cold,” Anna remarked. She rubbed her hands together. “What do you…?”

Ohno suddenly embraced her. “Anna-san…” he managed to utter. He took the scarf from his bag and placed it on her, the way she placed it on him nights ago.

Anna broke free. “I forgot to take this from you,” she said.

“I forgot to return it to you, gomen,” Ohno apologized.

“Daijoubu,” she said, holding it and looking at it. It was still the same yet different.

“The scarf smelled nice when you gave it to me,” Ohno said, not looking at her.

Anna just smiled.

“Please come with me,” he pleaded, bowing.

“Nande?” she asked, looking at him with both her eyebrows raised.

“I have a surprise for you.” Without any further word, he held her hand and they walked towards the framing shop, a block away from the studio.

Ohno gave the claiming stub at the lady, who smiled at the sight of Anna. “Douzo,” she said, handing him the painting wrapped in blue paper.

Ohno, in turn, gave it to Anna. “For me?” she asked, not yet taking the painting.

“Hai,” he replied. “Open it when you get home.”

Anna smiled, though she was still overwhelmed with the gift. “Arigatou… anou… what’s the occasion?”

“Hmm…” Ohno started. “Nothing!” he answered with his childish smile.

“Nothing,” she repeated. They were walking towards the taxi stand. “I appreciate this much.”

Ohno grinned. “A taxi,” he said, calling it and letting Anna ride inside. “Ja matta ashita,” he said, waving a hand before closing the taxi door.

Anna smiled and waved back. “Ja.”

The taxi drove away. Anna looked from behind the car and saw that Ohno was still looking at the taxi. They rounded at the corner and that was the time when Ohno left.

“Nee-chan, what’s that?” Maki asked, pointing at the painting wrapped in brown paper.

“A gift,” she replied, smiling dreamily.

“Oooh,” he said. “nee-chan, dinner’s ready!” he said, pulling her towards the kitchen.

“Matte! I’m just going to take this up and change. Wait for me, okay?” she told her brother, patting his head as she made her way up to her room.

“Hai,” he replied, sitting on a chair.

Anna excitedly peeled off the brown paper from the canvass, her heart beating fast once again. It revealed a familiar scenery. She touched the glass surfaces of the frame. “The riverside,” she said in wonder. It was the same riverside where they ate together, except that it was full of red roses and forget-me-nots, and a silhouette of two dancing figures at the side of the tree.

“Ohno-kun,” she said, tears brimming on her eyes. She saw his signature, ‘Satoshi’, in letters at the lower right side, along with the title, ‘Dance of Love’.

“Nee-chan! I’m hungry!” her brother wailed. She quickly wiped her tears, placed the painting on her bed, and changed into a pink shirt and black jogging pants.

“I’m coming down,” she said, giving a final look at the painting.

***

“I hoped Anna-san would like the painting,” Ohno said as he started to walk. But there, leaning on a lamp post, was Sho. “Sho-kun?” he asked.

“Riida, can we talk?” he said in a serious tone.


~~~~~

kinda short? the next chapters are really long... i don't know why... i got a little carried away...

wahhh!! i like this chapter..

can't wait for the next one..

ohhh.. ohno vs sho..
is there something danger??

OMG ITS SHOOOOO~!!!!! :O i think i know what theyre going to talk about!!! YABAI! ANNA'S STUCK IN BETWEEN TWO AWESOME HOT MEN! choose ohno choose ohno!! XD this is me being super biased ;p

whats gonna happen next?? iyaaaa~! i cannot wait!!
this story seems so realistic, im now looking forward and cant wait for what dance ohno's going to dance this to, in the next concert. i cant wait for the fancams XD XD XD

oh, and dont worry if you think your chapters seem too long...

i LABSHH it when its a super long chapter
i hope you get carried away more often! ^^



ganbatte!!

first of all, gomen for this mistake...

how can brown paper become blue then become brown again?

also, sho doesn't call ohno 'riida' in real life... but i'm too lazy to change the past chapters so i'll just start modifying the next chapters...

demo the next chapter isn't funny...

thanks for reading...

douzo!

~~~~~~~~

CHAPTER 11:

Ohno nodded slowly. Sho was indeed serious. “Where?” he asked him. Sho just silently walked towards a coffee shop, the same café where he saw Anna.

“Two coffee please,” Sho told the waiter. He nodded and left.

“Sho-kun,” Ohno started, but he did not know the words to say. Sho pursed his lips and held his hands together on the table.

He took a deep breath. “Ohno-kun, do you like Anna-san?” he asked.

