Kujou Riku headed straight to his prep room along with Ryo the moment he exited the stage. They had to keep Riku's condition a secret after all. An oxygen bottle and necessary medications were placed neatly on the table, and Riku was longing for them. He wished for the tightness in his chest to ease up and for the pain from attempting to get enough air in his lungs to go away. While not being able to focus on what was going on around him, he saw his manager exiting the room, leaving only a medic tending to him.

Having a medic sitting next to him should be reassuring enough, Riku thought. Although a small part of him wished for Ryo to stay, at least until his breathing became more even. Riku was nothing more than a money-making tool to Ryo, and Riku himself knew that. The idol shouldn't have been hurt by it. In fact, he shouldn't have felt anything at all.

The bitter feeling soon faded once he could take fuller and deeper breaths. The medic examined him one last time to make sure he was alright. Once Riku was left alone, he directed his attention to the screen in front of him. "IDOLiSH6..."

The song "Perfection Gimmick" started a moment ago. So far, IDOLiSH6 was doing well. Even though their movements weren't sharp, the timing was perfect, and so their dance remained in sync throughout the whole song. Riku's hollowed eyes widened when the camera panned to the audience. Smiles. Joy. Happiness. The audience was having a great time, and Riku just couldn't comprehend it. IDOLiSH6's performance was more than mediocre, yet it didn't seem to be standing out. A frown appeared on Riku's face as he kept his gaze on the centre, Izumi Iori.

Why do people like IDOLiSH6?

———####################################————

"Tenn! Oi, Tenn!"

Gaku walked around the studio, searching for his missing centre. Ryuu was also worried. They realised after IDOLiSH6's performance that Tenn left early, but the fact that he never returned to the prep room was pretty unsettling. All TRIGGER members knew how harsh Tenn could be with himself after that mistake.

"*huff huff* I don't see him anywhere, Gaku." Ryuu regrouped with Gaku after searching another half of the studio. Gaku shook his head in response. He also had no luck.

"TRIGGER"

IDOLiSH6 happened to be making their way back to their prep room after their successful performance. Their celebratory mood was toned down by the serious expressions of the TRIGGER members. 

"Oh, is something wrong?" Nagi was the first to raise his concern.

"Have any of you seen Tenn?" Ryuu asked, not hiding his worried tone.

The members of IDOLiSH6 looked at each other's faces before giving TRIGGER a grim answer. Suddenly, Iori felt a tug on his stage clothes. "Let's help them search, Iorin." Tamaki made a suggestion, which Iori agreed on. Each IDOLiSH6 member split up to search inside and around the studio. TRIGGER members were grateful for the help, but it was too early to thank IDOLiSH6 just yet.

~~

"Nanase-san! Nanaaase-saaaan!"

Iori shouted Tenn's name while searching along the hallway of prep rooms. Luckily, most idols had performed and left this wing, so he didn't attract unnecessary attention.

"Lalala~"

As the high school boy was walking, a voice became clearer and clearer to him. It didn't take long for him to recognise the tune. Someone was singing, and it was IDOLiSH6's "Perfection Gimmick" no less. Iori let curiosity get the better of him by following that mysterious voice. Must be an idol's voice, Iori thought. The pitch was perfect. Not to mention, the voice was too beautiful for just about any person who hummed for fun.

The voice drew Iori to a certain room. The first thing he did was check the nameplate. To his surprise, the prep room belonged to Kujou Riku. How careless of the idol to have left the door open, even if it was just a tiny gap. Wanting to take a peek, Iori leaned forward. He tried to see through the small gap being offered to him. *Creak.*Oh no. Simply a light touch on the door ruined his plan completely. The singing stopped abruptly. Iori quickly straightened himself, thinking of a good excuse while the sounds of the footsteps grew louder.

