Hello! Welcome to my story! Thanks for clicking! I'm excited to share this story finally! I've been working on it since October!

A SPECIAL THANK YOU to Natcchan~ aka we can fly away to Gallifrey here on FF for being my beta! Thank you so much!

Also, major spoilers! For literally everything starmyu related! I have replays of the episodes, hints to song lyrics, to the collab cafes, drama CDs, and OVAs! If you think you spot something, please comment! I'll give you kudos *^*

I do not own Starmyu or the characters!

~0~

"Haru."

The little boy looked up at his tired seeming yet smiling father.

The man waved him closer, "Come on. Do you want to meet your last birthday present?"

The six year old blinked owlishly while standing, "Tou-san, my birthday was yesterday."

The man laughed exhaustedly, "That's right. But this is a late present." He reached out his hand, "Let's go see your little brothers."

The boy carefully took the hand, "Brothers?"

"That's right," he smiled. "Let's hurry and see Kaa-san."

The man led Haruto down the blank hallways into a single room where his mother lay on a bed with two cribs close beside her.

"Haruto," she smiled warmly, putting her arm out to let the boy join her on the mattress. After they settled together, she gestured to a baby in her arms and another that his father brought close. "These are your brothers. Their names are Kaito," she gestured to the one in her arms, with pale skin and hair as deep a blue as his own, "and Kakeru." She pointed to the baby that his father was holding, with tightly shut eyes and deep red strands of hair sticking out of his head.

"Why's his hair red?" Haruto asked, pointing to Kakeru.

The two adults shared a look.

His father paused, "My great uncle did have red hair…"

His mother shook her head, moving away from the topic, "It doesn't matter. He's still your little brother." She glanced at Haruto. "Do you want to hold one of them?"

Haruto smiled, "May I?"

"Of course, honey." his mother said, carefully adjusting him so that he could take Kaito from her. "Here's Kaito. Say hello."

"Hello," Haruto calmly spoke to the strange creature. It didn't react. At all. He moved his gaze from the baby to his parents.

His father grinned, "They won't be doing much for a while, you know."

Haruto simply nodded, "Can I hold Kakeru, too?"

His father nodded, and his mother reached over to take Kaito back, but Haruto moved away.

"I wanna hold them both at the same time," he said.

His father smiled then came close, "Alright, Onii-san." He carefully lifted Kakeru, who started squirming in the air, and placed him in Haruto's arms, where the baby calmed down again.

Haruto smiled at the babies, taking in their pudgy faces, "Hello Kakeru and Kaito. I'm Haruto, your big brother now. Let's get along."

~0~

"Kaa-san, are we home yet?" Haruto, now six years old, asked, swinging his feet from the leather seats. It was summer time, allowing Haruto to attend a dinner event with his parents.

His mother turned her head from the front seat of the car, "Just about."

Haruto nodded, leaning back in his seat, "Good. I can't wait to tell Kakeru and Kaito about everything tonight!"

His father grinned, briefly glancing back at the boy through the mirror, "Did you enjoy it?"

Haruto turned his head to stare outside at the street lights that flashed by in the darkness of the night. "I did! Next time we should bring the twins instead of leaving them with nanny!"

His mother laughed, "I don't think so, dear. Maybe when they're bigger, like you."

Haruto nodded, "Okay." He paused, "I can't wait for that. We'll have so much fun together. Like the other day, when we were playing and Kakeru bit me and Kaito jumped on top of me!"

His parents laughed.

"Oh dear," his mother giggled, "I can't wait for then either, sweetheart."

The warm moment between the three suddenly halted when his father gasped loudly. Haruto saw a bright light directly shine on him, heard his mother scream, then everything went dark.

~0~

"Tsukigami Daichi-san, famous theater director, and his wife, Tsukigami Minami-san, Japan's representing stage actress, have died from a car crash late last night when returning from an event with their six year old son. A large truck had spun out of control, slamming into the front of Tsukigami-san's car and seemingly to kill the two instantly. Their son is currently in critical condition at the hospital. What will happen next for this family, we don't know."

It took a week for Haruto wake up. His arm and leg were broken, and he had a severe concussion. He was wrapped up when he woke, a nurse in the room with him.

"W-Where…" he croaked causing the nurse to turn to him in surprise, "Kaa-san? Tou-san?"

The nurse gasped, "Oh dear, it's okay…"

"Kaa-san," Haruto repeated with wide panicked eyes, "Where's Kaa-san?"

"I'm sorry honey," the nurse said, hesitating, "your parents, they're… not here."

Haruto gasped, "Not... here? Wait! Where are Kakeru and Kaito?"

The nurse stopped and gave him a confused look, "Who?"

Haruto gave a wail of distress. He struggled against the bindings of the casts on his limbs, despite the cries of the nurse. His eyes flooded with tears as the doctor and other nurses flooded into the room, "I just want my family!"

Little did Haruto know that his family was going to be broken up. Haruto would stay in his home, as he was deemed old enough to be by himself with a part time caretaker (whether it was an appropriate decision or not was another discussion).

Kakeru and Kaito were sent to an orphanage. Kakeru was soon adopted by the Tengenji family, where the head was unable to produce an heir; thus adopting a boy with red hair.

Kaito was left in the orphanage. His name was soon changed to Yamamoto Kaito as he lived in a foster home until he went to boarding schools throughout middle and high school.

Years passed, and as the boys grew, their memories of one another faded.

~0~

A couple was stricken with grief. They were unable to conceive a child. Over many discussions, they finally came to a conclusion.

A sleeping child was put in the man's arm. It was late at night and the dimly lit room did nothing. The child, a few months over the age of one and a half, was asleep.

"This is Kakeru," the nurse who handed the child to him said.

The man nodded, his eyes glued to the face of the sleeping baby, "From this day on, your name will be Tengenji Kakeru." He would take the child home, and raise him like his own. "You will be the future of the Kabuki world, and I will take care of you from here."

~0~

A small silver car pulled up to the drive, a tall man stepping out as a elderly woman watched from the doorstep of the building.

The man stepped to the passenger door, ducking inside the vehicle to pull out a large car seat and a diaper bag. He carried them both to the woman.

"This is Yamamoto Kaito," the man said. "His other things will be here later."

"Thank you," the woman said, taking the things from the man and bidding him a farewell.

The woman received no other instructions, taking the child into the orphanage that was already run by countless other children. Yamamoto Kaito was left in a crib to finish his sleep, but woke up within minutes, screaming and crying as he fussed around in the cage.

"Spoiled, are we?" The woman said as she looked over him, having his meltdown in the crib. "That won't work here." The child stared up at her as she spoke her next words firmly, "You're going to have to learn to follow the rules from now on."

~0~

"Okay, boys, straight lines and into your seats. Quickly now," the teacher instructed. Kaito followed behind the boy in front of him, carefully managing his way through the dimly lit performance hall to get into his seat. Their middle school class was watching the performance of Shadow and Lights performed by the alumni and students of Ayanagi Academy.

He read his ticket under the pale yellow light, then lightly tapped the number plate as he read and made sure it was the proper seat.

As he watched the show, Kaito held his ticket lightly in his hand. Until Alexis's shadow performed. Kaito was enchanted. The actor moved almost magically, flowers blooming on vines around him in his aura and highlighting his form.

Kaito's heart pounded in his chest. He wanted to be like that actor.

Tsukigami Haruto was his name. Kaito went back to his room that evening and searched him up. Tsukigami Haruto became Kaito's idol from that day, and the crumpled ticket a reminder for him.

~0~

A tapping sound interrupted the silent room, breaking through the boy's already uneasy concentration.

"Kakeru," the older man said, "again."

Kakeru nodded, looking at his fan. His breathing was uneven as he stood. "Yes sir."

