Chapter 28

Misaki groaned in her sleep, tossing and turning as her breathing turned ragged while sweat beaded down her forehead. "Stop!" She opened her eyes, gasping as she clawed at her neck. "Ugh... Stupid nightmare." She hugged her stuffed bunny and rolled out of bed.

Don't think I can go back to sleep after that.

She stared at the keyboard and pulled out the song she had started when Akihiro began stalking her again. With her headphones plugged in, she sat down with her bunny next to her. Her fingers glided across the keyboard, and she took a deep breath to sing, but stopped.

The room isn't soundproofed. I don't want to wake the boys up with my voice travelling the halls.

Misaki sighed and picked up her music sheets. "Let's head to the studio, then," she said to her bunny, picking her up.

She crept out of her room and down the stairs to the studio, careful not to wake anyone else up in the wee hours of the morning.

With her bunny sitting in a chair near the door, Misaki sat at the keyboard with her papers. She played her solemn music and sang her lyrics, stopping midway.

This isn't right. Not anymore. I'm not alone in this.

She scratched out several lines and rewrote them with the brothers in mind.

Even the notes should change...

The song started with a slow tempo and sped up as it went.

This should work.

Misaki started from the beginning and played her music as she sang.

When her song finished, clapping came from behind her.

Phwew. A whistle joined in.

"Encore!" Ren cheered, waving her bunny's paw in the air.

Misaki spun around, wide-eyed, and stared at the brothers, sitting side by side near the door. "W-when did you two get here?"

"While you were performing your song for your bunny," Ren said, grinning sheepishly. "I got a bit jealous of her being allowed to listen, so I joined in."

"I wanted to listen, too," Shun said, holding back a smile. "That was a deeply emotional song, and I hope writing it has helped you a bit. That said, listening to you now has made me wonder if we could feature your vocals on one of our tracks." He stroked his chin, going through their new songs in his head.

"That's a bit much for me... I can't sing in front of crowds. I'm not even sure if I could sing properly if I knew both of you were here..."

"Ah, but I didn't mean on stage, but rather having your vocals on the track. I wouldn't force you to sing live."

"I'm all for it," Ren said. "But then your name would be out there again. It's up to you what you want to do, but we're up for it if you are."

"I don't know, guys..." Misaki fidgeted, twirling her thumbs and wiggling her foot. "I think I'm better off staying behind the scenes." She couldn't help but think about what Sora had said. I am better off hiding away, right? I don't want all the trouble that comes with fame again...

Then she thought about all the fans she used to meet, and how excited they were, crying just because she held their hand or gave them an autograph. The fans appreciated her music, some even saying it helped change how they thought, or helped them get through dark times.

"With a voice like yours? I don't agree with that. With moves like yours, I'd say you're better off performing in all your glory, but that's just my opinion." Ren shrugged, playing with the bunny's ears. "If it weren't for Aki, I think you would've gone worldwide like us. Your career was cut short—"

Shun nudged Ren with his elbow. "Quit it," he whispered and gestured toward Misaki with his head.

She had her face in her hands, hiding from them. Geez, what is he saying? I doubt I would've gone as big as them... but performing in all my glory? What does that even mean?

Ren knelt down in front of her and touched her hand with the bunny's paw. "I'm sorry if I upset you; I didn't mean to."

Misaki shook her head and peeked at him between her fingers. "That's not it..." she said, her voice muffled.

"What was that? We can't hear you when you talk into your hands like that." He used the bunny's paw to pull at her hand.

Oh geez, that's so cute. Somehow, never expected this from him, but I guess it's my fault for bringing the bunny with me as my audience. She pulled her hands away a bit. "I'm not upset; I'm embarrassed by all the praise," she mumbled and spun away from him, back to the keyboard, trying to hide her burning face.

Ring, ring. "Sorry, excuse me." Shun pulled out his phone and left the studio.

Ren pulled a chair over and sat beside her, looking at her music sheet. "Looks like you made a lot of revisions on this one."

"Well, I made it before, but things have changed, so it didn't feel right anymore."

He frowned as he read through the previous lyrics. "It was pretty dark and hopeless before, so if this is a reflection of the changes inside, I'm glad for the revisions."

"Yeah, things definitely changed for the better, thanks to you and Shun."

"Even though you ended up stalked by Aki again?"

Misaki's jaw tightened, and she nodded, glancing at him to find him staring at her. "I was alone the first time he did it, and I fell into a seriously dark place, but this time, I have somewhere I feel safe, with people who care about me. Everything's different, and this song reflects the hope I still have thanks to you two. Thank you, Ren."

Ren's lip quivered as he held the bunny tighter. "I..." He swallowed hard. "I'm glad you're back in our lives, and that you don't want to give music up again because of him. Can I hu—"

The door to the studio opened. "Ren, let's eat breakfast and go. We're being called in for a meeting at Eclipse."

"We are? About what?" Ren raised an eyebrow.

Shun glanced at Misaki.

Did I do something?

"About me taking out the stalker? I thought Daichi dealt with that."

Shun cleared his throat as he pulled up an article on his phone. "That's part of it, but this is what's spreading now." He held his phone up for them to see.

The headline read: 'Ren Hayase's New Girlfriend is the Disgraced Misaki Minase'.

Disgraced?! I didn't do anything wrong!

Shun scrolled down to show pictures of the two of them together several times, though they had their masks on. One picture even had Emi there with her face blurred out.

Below, they had side-by-side pictures of Misaki with her mask off and on, trying to prove it was her.

"T-that..." Misaki gasped and gripped her chest as her breathing turned rapid and ears rang. Crap. No...

"Misa?" Ren quickly set her bunny in her lap and knelt down in front of her. "Slow your breathing, Misa, and focus on me." He gripped her hands tightly.

She looked into his eyes, and he held her gaze. Calm down, please. Ha...

"That's it, Misa; just focus on me. My deep brown eyes. My strong, sharp jawline and high cheekbones."

Her eyes searched his face, lingering on his lips. That's not helping! Her heart rate spiked higher.

"Are you trying to get her to focus, or are you complimenting yourself?" Shun complained.

"My bedhead right now."

"Your hair isn't messy," she mumbled, her breathing slowing. "Sorry..."

"I'm the one who's sorry," Shun said. "I shouldn't have thrown it at you like that."

She shook her head. "No, I needed to see what was going on, but I panicked too much. How... Who? Aki shouldn't have access to spread something like this right now."

"Daichi said it seems to have originated from an account called: Starlight Whispers."

Where have I heard that name before? Misaki frowned. It feels so familiar. "Does that mean I need to go there, too?" I'd rather stay away from 'those' people.

"No. I'll be honest... he said they were asking for you to join in the discussion, but Daichi refused and went on a rant about how they handled the Aki scandal last time. At least, that's what he says," Shun said, scrolling through the pictures more himself.

"It's Daichi, so I believe it." Ren nodded. "Especially if he's angry; you know how he gets."

"You know that side of him better."

"I... You know what, you're probably right. I suppose I can be a troublemaker, but I think that helped build him into the excellent manager he is today."

Misaki giggled, hugging her bunny. "I suppose that's one way to help him grow." I can only imagine the headaches Ren may have caused in the past. I guess I'll be the headache for him this time, even if he isn't my manager...

"Let's hurry up and eat; Daichi will be here to pick us up in no time." Shun left, still scrolling on his phone.

"Oh!" Misaki gasped as Ren pulled her into a hug and kissed the top of her head.

"Please don't let this change your mind about working with us."

"Of course not, but who knows what Eclipse will say?"