Kujou Riku pulled his door inwards, revealing a seemingly-calm Iori. "Ah, It's you. IDOLiSH6-"

Iori remained composed despite his ongoing internal war. "*Ahem.* Izumi Iori, yes." He couldn't help examining the guy in front of him. Again, Riku seemed stoic as hell, showing no emotion whatsoever. To think this was the same guy who lit the fire on stage. Unbelievable. I have to be careful around this guy, Iori thought. Riku clearly declared he was not a fan of TRIGGER. There was even less chance of him being an IDOLiSH6's fan, so to be able to sing Perfection Gimmick perfectly after hearing it on TV was an impressive feat. Wait, there was another interesting rumour: Kujou Riku was said to be Nanase Tenn's brother. Was it true, or was Tsukumo Ryo just messing with everyone? Iori decided to take a chance. "Sorry to stop by so suddenly. Have you perhaps seen Nanase-san?"

"Tenn-nii? No. Is Tenn-nii not here?"

For the first time, Iori caught a worried tone in Riku's voice. The rumour about them being brothers was most likely true. Riku didn't seem to be trying to hide it, either. "I'm afraid he isn't," answered the younger boy.

"Was it my fault...?" Riku asked, and the question surprised Iori.

"What do you mean, Kujou-san?"

"Um, can we talk inside?"

He nodded and entered Riku's prep room. This was a good chance to get some information, but he could also be getting himself into a troubling situation. He started by observing the room with the corner of his eyes: a shoulder bag on the chair, clear zipper bags of what looked like pills and inhalers on the table. Other than those, there wasn't really anything eye-catching to him.

"So you and Nanase Tenn-san are brothers, correct?" Iori decided to get right to the point, thinking it was probably an important part of this discussion.

"Yes." Riku nodded. "We're fraternal twins, so we don't look alike."

"Hah?" Several questions remained. What exactly happened between these two?

"Um, so Tenn-nii and I, we..." Riku seemed to have a hard time finding the right words. "...met for the first time in years, and manager told me to say something to him."

Already, Iori didn't like the sound of where this was going.

"I couldn't think of anything, so I said I had nothing to say to Tenn-nii and it seemed to have upse-"

Iori let his mouth hang open. "You did what?" Forget composure; it wouldn't help deal with stupidity.

The normally stoic Riku was taken aback by Iori's sudden shout.

"Of course, anyone would be upset after hearing that! Are you an idiot?" Iori knew he himself possessed quite a sharp tongue, but if he were to be in that situation, he would-no, could never say something like that to his big brother, Mitsuki.

Riku blinked twice, not knowing how to reply. He saw Yaotome Gaku getting angry, and now Izumi Iori was showing a face full of disbelief. Ah, he really was the one at fault, except he truly had no idea why.

"Okay." Riku took a deep breath in. "I understand now that it's my fault, though I can't say that I know why."

"Do I need to spell it out for you?" Irritated by how obvious the situation was, Iori let out a big sigh. "You basically said that you don't want to talk to your brother. I don't know the history between you two, but judging from Nanase-san's reaction, you were close. Simply put, you hurt him, Kujou-san. You hurt him badly enough that he couldn't keep his focus on stage."

Iori didn't expect himself to be taken aback by Riku's lack of reaction at first. If Iori were a teacher, then Riku would be like a student who didn't understand his lecture. Now, he was the one at a loss for words.

"I can't understand." Tears started welling up in Riku's eyes. When he blinked, they began rolling down Riku's face. "I was trained to hide my emotions, but it looks like I can't hide what I don't have." Riku's breathing became wheezy. Sitting down, he turned his back to Iori.

Iori noticed that Riku was having trouble breathing. He wanted to help, but he was stopped by the struggling idol. "I'll be okay, Iori." Riku paused for a bit. "If you're looking for Tenn-nii, *huff* he might be around one of the bookstores in town."