His practice session in front of his father continued until dinner, but after that he was free. Tengenji Kakeru sat outside, using his towel to wipe his face. It was another tiring day for the middle schooler.

A soft meow came from his side, pressing into his thigh. Kakeru blinked and turned his head. A smile graced his face. He reached out and pat the feline on the head, "Hello, Tavian." The kitten jumped onto his lap, purring as Kakeru continued to pet her. He laughed but it died down to a sigh. "I've been busy again with practice with Otou-san, you know. I'm going to be the best Kabuki dancer, Tavian!" Tavian meowed again. "Oh, Tavian, the play that Otou-san took me to yesterday! He said I was going to go to that school one day, so it's important to see it. It was great!" Tavian rolled over, exposing her belly. Kakeru rubbed it and lifted his gaze to stare up at the stars. "There was one actor, his name is Tsukigami Haruto, I found. He was really good. Maybe… one day I can be like him."

Tavian purred.

Kakeru smiled sadly, "I know I already told you this but... I'm still excited about it and… I don't know who else to tell."

The kitten didn't react.

Kakeru sighed, "Well, it's okay. You're a great friend to me."

Tavian mewled.

"Yeah," Kakeru smiled, "let's head to bed now."

~0~

(First Stage [Eien Stage] Drama Track 2)

The first day of the first year at Ayanagi Academy. Kuga and Kaito were speaking with each other in their classroom.

Kuga scoffed as he looked at Kaito, "You're really different from the other first years." He stood up, "Anyways, I don't think that you should worry about our team's level of abilities. The fact that you and that Noble of the Kabuki World passed is awesome enough, isn't it?"

Kaito scowled, "Noble of the Kabuki World… you mean, Tengenji Kakeru, don't you?"

Kuga raised an eyebrow, "What? You're putting on quite a sour face."

Kaito crossed his arms, "I've seen him a lot on TV and such but he strikes me as a disagreeable guy. I don't think I'll get along well with him."

"What's with that?" Kuga questioned, "It's different from when you actually meet him, don't you think?"

Kaito paused, then said, "Anyway, I don't think we're compatible."

"Compatible, huh…" Kuga repeated. "Should we hold a get-together?"

Kaito raised an eyebrow at him, "Huh? Why should we do that?"

"We'll be training together a lot," Kuga said, "It'd be troublesome in the long run if we all don't get acquainted now, right?" He frowned, "I don't know the other two well also. Hoshi something and Yuki whatever. They had those names, I think."

Kaito kept his same inspective expression, "But still, a get-together…?" He turned his head and sighed. A sudden shadow from outside the classroom door caught his eye. "Wait… who's that loitering in the hallway?"

Kuga followed his gaze. He clicked his tongue, "Speak of the devil. Isn't that Tengenji?"

Kaito hummed, "Seems like it. What's he doing in front of our classroom? He's in Class A, isn't he?"

Kuga cast him a sideways look, "You sure know a lot for someone you're not compatible with."

Kaito scowled at his words.

The door to their classroom suddenly flew open and closed, Kakeru's figure sliding inside, "For god's sake… They're so persistent!"

Kuga blinked, "Ah, he entered."

Something sparked within Kaito at the sight of the red head. Something familiar, in a sense that couldn't be felt through a screen. Kaito turned his scowl to Kakeru, "What did he come here for?"

"Hey, Tengenji," Kuga spoke up.

Kakeru turned around in surprise, "Hah? Who are you?"

"I'm Kuga Shu. From the same team, Team Otori, as you."

Kakeru frowned, "Team Otori? You mean my team?"

Kaito interrupted harshly, "Wait a second. Since when did it become your team?"

"Hah?" Kakeru growled, "What's with that arrogant attitude, shrimp?" He pointed to himself, "I'm Tengenji Kakeru. I've stood on top of a lot of huge stages. That means that I'm different from you amateurs."

Kaito rolled his eyes, clearly turning to Kuga, "No matter how much experience you have, a nasty guy is still a nasty guy, right?"

Kuga glanced between the two, "Um, please don't get me involved."

Kakeru narrowed his eyes, "You're not referring to me, are you?"

Kaito waved his hand in the air as he said, "I admit that we have less experience than you. However, I'd like you to stop putting on airs since we all passed the same auditions."

Kakeru scoffed haughtily, "Anyone else aside from me isn't needed for the team to succeed, you boor!"

"I don't know how it goes in the Kabuki world," Kaito said, "but what we're studying for are musicals. Don't go doing things half-heartedly in training, Mr. Noble. It'd be shameful to show such disgraceful behaviour, right?"

Kakeru grew red with anger, "You've got some serious balls saying that to me, huh." His hand raised as he pulled it back, "I'll make you cry!"

As he brought it down, a hand suddenly grabbed Kakeru's wrist.

"Stop that, Tengenji," Kuga stared directly at him. "Raising your hand against him is inexcusable."

Kakeru stopped. He stared at the hand holding him, then at Kuga with a frown. "Kuga, was it? Let go of my hand."

Kuga dropped the hand and stepped back, "The both of you stand out too much." He sighed, "So the Heavenly Tengenji Kakeru's enemy is Yamamoto Kaito, huh?"

Kakeru looked down at the blue haired boy again, "Yamamoto Kaito…?" He hummed, "Ah, that face…" He huffed and added, "That reminds me, I remember seeing you in the entrance ceremonies. You're the top student from your school, are you?" Kakeru scoffed, "Then, I'll forgive you somewhat." He narrowed his eyes and stared at Kaito, "I'll leave you with a warning. Listen, you boor. This school's star is me. All you amateurs are my supporting actors. How unfortunate, huh?" He waves a hand in the air around him, "If you're mad then curse the fact that you were born in the same age as me."

With that proclamation, Kakeru starts laughing.

Kaito deadpans, leaning over to Kuga and whispered, "What's with that guy?"

Kuga leaned over to reply, "That's just how famous people are. The celebrity world is so deep, huh?"

A call came from outside the classroom suddenly, "Ah! There he is! Tengenji-kun!"

Kakeru suddenly stopped laughing, freezing up, "The reporters… they found me!"

Kuga paused, "Don't tell me you were running away from those guys, Tengenji?"

Kakeru groaned, "That's right. Well, I understand that someone famous like me passing the auditions would be a big topic but they've been chasing me around since yesterday. It's so troublesome!" He ruffled his hair in frustration, "Geez! This is why I envy you amateurs sometimes!"

Without another word to the two, he ran out of the classroom just as the PR group entered from the other door.

"Ah! He ran away again!" One of them called, "Tengenji-kun!"

Kaito and Kuga were silent for a few moments.

"...See, I told you," Kaito said conclusively, "I definitely won't get along with him."

Kuga sighed, staring after the door, "Looks like this team's got a lot to work on, huh?"

~0~

(Season 1 Act 3)

"Hoshitani!" Kakeru growled, leaning close to the brown haired boy.

Hoshitani smiled, leaning back, "Oh yeah, I heard that you forgot about cleaning duty."

Kakeru took a step forward, causing Hoshitani to take a step back simultaneously, "Don't say it like you had nothing to do with it!" Another step forward for Kakeru and backwards for Hoshitani, "Thanks to you I have to do penalty duty every morning for a week!" Another step, "My precious time with Tavian is…" Kakeru trailed off.

Hoshitani smiled, carefree of Kakeru's complaints, "And make some time to teach me cartwheels and dance steps, too!"

Kakeru shouted in his face, "You know what?!"

Hoshitani laughed, then turned his head as he noticed a figure pass beside them. "Oh, morning Yamamoto!"

"Hey!" Kakeru yelped at the sudden skew in their conversation.

Kaito turned his head towards Hoshitani and sneered, "It looks like you've made another friend."

"Huh?" Kakeru blinked, staring at Kaito with Hoshitani.