“Eh?” Ohno said in surprise. “Ah… umm… I…”

“Please tell me the truth, Ohno-kun,” Sho said. “Because I love her.”

Ohno was dumbfounded. The silence was only broken by the waiter putting their orders on the table. Sho started playing with his coffee cup, waiting for Ohno’s answer.

“Sho-kun, I… I like Anna-san…” he replied in a small voice. He could not look at him. He felt a little guilty. He felt that it was wrong to love Anna because his co-member, his friend, loves her too.

“So, you like her,” Sho said. It was obvious that he wanted to release whatever he was feeling inside as his voice was shaking.

“What do you want me to do?”

“Ohno-kun, I think I could not live without her,” Sho admitted. “Ever since she stepped inside our studio, I started to like her.” They had eye contact for the first time since they arrived in the shop. “And I will not give up on her,” he said in a determined tone.

“Sho-kun,” Ohno said. Sho stood up to leave. “Oi! Sho, matte!” he shouted as the other man walked away.

“Seriously, I can’t believe this is happening,” Ohno sighed sadly. “Sho-kun loves Anna-san. What am I going to do?”

“If we happen to like the same girl, I would pass,” he remembered he told his co-members, earning jeers and laughs. But he was serious when he said that. “I think I’m not useful as a leader so this at least could help.”

He ran his hands through his hair. “What am I going to do?”

His phone rang. Mitsuhashi Anna.

He was indeed confused. He had this urge to answer but another side of his mind said otherwise. He ended up not answering the phone. He walked towards his home and this time, he heard a beep from his phone. A new mail. He tried to resist himself from reading it but in the end, he gave in.

“Thank you for the painting. It is wonderful. I hung it in my room.”

Ohno did not feel any happiness he anticipated when he made the painting and when he finally gave it to her. All he felt was guilt and sadness. “Sho-kun or Anna-san?”

***

Anna smiled a she kept on staring at the painting, which was spotlighted by the moon ray coming from her window. “Ah, I should thank him!” she said, taking her phone and calling him. The call was not answered.

She glanced at the wall clock. “It’s already late. Maybe he’s asleep.” She flipped her phone open again and made a mail message. “I hope he’ll be able to read it,” she said as she flipped it close and held it on her chest, giving a last look at the painting before closing her eyes to sleep.

***

“To the left,” she instructed, pointing to that direction. The five walked in sync towards the direction and continued the dance. “Aiba-kun, over exaggerated!” she said, pointing to him.

“Sumimasen,” he replied, lessening the degree of dancing he showed.

“Remember to dance as one,” she reminded everyone. She eyed Ohno. He was dancing perfectly but something was wrong. “I should know what’s wrong myself,” she said, making a mental note to herself as she continued to watch everyone.

“Good work, everyone,” she said, as the first part of the routine ended. “Let’s see the solos.”

Sho stood up first and started his dance routine. “Bend it more, Sho-kun,” she instructed, demonstrating the way it should be.

“How’s everything here?” Shun asked, entering the room.

“Everything looks fine,” Nino replied. “But Ohno-kun looks like he has a problem.” He left Shun and sat beside Ohno, who was looking at the dancing Sho. “Oh-chan, doushitano?” he asked his friend, putting an arm around him.

“Betsuni,” Ohno replied.

“You’re so readable,” Nino replied. He nudged his head towards Anna. “Is it her?”

“Iie. She’s not involved with this,” Ohno said, keeping a straight face.

“Why don’t you admit that you like her?” he asked further.

“I can’t.”

“Nande?”

“I… I just can’t.”

“You’re an old coward then.”

Sho stopped dancing and Anna ran towards Nino. Everything happened fast. Nino’s lip was bleeding.

“What happened?” Anna asked Nino, who was appalled with what happened to him. He touched his lip and saw blood.

“Ohno-kun, what did you do?” she asked, horrified at the sight. She tried to wipe the blood off and asked the others to take Nino to a bench.

“Gomen,” he said, hanging his head low.

“You should be, Oh-chan,” Nino said with a sarcastic laugh.

Anna looked at Ohno. “He was not like that yesterday,” she thought. “Ohno-kun,” she said, kneeling in front of Ohno, still shocked with what he did. “Can we talk?”

He just nodded as Anna helped him stand up. “At the other room,” she said.

Sho looked at them as they made their way to the other dance studio.

Anna closed the door gently behind her. “Ohno-kun, tell me, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong,” he said.

“But you’re acting differently today,” she said. “Unlike yesterday, it feels like you have a problem and I could see it in your dancing!”

“That’s none of your business!” he suddenly shouted out of the blue, shocking Anna. “You’re getting too nosy. Leave me alone!”