The sight before him upset Iori more than he thought it would. The situation turned out to be very messy. Riku, who claimed to not possess any emotions, ended up sobbing by himself. The usually professional Tenn forgot his lyrics. It was probably a personal matter between the twins that he shouldn't have gotten involved in. Then again, he already was, and not that he was not the slightest bit curious. Iori grabbed a piece of paper, wrote down his number, and put it on Riku's table seconds before he left the room.

"I'm leaving my number here just in case, Kujou-san."

———####################################————

Moonlight. Ah, how Tenn wished he could shine confidently in them now that he threw himself down the drain of failure, pulling the rest of TRIGGER members along with him. How could he possibly face his teammates now after making such an embarrassing mistake?

Tenn wandered aimlessly like a lost soul around town. He hated himself for thinking about Riku even now. "Mom used to take us here." Sadness loomed over Tenn when he reminisced about the time he happily shared a slice of cake with his little brother inside the warm-looking cafe in front of him. He remembered how their mom would take them to the bookstore nearby afterwards, and Riku would be pointing at the books he wanted. Tenn often had to tell Riku to quiet down several times during their visit.

"I shouldn't even be here. I need to apologise to Gaku and Ryuu." He chuckled as he stood before the bookstore, full of pure nostalgia. "Ahaha. What am I doing here, causing them trouble and then running away?"

"Tenn!"

"Oi, Tenn!"

Tenn recognised a familiar voice from afar. "They found me." Tenn muttered under his breath. Strangely, he smiled as if finally someone had come to save him from the darkness he had been wandering all alone by himself. At last, he could return to the world of light once more.

"Can't believe Izumi-Otouto's right." Gaku ran towards Tenn, with Ryuu following right behind. "A bookstore, of all places. What ever are you doing here, Tenn?"

"Gaku..." Tenn felt weak just looking up at TRIGGER leader's worried expression. He wanted to grab hold of that white shirt, cry and let it all out.

Gaku pulled Tenn into a gentle hug, knowing how much the boy needed it. "Do you still want to cry, Tenn?" He wasn't going to tell Tenn off for making a mistake. Gaku and Ryuu both knew Tenn had taken quite a hard blow, and the best they could do was to let Tenn know they would stand with him no matter what.

Tenn chuckled lightly while trying his best not to cry. "Yea, but I won't. Your shirt will get all wet." He put on his tough act despite how cute he looked with those pink cheeks.

Ryuu stayed close by. Knowing how those two felt about each other, he kept quiet for a bit. Sometimes Ryuu felt like he was left out, but he supported them fully.

After getting that needed support, Tenn pulled away from Gaku's embrace. It was time for him to face reality and move forward once more. Tenn looked at Gaku... "Gaku." and Ryuu... "Ryuu." in the eye, then bowed deeply to his two friends. "I apologise. Because of me, of my personal problem, I got you tw-"

Ryuu was the first to give Tenn a gentle smile. "Enough of that, Tenn." He lightly squeezed Tenn's shoulder. "I have brothers too, so I know how hard it must be for you." Gaku nodded in agreement.

TRIGGER's centre felt thankful that he had such kind teammates. He didn't say it directly to them since it was kind of embarrassing. He would forever treasure this warmth in his heart, though. This was not the end, for as long as TRIGGER remained thriving in the entertainment business, he would have to face Kujou Riku again, sooner or later.

"Let's all go to the office. We've got our manager and my old man to deal with."

Tenn braced himself and followed his friends back to the studio. Hmm, but one thing remained a mystery. I do wonder how Izumi knew that I'd end up at the bookstore?

———####################################————

And I'm back with an update! Hope you lovely ppl are enjoying it so far. Until next time~! <3

 Some notes about this chapter:

- Tenn forgetting his to sing was basically twisted from part one where Iori forgot to sing in canon

- I wanted Riku to keep his innocent baby character so instead of making him a cold guy who followed his manager's order in My Crown, I wanted him to be the one upsetting Tenn without knowing why

- I made Tenn a big softie in My Crown. He's still a softer Tenn here, but less soft.