"I don't care what the other guys do," Kaito said, "I have no intention of following your pace." With that, he stomped away.

Kakeru and Hoshitani watched in silence.

Kakeru rubbed his face with a pensive look, "Yo, Hoshitani… does something about Yamamoto feel… weird to you?"

Hoshitani glanced at him, "No? What do you mean?"

Kakeru paused. Something about looking at Kaito made him feel weird. It was as if he was a familiar face in his memories. Something in Kaito's eyes seemed to draw him in with curiosity.

Kakeru shook his head and moved away, "Nevermind. It's nothing."

~0~

(Season 1 Act 4)

Many of the musical department teams were already gathered for the information session for the debut performance. Conversation bounced through the room as the boys waited for all the teams to arrive and for the meeting to begin.

Team Ootori sat near the front of the room.

Kakeru scoffed as he scrolled on his phone, "Damn it, they're underestimating us!"

Kaito overheard but didn't say anything. His frown deepened as he continued to wait in his own silence.

"Hey!" someone from behind called out. "Team Hiiragi is here!"

Many of the boys turned to give their attention to the group as they navigated to the front of the hall.

The blond and the brown haired ones stopped and glanced over Nayuki in regards for a moment before continuing on.

Hoshitani blinked, "Nayuki, do you know them?"

Nayuki turned to him, "Tatsumi-kun, Sawatari-kun, Yamamoto-kun, and I all went to the same junior high."

Hoshitani awed, "Really?"

Team Hiiragi situated themselves right in front of team Ootori; Sawatari Eigo leaned over to Tatsumi Rui and whispered, "Why is it that Yamamoto-kun, who started the year at the top of the class, on that team? I cannot understand."

The soft pink colored boy leaned over towards them, speaking loudly, "I feel bad for him, having to babysit a team of failures."

The ruffian with dark hair put his hand on the boy's shoulder, "Stop it, Ugawa. They can hear you."

Ugawa scowled, "But it's true, isn't it?" He leaned forward to look at the last member at the end of the row, "Hey, are you listening, Inumine?"

Inumine blinked and turned in surprise, "Huh? What? I wasn't listening."

Toraishi and Ugawa deadpanned, not reacting.

Tatsumi spoke, "They were chosen to be in that group. It doesn't matter what you say."

Behind them, Kaito clenched his fists in anger. Kakeru tensed up, and the entire team Ootori shifted awkwardly as their conversation died down.

The lights soon dimmed, letting the meeting begin as the members of the Kao Council entered.

~0~

(Season 1 Act 4)

"Ima boku wa tabi ni deru. Inishie no chizu wo hirogete," Nayuki sang as he stretched his leg out on the bar.

A piano suddenly played notes out over him.

Kuga looked at Nayuki from the piano, "That part's like this, remember?"

"Oh yeah," Nayuki gasped, "Thanks!"

Hoshitani grinned, "Doing a lesson with everyone's kind of exciting, isn't it?"

Kakeru huffed, "Sure." He turned to the last member of the team, "Hey, are you warmed up yet?"

Kaito briefly glanced up from the screen of his phone to Kakeru, then went back to it, "Yeah."

Kakeru scoffed and went back to his own stretching.

Hoshitani skipped forward until he stood over the screen and looked at it, "Whatcha' watching, Yamamoto?"

Kaito jerked back in surprise. "Hey," he grunted.

"23rd Theater Awards Ceremony?" Hoshitani read. "What's that for?"

Kakeru looked up again, "You're watching the award ceremony?"

Nayuki smiled, "Are you a fan?"

"Yeah," Kaito grunted in a rough confirmation to Nayuki, then turned off the phone and stuck it in his pocket. "Briefly," he answered Kakeru.

"Of who?" Hoshitani asked again.

"Tsukigami Haruto." Ootori suddenly appeared at the doorway of the practice room. "He graduated Ayangai at the top of his class and he's the number one young musical star out there right now," he explained to the team. Ootori continued, "His father was a famous theater director and his mother was a stage actress who represented Japan."

Hoshitani blinked, "Was?"

The other boys lowered their heads as Ootori said, "His parents passed in a fatal car crash when he was six years old." He paused, "There were also rumors that he had some younger siblings, but nothing came out as a truth."

The team stared at Ootori.

Ootori laughed, "Ah well, it's nothing you boys should be concerned with. Let's start with practice, why don't we?"

~0~

"Tsukigami-san, we've arrived."

Tsukigami Haruto nodded, "Thank you for the ride."

The driver smiled, "No worries. Congratulations on your award."

Haruto laughed, "Thank you." He paid the driver and exit the car, heading inside the home. For once, he was home. He entered the fair sized building, shut the door, and leaned against it tiredly.

He stared into the dark empty hall.

He still lived the home that he grew up in. The home had three bedrooms, and enough space for children to play around in. Except that he was the only child that ever got to play in the home.

This house was empty now.

After the loss of the rest of his family, the whole house was cleaned, yet Haruto remained in the hull of it. Memories of being in the home with his parents lingered in his mind, but the most painful ones were the ones of his little brothers.

Haruto took off his shoes and neatly placed them aside before going up the stairs to his bedroom. He placed his trophy down on a table and walked to his nightstand, where a few frames stood proud. Haruto took one as he sat down on the bed.

His mother and father stood, shining brightly over Haruto and his brothers. It was one of the few formal pictures the family took together, on the twins' first birthday.

There were countless others, of moments in between, good and bad, that Haruto had framed and dispersed all around the home.

Haruto stared at the photo a moment longer.

"I hope you're proud of me, Tou-san, Kaa-san," he whispered to himself. "Kakeru… Kaito… I miss both of you," Haruto sighed.

~0~

(Season 1 Act 4)

Kaito spent extra time at practice, heading back to the dorms late. He entered the common room, ignoring Hoshitani who was watching something on his laptop at the table, and heading to the dinner trays that were sitting on the counter. His name was propped up beside one while Kuga was written on the other.

"Oh, Yamamoto, you're back," Hoshitani greeted, taking his headphones off. "I just watched some of Haruto-san's work. He's amazing! Are you his fan? Your family and you must be big supporters! It's great that you can aim for someone like him! I'll work hard too, so that one day I'll be-"

"Work hard, work hard!" Kaito suddenly shouted. "You sound like that's all you know how to do!" He breathed heavy, making eye contact with Hoshitani. He averted his eyes with a scoff after realizing what he said, then rushed out of the room without another word. He calmly raced down the hall and climbed up the stairs, intending on getting to his room.

"I didn't think I'd see a fight scene here," Kakeru said, not looking over at Kaito as he leaned against the wall. He lifted his eyes, "I know how irritating it can be to be compared to and be judged based on those near you." He scowled, "But don't take it out on Hoshitani, you boor."

Kaito smirked, annoyed, "You're great friends now, huh?" The frown returned to his face.

Kakeru pushed off the wall, "You know that he's practicing on his own every day to catch up to us, right?"

"So what?" Kaito responded, passing Kakeru around the corner. Something sparked inside the two at that moment. Kaito hesitated in his steps, but continued.

Kakeru's eyes widened at the feeling, but kept his gaze trained on Kaito's retreating back. "Hoshitani's not giving up."

Kaito didn't say anything back, letting the sizzling feeling in their bodies resound through the both of them.

~0~

(Season 1 Act 4)

Nayuki returned with his groceries, Hoshitani still in the same spot he was in when he left, and started unpacking them. "I decided to make enough for everyone on our team, too, starting tomorrow," he said out loud. "Hoshitani-kun, do you like your fried eggs sweet or salty?"

Hoshitani simply grunted.

Nayuki blinked, "What's wrong?"

Hoshitani paused, then glanced over his shoulder at Nayuki. "I think I said something that made Yamamoto mad. All I did was talk about Haruto-san and… and his family maybe…"

Nayuki winced, "Oh that's definitely a taboo subject…"

Hoshitani stared at him, "Huh? Taboo?"