Ohno looked at her, once again horrified with what he did. She nodded slowly, trying to calm herself. She wanted to cry at that moment but she held back her tears. This was too much for her.

“Ah… sou ka…” she said, choking a little. “Well then, I think I must leave you alone here to think alone and to clear things.” She opened the door and left. She wanted to slam it shut to show how hurt she was but she ended up closing it as gently as she had opened it.

She proceeded to her dressing room and locked herself up. That was where she broke down. “I can’t believe this is happening. I can’t believe it. Gomenasai, Ohno-kun.” She hugged her knees as she continued to cry at the corner of the room.

Outside of her dressing room, Ohno was standing. He wanted to knock, to say sorry, but the other side of his mind stopped him. He just stared at the door. “Is this the right thing to do?” he asked himself. He left with his head hung low.

***

“Where’s Anna-san?” Aiba asked the next day.

“Sick,” Shun replied. “That’s why I’m here to look after you kids,” he said with a smirk.

“We’re not kids!” Nino said, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah right, suddenly punching each other out of nowhere. How mature,” he sneered, fighting Nino’s sarcastic powers. “It’s like back to your Junior days. I saw two of them punching each other two days ago.”

“Hontou ni?” Jun asked. “That’s normal.”

“You think so?” he replied. “And, Ohno-kun, you should proceed to the next dancing studio after lunch. You have your solo rehearsals.”

“Demo…” he started. Anna’s not around. How could he practice?

“Just go there, understand?”

“Wakatta,” he replied, eating silently. He kinda missed Anna’s cooking.

He proceeded to the next room and a girl was practicing Anna’s moves. Shun followed him. “Her name’s Nita Minako,” he said. “He’ll replace Anna as your dancing partner.

“Replace?” Ohno said. He was utterly shocked.

“Hajimemashite,” the girl said, bowing in front of him.

“Hai, Ohno-kun. Anna-chan just quit on becoming your partner. And she has asked a leave. Johnny allowed her because he was impressed with her handiwork,” Shun explained. “Don’t worry. Anna taught Minako-chan. All you have to do is rehearse with her.”

“Hai,” Ohno said, trying to hide his disappointment. If Anna was there, he would have apologized. “But maybe this is the right thing to do,” his mind said again. “I should distance from her.”

***

“Nee-chan, still not feeling well?” Maki asked as he replaced the ice pack. “I have baseball practice today.”

“Then go, Maki,” she said, holding the ice on her forehead. “I’ll be fine.”

“But…”

“No ‘buts’. Just go,” she said. “Up to what time?”

“I’ll be out until 7 pm,” he replied. “The game will be next week so we have to practice well.”

“The concert’s also next week. How are they doing?” she thought. “Ah, okay. Ganbarre!”

Maki winked at her and left. “Nee-chan, I’ll just order food for dinner so that you won’t need to make one.”

“Hai,” she replied. His brother went downstairs. She heard his footsteps again going up. “What is it again, Maki… Eh? Sho-kun?” she suddenly sat up, making her head spin. “Itai!” she said, holding her head with the ice pack.

“Daijoubu?” he asked, sitting down beside her. He was carrying flowers. “I left the fruits downstairs.” He helped her lie down again.

“Arigatou, Sho-kun,” she said, holding the ice on her forehead. “What are you doing here? Are the rehearsals finished?”

“Hai,” he said. “Anou… the concert in Yokohama is next week. Won’t you be able to watch at least?”

“Iie,” she said in a final tone. Sho did not speak for a while.

“Cozy room,” he commented, looking around. He saw the painting. He knew who made it. He turned away from it.

“Are you sure it’s okay for you to be here?” Anna asked.

“Hai. I ordered dinner. I’m going to keep you company while your brother’s away.”

“I think I’m a little troublesome for all of you,” she said sadly.

“Don’t think like that, Anna-san,” he said, smiling softly at her. “You are the one who made this concert wonderful. But it would not be worth if you would not see the tour.”

“Daijoubu,” she replied. “I’ll try to watch one of your concerts. But I could not go across the islands, ne?” she said jokingly.

“Hai,” he replied. “Shun-kun asked me to give you these tickets for the Yokohama concert.” He placed two tickets and two backstage passes on her bedside table. “You could bring your brother if you like.”

“Nah, I’m sure he won’t like to,” she replied. “He has baseball next week, the same day as the concert.”

“Sou desu ne?” he replied.

“Sho-kun…”

“Hai?”

“I don’t know but it feels good to have you here,” she said. “I think I’ll get sicker if no one’s around.”

Sho was ha