Chapter 41

Ren took a deep breath as he paced around backstage, waiting for their start time. "Man, my heart feels like it's going to explode out of my chest, and my ears are ringing. I don't think I've ever been this nervous before."

Shun frowned. "I agree; I don't think I've ever seen you this overwhelmed. Not even when we first started out. You're going to be able to perform, right? Don't have a panic attack or collapse on me now. Not after everything we've been through."

"No way, that's not going to happen... but what if she doesn't show?"

"She will. Not only does she miss you, but Emi's with her; there's no way that girl would hide idly by while her sister flaked on you. She'd probably drag her here if she had to, and you know she texted when they arrived."

"Right... But what if she runs away before it starts? Or worse, during it? That would be a pretty big rejection considering our plans."

"Then you keep going, because we're professionals, and our fans are here to see us perform. We can't let them down."

"Right, of course." Ren took another deep breath, his nerves finally calming a bit. "For the fans. Let's just hope Misa is one of them. Think they're in their seats yet, then? Should I peek?"

"No, don't peek. We're going on soon, so you'll see her then."

Ren nodded and wiped sweat off his forehead.

Shun threw a towel at him. "We're not even dancing yet and you're sweating..."

"I can't help it!" He ran his hand through his hair.

Shun tapped his hand. "Don't mess up your hair and makeup before we're even out there."

"Yeah, yeah..."

Daichi approached them. "Are you two ready? It's almost time to start."

"Ready as we'll ever be." Ren sighed.

Ren and Shun stood back-to-back on stage in their military-like costumes as their upbeat music played and the curtains opened. A spotlight shone down as vibrations from the music pulsed through them.

Screams erupted in the crowd as they stood, waving their hands and glow sticks around in excitement. Some even yelled about how much they loved the brothers.

Ren's eyes went straight to Misaki in the middle, in the dress he sent her, but with a mask on.

She came.

Part of the weight on his chest lifted.

He took a deep breath, and they sang one of their old songs, 'Run Together,' as they danced.

The crowd sang along with them as they waved their glow sticks to the beat.

Ren hit every note and beat perfectly alongside Shun, despite his eyes always trailing over to Misaki.

When the song ended, the crowd cheered, and the brothers bowed to them.

"Hello, all our lovely fans, and thank you for joining us for this extremely special concert. Not only will there be new songs, but I have a message to send out to someone special, near and dear to my heart." His eyes stayed on Misaki as he winked and brought his finger to his lips.

The crowd erupted again, even louder, as they fantasized about being the one he had a message for.

"Please, my precious fans, stick around for the whole thing, and accept what I want by giving me the encouragement I need."

Even amid the fans' confusion, they chanted 'Ren'.

"For now, let's hop into our next song," Shun said, and their upbeat music played.

Misaki held her hand over her heart as it thumped hard. He's talking about me... He's going to do something publicly. She glanced around at the guards, then at Emi beside her. I'm not sure I could run... but do I even want to?

"Don't you dare even think of it now." Emi narrowed her eyes and hooked her arm around Misaki's. "You're staying here with me."

"I didn't say anything."

"You didn't have to."

The next song started up, and Emi went wild alongside the crowd.

Ren... Misaki's eyes stayed glued to him as he danced and sang. It didn't escape her notice that his eyes locked with hers more than once. What are you up to? She swallowed hard.

After a short break three quarters through the concert, the curtains opened to reveal a grand piano in the middle with Ren sitting at it. Nearby, Shun stood with his violin.

Ren played a few keys. "I'm sure a lot of you know about the rumours about our recent collaborator, Misaki Minase, and me."

Misaki's heart skipped a beat. Oh no, it's coming.

"Some of the rumours were true, and others outright lies." He played a few keys. "Do you guys want to know the honest truth?"

"Yes!" the crowd screamed. "Tell us!" they chanted, waving their glow sticks around.

Ren smirked and played a few more keys. "The truth is..." He cleared his throat, his fingers trembling. "I'm in love with her. I know it might not be what everyone wants, but the heart wants what the heart wants, and mine wants her."

A mixture of excited screams, encouraging chants, and people crying rang through the stadium.

Misaki froze, worried that people in the crowd might notice her, even though she still had a mask on. He actually said it... in front of thousands of people...

"I hope all of my lovely fans will root for me as I attempt to woo the woman of my dreams, and the inspiration for this next song."

Shun took that as his cue and softly started to play his violin. Ren slowly played a few keys and picked up the pace as he sang, his voice smooth yet passionate.

About love. About yearning. And about the way Misaki makes him feel. How he'd light up when she's near and miss her as soon as she left.

The crowd swayed in unison, with tears in their eyes as they listened to his new song.

Misaki watched Ren carefully as the world around her faded into the background, goosebumps trailing up her arms as emotions threatened to overwhelm her.

This... almost feels like an answer to my song. He snuck a peek at it before, but I never showed him the full thing. Shun saw it, though...

Her heart rate spiked, and she gasped.

This means he knows how I feel, doesn't it?

"Oh my gosh! This is so sweet!" Emi sniffled and wiped her tears.

Ren played the last key of the song and sighed, turning to the crowd, his eyes on Misaki. "I know it's not easy being in the spotlight, and being with me will drag you there, but I believe you still belong in the spotlight alongside me. You're an amazing singer and dancer, as our fans have recently seen with the video that went viral."

Wait, what? Misaki's eyes widened, and she glanced at Emi.

"Wasn't me, promise." Emi gave her a heart sign with her thumb and finger. "It went out on the official Hayase account and blew up. I would've mentioned it, but I thought it might be too heavy."

Everyone saw that?! Her shoulders tensed, and she took a deep breath.

"I'll be honest, Misaki is here," Ren said.

Her eyes widened as she froze.

"And with some encouragement from the many fans who love her, I'm sure she'll grace us with a live performance of our song."

A few fans cried out in complaint, but they were quickly drowned out by the crowd chanting 'Misa'.

Ren walked to the end of the stage, his eyes on her as the guards moved the portable stairs to be in front of him. "What do you say, Misa? Will you dance with me?" He descended the stairs and held his hand out to her over the barrier.

The crowd around them gasped, their gazes turning to her.

He... wants me to sing and dance... in front of a crowd? How? He knows I can't.

"Go for it," Emi whispered from the side. "The brothers are with you; it'll be fine. Everything but them will vanish like it did that day."

Fans nearby screamed about being so close to both Misaki and Ren.

Ren stared into her eyes unwaveringly. "People still love you, Misa; especially me. Let's give them a performance they'll never forget."