Nayuki nodded and explained, "Its legendary how much Yamamoto-kun hates any talk relating to his family. No one knows anything other than the fact that none of his family has ever showed up to anything during middle school. During his interview the other day, he rushed out in the middle because he was asked about his family."

Hoshitani gasped.

Hoshitani raced down the hall, carefully coming to a halt right outside the door. He heard a loud clatter as soon as he stopped.

"That has nothing to do with it!"

A blue haired figure stormed out of the room a moment later, and then Hoshitani was called inside.

"Was that what it was?" Hoshitani muttered.

Nayuki hummed, "On top of that, Yamamoto-kun is a big fan of Tsukigami Haruto. I think both of those subjects just make Yamamoto-kun upset…"

Hoshitani blinked, "But why? If someone asked me about my family and my dreams, I'd be happy to share it."

A voice came from the door, "It's not about how you feel. Shouldn't you think about the other person's circumstances too?"

Hoshitani and Nayuki looked up to find Kuga. "Kuga-kun, welcome back," Nayuki greeted.

Kuga looked at Hoshitani, "I think everyone has a thing or two they don't want to talk about." With that, he walked off, leaving the words to sit with Hoshitani.

~0~

(Season 1 Act 4)

A commotion started in the hallway after class between Kaito and Ugawa.

"Try saying that again!" Kaito growled in Ugawa's face.

Toraishi suddenly wrapped his arm around Kaito's shoulders, getting in between the two, "Come on, stop it."

Kaito roughly shoved him off, "Shut up!" He slammed Ugawa back against the wall.

Ugawa grunted. He turned to smirk at Kaito, "I said, you fit right in with the team of failures. I mean, you don't even have any support from your family." Kaito's eyes widened as Ugawa continued, "But it can't be helped. Is that one of the hardships of not having you family around and being such a die hard fan? Anyone would become twisted."

Kaito's hold on Ugawa's blazer loosed and his fist fell from the grasp.

Ugawa blinked in surprise, as Kaito pulled his hand back, fisting it. He propelled it forward, when it was suddenly caught by a hand.

Ugawa covered his face with his arms, "That was close. Were you trying to punch me just now? Just what I'd expect from one of the failures!"

Hoshitani let Kaito's hand go, looking over at Ugawa seriously, "Don't insult my friend. I can't help but be treated like a failure. But Yamamoto's different. As his teammates, we know. You don't know anything. You have no right to talk."

A quarrel broke out between them, becoming physical as Tengenji grabbed Sawatari and Kuga took on Toraishi. Hiiragi appear just as Kaito caught the bento box that flew from his grasp when Ugawa bumped into him.

The two teams were arranged in the Kao Council room to explain the situation.

Hiiragi dismissed them all, "You will be informed of your punishment later." With that, he exit the room, leaving the two teams alone.

Ugawa sighed out loud, "Man, it must be hard to be with these savages, Yamamoto-kun. You still have your hang-up about your family, too."

Toraishi wrapped his arm around Ugawa's mouth, "Shut up already."

Ugawa struggle against his hold.

"Let's go," Tatsumi said, glancing at them.

Toraishi dropped his hand and Ugawa looked over.

"Tatsumi," Ugawa gasped, then lowered his head, "Fine…"

Team Hiiragi turned and started to leave, yet Tatsumi approached Kaito. He smiled, "Sorry about today. Ugawa's not a bad guy, but… Yamamoto, if you're worried about something, you can always come talk to me. Aiming for the top by yourself must be hard, even for you."

"No," Kaito said, surprising them around him. "It doesn't matter if my teammates are a motley bunch or a bunch of failures. I will get past this test stage with these members. That's what I've decided."

Hoshitani grinned, "Yamamoto."

Tatsumi smiled and ducked his head in acknowledgment.

Kaito turned to look at Hoshitani, "I'll have no mercy on those holding us back."

"All right!" Hoshitani held up a fist, "Just leave it to me!"

Kakeru crossed his arms, "He's saying that because we can't leave it to you, you boor!"

Hoshitani blinked, "Huh?"

"Don't sound so surprised!" The team cried at the same time. Their silence turned into laughter as they formed a new bond for their team.

~0~

It was later that evening when Kaito stepped out to go on a jog and head to the park of his usual practice that Hoshitani caught him.

"Hey, Yamamoto," Hoshitani waved. "Mind if I join you?"

"Hoshitani," Kaito nodded. "That's fine."

They took off together, running down the sidewalk in silence.

"Yamamoto…" Hoshitani spoke after some time, "about earlier today…"

Kaito glanced at him through the corner of his eye, "What about it?"

"Well… I wanted to know why Ugawa was bothering you in the first place," Hoshitani finally asked.

Kaito slowed down his jog, Hoshitani following the slower pace a moment later. "Isn't that a question for him?" he sighed. Kaito stopped in his tracks and slowly turned over to Hoshitani. "I guess, to be honest... I'm a big fan of Tsukigami Haruto."

Hoshitani's eyes widened at the name, "The person who you were watching the other day during practice?"

Kaito nodded. He turned his gaze to look down the street, where cars passed and the lights of buildings shined bright in the dark. "Yes, him," he answered, "In middle school, we went to see a performance that he was in. Seeing him on stage that night… it inspired me to be just like him. The way he was able to capture the audience and made the whole performance feel like it revolved around that one scene…" he took a deep breath, "I'm… I'm not like that, but… I'm going to work hard to be."

Hoshitani's eyes widened at Kaito's words. He closed his eyes, then smiled, a laugh bubbling from him.

Kaito turned with surprise. "What is it?"

Hoshitani shook his head. With stars in his eyes, he stared up at Kaito, "That's just like me! I have a high schooler that I saw and admire and I want to perform on the same stage as him one day!" He took a step closer to Kaito, "Let's work harder together, Yamamoto, and reach our dreams!"

Kaito glanced away with unease for a second, then returned a nod, "Okay."

Hoshitani raised his fists happily, "Alright!" He ran ahead quickly, "Starting right now, Yamamoto! Full speed ahead!"

Kaito gasped, taking off immediately to catch up, "Hey, Hoshitani!"

~0~

(Season 1 Act 11)

The five boys of team Ootori entered the studio. They awed out loud at the hustle of the crew members. Lights were being set up, the sets were being tested, caterers were setting up, the costumes department was straightening out, and everything was moving in an organized fashion.

"Wow…" Hoshitani gasped, "it's like we're…"

"We're really out of place," Kuga completed for him as Hoshitani trailed off.

Nayuki shivered in nervousness.

Kaito looked over him, "Don't get nervous, Nayuki."

Before the boys could move to find the supervisor of their trip, one of the crew members shouted, "The actor's coming in!"

All five of them turned their heads to look at the center of attention.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the announcer spoke into the mic, "thanks for waiting! He is the main actor of the company, the hero of this stage. Ladies are in love with him, gentlemen bow down to him. He is the musical prince flourishing in the moment- Haruto Tsukigami!"

Haruto walked down the steps of the stage with his costume on.

The team gawked as Kaito was the one to speak, "T-Tsukigami-san?"

Haruto tilted his head back from his conversation with the announcer, then turned fully towards them with a smile, "Team Ootori, aren't you?"

"You… you know about us?" Hoshitani gasped.

Haruto smiled, "Of course. But I don't know your names."

Hoshitani nodded briskly, "Oh! I'm Hoshitani Yuta! And these are Nayuki Toru, Kuga Shu, Tengenji Kakeru, and Yamamoto Kaito. We're team Ootori!"

Haruto froze, his eyes flickering over Kaito and Kakeru. The names made something in his chest jump. He gulped it down and smiled at them, "It's nice to meet you all. Do your best work today."

The team watched as the young star walked away.

"Y-Yes sir…" Hoshitani muttered in confusion.

Kakeru hummed, "Well."

Hoshitani nudged Kaito and grinned, "Isn't this a great opportunity for you?"

Kaito rolled his eyes at Hoshitani, "Of course it is."

Kakeru crossed his arms and nodded, "It's a great honor to work among the top star of our time."

"Oh?" Kuga raised an eyebrow.

Nayuki smiled, "Are you a fan of his, too, Tengenji-kun?"

Kakeru's cheeks tinged pink, "H-How could I not be? He's someone we should all be striving to achieve one day!"

Hoshitani laughed, "You're right, Tengenji!"

Kuga nodded, "Let's get to work then."

"Yeah," Nayuki agreed as the supervisor called them over.

~0~

(Season 1 Act 11)

The boys were put to work. Kaito helped the costuming department with last minute tailoring. Kakeru managed the inventory and props with the staff. Kuga was helping with the accessories, and Nayuki and Hoshitani were assisting the lighting department.

Kaito was instructed to get a box that was left in a truck outside. As he entered the studio, he almost ran into a taller figure. "Excuse me," he said, carefully stepping back and looking up.

Haruto blinked in surprise then shook his head, "You're fine. Sorry." He eyed the box in his hands, then smiled, "Working hard?"

"Yes sir," Kaito replied.

"That's good," Haruto said. His smiled softened, "Make sure you make the most from high school under Ootori's guidance."

Kaito paused, confused at the sudden piece of advice, but nodded, "I will."

"Good," Haruto nodded. He lifted a hand in a wave, "Keep at it."

"Yeah," Kaito hummed, slightly dazed.

Haruto walked off, one of the crew members calling out for him as he left. Kaito stood still, watching him leave.

"Yo, Yamamoto," a voice called. "What are you doing?"

Kaito looked up at Kakeru. He shook his head, "Nothing. I'm on my way."

Kakeru didn't seem to believe it but didn't push on, "Okay. They're calling for us now."

Kaito nodded, "I'll be right there."

~0~

(Season 2 Act 1)

"Ageha Riku of Team Yuzuriha," Hoshitani muttered as the last team entered the classroom.

Everyone stared as the dark haired teen stepped forward, his blond teammate following behind, then stumbling into the center of the desks.

Nayuki ran to him. "Are you all right?" he asked, crouching down.

"I-I-I'm fine…" he replied, looking up and hitting his head on the desk above him.

Kakeru scowled, "Who's the guy in the glasses?"

"Hachiya So-kun of Team Yuzuriha," Sawatari answered Kakeru. "He's a very accomplished person, but he's always a bit distracted, you might say."

"He's pretty clumsy," Tatsumi clarified.

Ageha approached Tatsumi, "Rui. We're in the same class… looking forward to it."

Tatsumi nodded, "I'm looking forward to it too, Ageha."

Ageha tilted his head, spotting Kaito. He stepped in front of him suddenly, surprising Kaito. "You're… Yamamoto Kaito."

Kaito nodded stiffly, "Yeah…"

"I'm pleased," Ageha said, "to be in the same class as you."

"With me?" Kaito repeated.

"It's because I heard you were his fan too…" Ageha continued. "Tsukigami Haruto's."

Team Ootori froze at his words, each remembering the story of their teammate.

Nayuki quickly stepped up to Ageha, "Ageha-kun, you..."

Ageha tilted his gaze over to Nayuki.

"It's fine, Nayuki," Kaito said swiftly, not removing his eyes from Ageha.

Ageha returned his gaze to Kaito. He stuck his hand out, "Nice to meet you."

Kaito took the hand boldly, "Same."

Hoshitani came up from behind the dark teen, "Um, I'm Hoshitani Yuta. Nice to meet you, Ageha." He held out his hand out for a handshake.

Ageha stared at the hand, then at Hoshitani.

The bell rang over their heads.

Ageha moved away, leaving Hoshitani's hand outstretched, "Sou, the opening ceremony is starting."

Hachiya stumbled forward to follow, "Ah, right."

Kakeru scoffed as he appeared beside Hoshitani, "What's his deal? Who refuses a hand when it's offered?"

Hoshitani grinned at him, "You slapped my hand away when I first offered it, Tengenji."

"It's okay if I do it!" Kakeru went red as he retorted.

Hoshitani laughed, "It's totally the same thing!"

"I was just teasing you at first!" Kakeru cried.

Nayuki chuckled, "I was there too, you know."

Kakeru guffawed.

Sawatari and Tatsumi approached Kaito.

"Are you alright?" Sawatari asked.

Kaito glanced at him, "Do I look like I'm not?"

Sawatari smiled, "No."

Tatsumi gave Kaito a look, "It's well known that Ageha is also a fan of Tsukigami Haruto."

Kaito took in the words and looked at the doorway, his mind whirling with the information.

~0~

(Season 2 Act 2)

Uozumi looked over the group of boys as he stood, "First, we need to assess your skill levels." He smirked, "Don't let us down."

"Well then, let's get started!" Futaba cheered.

Futaba handed the folder with all the students' evaluation surveys to Uozumi and Saotome. Uozumi flipped through the book as the boys arranged themselves and Saotome instructed them.

He stopped at a page, a brown haired boy's image on the top. The team name read Ootori. He flipped the next pages, reading the names of each member on the team. He read the name of the next boy. Yamamoto Kaito. After that, Tengenji Kakeru.

His eyes narrowed at the names. Something about the names tingled in his head.

A whistle suddenly blew, Saotome's action snapping Uozumi out of his reverie. Whatever the thought was, it would have to wait.

~0~

(Season 2 Act 2)

"Cheers!" The three young men called at the same time, knocking their individual drinks against each others in the air between them.

Uozumi inspected the bag of beans, "You still like this kind of stuff?"

Futaba laughed innocently, leaning on the table with his elbow.

Saotome took a sip of his wine. "So what did you think, Uozumi? Have you picked a favorite team?

Uozumi made a noise of annoyance.

"You can't!" Futaba leaned forward, "If you get fixated on someone, you might get dumped again! Like what happened with Ootori-kun."

Uozumi slammed his drink down, "I wasn't dumped! Haru stole him away!"

Futaba reared back with annoyance, "Don't respond so seriously."

"All joking aside, though," Saotome spoke, looking over his evaluation book, "haven't we already decided who this year's star of stars is?"

"I'll have a hard time writing off Sazanami-kun's students," Futaba admitted.

"There's also the butterfly that is fascinated by the moonlight," Saotome said, flipping his book around to show Ageha Riku's sheet.

"That Haru really forced a difficult job on us," Uozumi sighed.

"Oh," Futaba blinked, "you mean that other mission?"

"I'm happy to do a favor for our beloved Haruto…" Saotome trailed off.

"But it's no simple mission," Futaba completed.

All three sighed.

Uozumi scoffed, "I don't know what's going on…" he lifted his drink, "but it seems this strange guy has been pulled into it, too." He finally took a sip, then rested a hand on his book that was open to Hoshitani Yuta's page. He tensed, lifting his hand slightly, then lifted the page with resolve. He flipped a few pages, opening the two faces up to Futaba and Saotome. "These two… do they seem familiar?"

Futaba leaned forward to read the names, "Yamamoto Kaito and Tengenji Kakeru?"

Saotome raised an eyebrow, "Isn't Tengenji Kakeru the rising young noble in the Kabuki world? Wouldn't he be familiar?"

"No," Uozumi scowled, "I mean, yeah, but that's not it. Kakeru. Does that not ring a bell in either of you?"

Futaba and Saotome shared confused glances as Uozumi kept his eyes trained on the pages.

"Ah, well," Futaba looked at the pictures again, "that Yamamoto Kaito does kind of look like Haruto, don't you think?"

Uozumi stiffened at Haruto's name and the idea behind Futaba's words. The thought had actually crossed his mind slightly, but he had dropped it. There was no way, was there? "What?" he cried in response, "No way! Haru's more of a frivolous jerk!"

Futaba flinched back at the sudden outrage again with a frown, "I guess…"

Saotome shook his head, "It's all in your head, Uozumi. Maybe you need sleep?"

Uozumi stuttered and scoffed, "I do not!"

Futaba chuckled, "Perhaps you do."

Uozumi groaned, slamming his notebook shut and covering the faces, "Whatever."

~0~

(Season 2 Act 3)

"Kakeru," the man spoke.

Kakeru straightened, looking at him. "Yes, Otou-san?"

"Your teacher tells me that your practice has not gone well."

Kakeru winced. He didn't say anything.

"You cannot slack off in your Kabuki training," the man spoke, his expression hard, "nor will a fall of performance be acceptable from your school."

"I know, Otou-san," Kakeru bowed his head. "Forgive me, I will not mess up again."

His father silently eyed him. "Good. That is exactly what I want to hear. The samples of your merchandise should be here soon, and they will be released later this month as we discussed."

"Yes sir."

His father's eyes hardened, "Do not disappoint me, Kakeru."

Kakeru stilled as he looked at his lap. "Yes sir."

"Dismissed," the man said as he stood and exited the room.

Kakeru's shoulders tensed and he clenched his fists tightly. "I need to work harder…" he muttered tightly in the silence of the empty room.

~0~

(Season 2 Act 3)

Nayuki laughed out loud in the circle of the team as he took in the image of Kuga with Kakeru's eye mask on.

Hoshitani laughed, "That suits you, Kuga!"

"You've become handsome like me," Kakeru commented with a grin.

Kaito shook his head, "That's not a very good joke."

"What?" Kakeru growled at Kaito beside him. "Just look at this!" he said, snatching the one that Hoshitani held from his hands, "It makes your eyes ninety percent more intimidating!"

Kaito continued shaking his head with the same deadpan.

"Oh Tengenji," Hoshitani smiled, "I'm sure you'll sell a lot of these."

Kakeru moved away from Kaito and sat back, tossing the eye mask onto the table as Kuga took his off as well, "You bet it will."

"It's kinda strange though, I think," Hoshitani muttered, "would someone really buy these?"

Kakeru jumped in offense, "Are you trying to say something, you boor?"

Hoshitani waved his hands as he realized his words, "No way! I mean, I just don't get it!"

Kuga sighed, "Wouldn't you want an image of the person you are trying to reach?"

Nayuki stiffened suddenly, but no one noticed.

Hoshitani stopped. "The high schooler I admire…" He muttered, then smiled, "Of course! I get it now, Tengenji!"

Kakeru deadpanned, "Okay…"

"By the way," Nayuki interrupted, "do other Kabuki actors have these kinds of merchandise?"

Kakeru paused, "I mean, most of the younger ones have more. My father…" he seemed to hesitate at the term, looking down briefly, "he, uh, doesn't have much. More so of posters and autograph cards."

The boys stilled, noticing his hesitation.

Hoshitani carefully spoke, "Is everything alright, Tengenji?"

"Fine, fine," Kakeru tapped his leg, irritation showing on his face, "It's just…" he sighed, "just my father. He's been a little pushy with my practices." He looked away, "It's nothing I can't handle."

"We know," Hoshitani said kindly, "but you must still get tired."

"Tengenji-kun's father must be really strict," Nayuki commented. "My parents are pretty easy going on my sisters and me."

Hoshitani nodded, "Mine too." He deadpanned at his next comment, "My dad has a bad sense of humor, though."

Kaito gave him a side eye, "That makes sense."

Hoshitani gawked as the others snickered, "What? What about your family, Yamamoto?"

Kaito stiffened as all eyes landed on him.

Hoshitani saw it and stopped.

Kaito was silent as his gaze landed on his lap.

Hoshitani waved his hands nervously, "S-Sorry! If you-"

"It's fine," Kaito cut off sharply. "Actually… my family… I…" he looked at his hands, turning them over in his lap, "I'm an orphan."

The silence in the room became unbearable.

Nayuki gulped. The news explained a lot about Kaito's attitude when it came to family talk.

Even Hoshitani didn't know what to say.

"My father died when I was young," Kuga spoke. Kaito lifted his eyes to him. "Although, I have my mother, I still missed having a father figure."

Kaito nodded, "I lost my parents when I was a baby. I don't even remember it… my family."

"Sorry," Kakeru muttered, glancing away.

"Please don't," Kaito spoke tersely. "I don't want to be seen differently for this."

"We would never!" Hoshitani cried immediately. "We're your teammates and your friends! We won't judge you for this!" His shoulders softened, "You're still Yamamoto Kaito to us."

The others nodded at Hoshitani's words in agreement and reassurance.

Kaito's eyes widened as he stared at Hoshitani. He ducked his head, "Thank you."

Kakeru grabbed his things and packed them back into the bag. "Alright. It's time to get to bed. A healthy sleep schedule is important for us!"

Nayuki smiled, "Of course."

The team strained out, leaving Hoshitani and Nayuki's room, the news bearing over them but changing nothing between their dynamic.

~0~

(Season 2 Act 4)

Kaito sat at his desk, the script of Shadow and Lights open to Alexis's Shadow's pages. His eyes glazed over the words, not comprehending anything. His mind wavered back to the group practices. Compared to the others… Tatsumi, Nanjo… Ageha… he was lacking. He was lacking a lot but he didn't know what it was.

His script was already in bad condition from all the times he tensed up with it in his grasp. He tightened his fists in his lap instead.

With the way that Ageha practiced, his skill seemed levels lower. The position of Alexis's Shadow was a shadow in his goals.

He closed the script, ready to stand and go out for practice. A bright ticket caught his eye from the side of his desk. It was the ticket to Kakeru's Kabuki show that day.

Kaito's eyes narrowed. Kakeru's excitement had clearly showed when he invited both teams to his performance. Kaito was thinking that he would go. A professional performance by his very own teammate sounded like a great experience. He wanted to go, yet… his practice was more important to him at the moment. He sighed as he made up his mind.

A knock came from the door.

"Yamamoto-kun?" Nayuki called through, "We're about to head out, are you coming?"

Kaito went to the door, opening it, "Sorry. I want to practice some more."

Nayuki smiled nervously, "Of course. We'll be off then."

Kaito nodded, "Enjoy." He followed Nayuki out, but head towards the practice halls instead, where he spent the most of his day.

~0~

(Season 2 Act 4)

"Oh, so scary," Kakeru spoke to Tavian, staring at his arm. "Even if the spectators don't notice, my father always does. Right, Tavian?"

Tavian meowed from his lap.

Kakeru fisted his hand, bending his elbow to and fro. It didn't hurt too bad, but there was an aching in the joint. Hopefully his medication would help before tomorrow.

A knock came at his door abruptly, causing him to jump. He quickly pulled his sleeve back down over his arm and stared at the mass of medicine bottles and wraps strewn on his desk. "One moment!" he called, as he slammed his drawer open and started sliding the bottles inside. One slipped and knocked poor Tavian on the head.

She mewled angrily from his lap, jumping up and making Kakeru stumble. More bottles fell to the ground noisily as Tavian took refuge on the bed.

The door opened sharply, revealing Kaito with a shocked face, "What's that noise?"

Kakeru stood in a flustered manner, the mess littered around him. "I just dropped some things!" he said quickly. He folded his arms, casually ignoring the bottles across the floor and pain in his arm by leaning back against the desk. "W-What did you need?" he played off casually.

"I was going to ask you something," Kaito said carefully as he entered the room, holding up his copy of the Shadow and Lights script, then dropped his gaze to the floor, "but it looks like you're hiding something."

Kakeru scoffed, waving a hand, "No, of course not."

Kaito pointed to a bottle, "That looks like painkiller. And bandages."

Kakeru grit his teeth, "Alright, you're right, Mr. Detective. I just got a slight elbow injury. Nothing I can't handle, you should have seen me today."

"Oh," Kaito hummed, a sudden guilt-ridden feeling rising in his gut. "I was practicing."

Kakeru looked away to hide his disappointment, "Whatever. At least Hoshitani and the others turned up in your stead."

Kaito paused, an awkward silence landing between them.

Kakeru bent down and started picking up his dropped items. "So? What did you mean to ask?"

Kaito glanced down at his script book. "Did you read through Alexis's Shadows lines? What does the tone of the third line read to you?"

Kakeru huffed as he stood, "Of course I read it." He grabbed his script and flipped through the pages. He silently read it as Kaito waited. "It feels disappointed. Like... when we're practicing a live script reading and you didn't nail an ad lib."

Kaito hummed, "I see."

"That good for you?" Kakeru asked hastily.

"Yes," Kaito nodded, looking at Kakeru, "Thank you." A beat passed over them. Things seemed to tingle inside their chests, but neither said a thing. Kaito cleared his throat and slipped back to the door, "Good night."

"Night," Kakeru replied, letting Kaito close the door. He went and turned out the lights, going to his bed and sitting on the edge, careful of the sleeping Tavian.

Kakeru sighed and stared out his window, "I wish I could play forever. Not being able to say that is the hardest part of being Tengenji Kakeru-sama, noble son of the theatrical world."

~0~

(Season 2 Act 5)

Hoshitani sighed, laying his head on his arm on the table.

Kakeru barely glanced up from the magazine he was reading, "What good does it do for you to get depressed?"

"Well, I haven't seen Yamamoto like that in such a long time…" Hoshitani whined.

"It's a fact that he was stressing himself over this, though," Kakeru said. "You can see it in his practices."

Nayuki glanced over from where he was wiping down the dishes, "You really noticed the most, haven't you, Tengenji-kun?"

Kakeru turned sharply to Nayuki, "Huh?"

"I mean," Nayuki clarified, "we're all worried about Yamamoto-kun, but you always understand him the most."

Hoshitani lifted his head to look at Kakeru. He hummed, "It's true. You seem to get what he's feeling the best."

"N-No I don't!" Kakeru cried, clenching the ends of the magazine, "It's just obvious how he's feeling!" The aura around Kaito whenever he practiced lately was strong yet wavering. His attitude even outside practice was rough, and Kakeru noticed it. How the others didn't see it as he did, baffled him. "Regardless," Kakeru continued, "there's nothing we can do for him." He straightened the magazine in his grasp, the words running under his gaze yet incomprehensible due his current state of mind.

"But still... " Hoshitani trailed off.

"Don't do anything that'll get you yelled at again, you boor," Kakeru advised Hoshitani. Despite sounding like he was trying to defend Hoshitani, Kakeru meant it for Kaito. He knew how hard it was to yell at Hoshitani, of all people. Their leader was someone who wanted to help everyone, and when overbearing at times, can make you feel full of regret after doing so. He knew from his first few days around Hoshitani.

Hoshitani dropped his head again. "Okay…" he whined.

Just outside the common room, Kaito dropped his hands to his sides. He wanted to apologize, he wanted this terrible feeling to go away, yet he couldn't figure it out. He just needed some more time to practice, then he would be a better fit for the role. Kaito sighed quietly; his teammates knew him well enough to say those things. He didn't want them to be true, however. He pushed off the wall and went down the hall, he would put more effort into his work.

Kuga came down the hallway in his direction, glancing at him, "I'm back."

Kaito barely nodded in response, "Yeah."

~0~

(Season 2 Act 5)

Futaba's voice rang through the practice hall, "Okay! That's all for today!"

Many of the students split up, heading to wash up. Kaito sat against the wall, when Hoshitani approached him, Nayuki close behind.

"Yamamoto…"

"What?" Kaito glanced up at him.

"I don't think I can do this, after all," Hoshitani admit. "Even if we pass the audition, there's no point if we're like this!"

"Huh?" Kaito scowled, "We swapped roles so we would pass the audition! Don't be dumb."

Hoshitani paused, "Is that okay with you?"

"What?" Kaito stared at him.

"Using strategies to make the best use of our team," Hoshitani said, "If you're forcing yourself to endure too much on your own just for that, I-"

Kaito stood up sharply, knocking his water bottle over, "Don't talk like you know me!"

Hoshitani and Nayuki flinched back.

"Y-Yamamoto-kun…" Nayuki gasped.

"All of you need to stop assuming and butting into my life!" Kaito cried, "I had finally decided to face it head-on! But now…" he clenched his teeth and looked away.

A whistle blew from behind them.

"That's enough," Saotome spoke. "There'll be no childish fighting in this sacred practice hall."

Futaba clapped his hands, "Alright, let's just calm down."

Kaito let out a shaky sigh and walked out of the hall.

"Yamamoto! Wait!" Hoshitani called, chasing after him.

The boys remaining the the room watched on.

"He was pretty mad," Nanjo commented to his teammate.

"Elites are delicate creatures," Kitahara shrugged casually. "He's been at the top of his class for so long, after all."

"Hey!" Kakeru couldn't hold back his angry call as he overheard the words from the gossiping duo.

"Tengenji," Kuga cautioned.

"Oh," Kitahara rubbed his neck, "sorry if that touched a nerve. I just didn't expect Yamamoto to be so childish."

"Ren…" Nanjo gasped.

"Honestly though," Kitahara turned to the teammates of the one he spoke about, "that's an elite for you. It must be nice to use your status to get so far. Guilty."

"You!" Kakeru growled, grabbing Kitahara by the collar. The words he spread about his teammate ticked him off. Of course no one from any other team than their own would know the things they dealt with between each other about their ambitions. The fact that talking about them behind their backs was so easy made Kakeru mad. Their hard work should be regarded more favorably, even if they were still considered the least experienced star team. "I've heard enough! Who do you think you are?"

Kitahara let out a little chuckle, "And here's his fellow elite, huh?"

"What?" Kakeru pulled Kitahara closer to scowl in his face.

"Was anything I said wrong?" Kitahara countered smoothly. "You guys are getting too worked up over this musical, anyways. No matter how hard you try, only one team will pass. It's all wasted effort in the end."

Kakeru snarled, "Why you-"

Kuga reach out and grabbed Kakeru's arm. "Don't bother, Tengenji. He's not who you should be fighting."

Kakeru let go of Kitahara, who backed away, "Huh?"

"Kitahara," Kuga addressed, "I've been wanting to ask you this for a while. Do you have any intention of passing this audition?"

"Huh? Of course I do," Kitahara replied. "In all things, musicals or otherwise, the result is all that counts. If you're going to do something, do it perfectly. If you don't win, you're guilty."

"Well then," Kuga said. He balled his fist and brought it back, swinging it with force. It stopped mere inches from Kitahara's face, as Toraishi cried from the side. Kuga flicked a finger out, "Lose the half-assed attitude and take this seriously. Because I never had any intention of letting you have the role." He tapped Kitahara on the forehead, and he stumbled back. "Let's go," Kuga said to Kakeru, turning and walking off.

"R-Right…" Kakeru stuttered, following behind. "Wait, don't order me around, you boor!"

~0~

(Season 2 Act 5)

Outside the practice halls, Hoshitani and Kaito were stopped in the outside hallway.

"What?" Kaito said into the silence.

"I'm sorry," Hoshitani said.

"Why are you apologizing?" Kaito said.

Hoshitani said nothing.

"Sorry, but could you leave me alone? I feel like I might blurt out something stupid again otherwise." Kaito said.

"I don't care about that!" Hoshitani cried. "Did you try to win the role of Alexis's Shadow for the team… for me? Or… because it's the role Tsukigami-san played?"

Kaito slowly turned to face Hoshitani, his face falling. He turned around. "Follow me," he said, leading Hoshitani away.

They ended up in the large hall where the final showcase of Shadow and Lights was going to happen.

Kaito went down a few rows, entering one and stopping in front of a specific one. His hand brushed over the number the same way it had years ago. He turned around and lowered himself into the seat carefully. "I sat in this seat back then too," Kaito said softly. "It almost looked as if the role of Alexis's Shadow had been written for Tsukigami Haruto-san."

"Yamamoto…" Hoshitani trailed off.

"I knew I wasn't cut out for that role," Kaito continued, "but I wanted to prove I could do it the same way. I wanted to believe that I could catch up to him and surpass him someday. Thanks to you guys I found courage to pursue him. But I…" He brought his hand up to his face.

Hoshitani stared, then grabbed Kaito's wrist, pulling him out of his seat and up to the stage.

"Hoshitani?" Kaito gasped, "Oi, where are we going?"

He didn't answer, instead staring off at the empty seats from the center of the stage. "I really like you when you're standing on the stage. So I want you to play the role you want to play. Whether its a role that suits you or not, if it was your choice, then I'll work hard. I'll try harder than ever before to win! If Uozumi-san says we can't, we'll fight. I still don't really understand having feelings for a role, or ambition to win an audition, but I want to stand on this stage with you guys! So I'll… I'll work hard for you."

"Hoshitani…" Kaito gawked.

Uozumi suddenly climbed onto the stage, surprising both boys.

"Uozumi-san?" Hoshitani gasped.

"Have you two figured it out?" Uozumi asked.

Kaito stepped in front of the older male, "Uozumi-san, if I step forward from here, will I be able to climb over the wall I once faced?"

Uozumi reached out and placed his hand on Kaito's shoulder, "If anyone can, it's you. That's what I'm saying, Kaito."

Kaito's eyes widened and his breath hitched. He dropped his head and closed his eyes, letting out a sigh of relief.

Uozumi lifted his hand and rested it on Kaito's ducked head.

It was dark by the time the two boys were walking back to the dorms.

Hoshitani said loudly, "I'm starving!" He sighed, "I bet the others are worried about us." Kaito suddenly stopped walking. Hoshitani blinked, "Yamamoto?"

Kaito turned around to face him, "Hoshitani, I'm going to play Lambert's shadow. I'll move forward."

Hoshitani stared at Kaito in surprise, then smiled, "Yeah. Uh, but I'm a little worried about going up against Tatsumi and the rest… I'm nowhere near their level." He laughed nervously.

"That's not true," Kaito said. Hoshitani snapped his head up in surprise. "That's not true," Kaito repeated with a smile. He reached into his pocket, pulling out his old crumpled up ticket, "I don't mean to imitate Tengenji or anything, but…"

Hoshitani took the ticket, "This is…"

"It's yours now," Kaito said.

Hoshitani grasped it securely with both hands, staring at it intensely, "For me…" He nodded at him earnestly, "Thank you."

Kaito smiled in response.

A holler suddenly caught their attention.

"Hey! Are you boors coming or not?"

Both boys looked to the entrance of the dorms to see three familiar forms.

Nayuki turned to say something to Kakeru, too quiet for the two to hear from the gates.

Hoshitani laughed, tucking the ticket into his pocket before starting to run forward, Kaito following behind. "You guys didn't have to wait out here for us!" he grinned.

"We were worried!" Nayuki smiled.

"Not me!" Kakeru crossed his arms.

Hoshitani laughed at his obviousness.

"Everything's settled now?" Kuga asked, looking between Hoshitani and Kaito.

Kaito let out a breath and nodded, "I'm going to go for the role of Lambert's Shadow."

The three stilled.

Hoshitani smiled at their reactions, "It's fine! Yamamoto and I can do it!"

Nayuki let out a relieved sigh, "Of course!"

Kakeru grinned, "Now that that's settled, if any team is gonna earn those training roles, it's team Ootori!"

"Yeah!" Nayuki and Hoshitani cried in agreement; Kaito and Kuga also agreeing as the team reasserted their will to secure their roles for the graduation play.

~0~

(Season 2 Act 6)

The sight of burning lights and laughing boys embedded into the sights of the two who stood of to the side.

Haruto blinked at Ootori's words, then turned back to the crowd, "How interesting. I see. So he's your precious student."

Ootori tilted his head to glance at Haruto, "And you? Has anyone gained your interest?"

Haruto paused and grinned, "Other than Hoshitani?"

"Well, yeah," Ootori smirked.

Haruto laughed, letting his gaze flick over the large group. His eyes were drawn to a circle of five specifically, where a redhead and blue haired teen stood beside each other. "Well… I do have to say that your team is the most peculiar one. They have strength in them."

Ootori laughed loudly, "They sure are. I'm proud of how far they've come. Although, they still have space to grow."

Haruto hummed, "I look forward to it."

"Yeah," Ootori agreed, "me too."

~0~

(Season 2 Act 9)

All the teams had returned back to the dorms, the five students announced with the training roles just announced along with Hoshitani's surprise lead role. It was late and the teams had settled back to their night routines, many in already retired in bed.

Kaito shuffled into the empty dorm kitchen to grab a late strawberry milk.

"Yo, Yamamoto!" A voice called out to him suddenly. Kaito pulled out of the fridge to see Kakeru. "Congrats on the role. If I didn't know better, I'd think you were in that practice role from the beginning."

Kaito raised an eyebrow at him as he opened his milk, "Thanks, I guess."

Kakeru grinned as Kaito approached, "We all knew that I was going to get the role of Hardy, though."

"Of course, oh noble son of the theatrical world," Kaito said plainly, sipping his cold milk.

"What's with that tone?" Kakeru gawked.

Kaito snickered.

Kakeru huffed, then slammed his hand against Kaito's back then resting it on his shoulder. Kaito coughed at the impact as Kakeru said, "We both made it. It's just gonna be a lot more work now."

The two made eye contact. An odd warmth filled Kaito, spreading from where Kakeru's hand rested on his shoulder.

Kaito sighed, ignoring the feeling and shrugging the hand off, "That's a given."

Kakeru laughed, retracting his limb, "Well then. I'll see you tomorrow. Good night."

"Good night," Kaito returned as Kakeru left the kitchen. He sighed into his milk, bringing it up to sip.

Some kind of connection to the redhead, despite meeting him just as they formed a team, pulled at Kaito. He always felt strange around Kakeru. It was a feeling that he didn't know how to describe, and it felt weird to address. It has been almost two years of being on team Ootori, and the team had naturally grown close. Yet, moments when he was with Kakeru, his stomach churned in an almost uncomfortably familiar way.

There were moments when the two were in sudden sync, and they were brought to attention when Hoshitani or the others would point it out. Neither of them knew what to make of the news; instead, they just left it.

What could it be, anyways? Kaito had never met Kakeru before high school. Kakeru came from a noble family and Kaito was a nobody. It didn't matter what the feeling was, because it was nonsense.

So he ignored it.

Some people might say they trust their gut, but…

Kaito didn't believe in those kinds of things.

~0~

You made it to the end! Congratulations! Thank you! Let me know what you think about this AU! What was your favorite scene in this chapter? My favorite was the scene from season 2 act 4, as Tengenji wraps his bandages in his room ^^ I like it because I was so sad that Kaito didn't go with them in that episode TnT

Please excuse any grammar mistakes! :)

Two more parts to come, so stay tuned! Leave a review! Thanks for reading!