Gaku woke up to the sound of the jangling keys. "Tenn!" He threw himself off of a couch, forcing his eyes open. "It's 4 AM. The hell? Where have you been?!"

"What are you, my mother?" Tenn sighed. It had been a long night. He didn't have the time and energy to deal with any more tiring stuff.

"I was worried, you ungrateful brat!" Gaku forcefully grabbed Tenn's left arm, causing the younger boy to wince in pain. The leader's angry expression changed almost immediately. "Tenn, what's wrong?" Concerned, he pulled Tenn's sleeve up, almost ripping the thin cloth. He went wide-eyed when he saw the bruise on Tenn's arm. "What the f—?! Damn that Kujou!" Tenn opened his mouth to object, but Gaku quickly jumped to a conclusion. "I knew I should have gone with you."

Tenn was annoyed that Gaku did not leave him any chance to explain. "Stop. STOP!," he shouted while hard-dropping his heel on Gaku's foot.

"OW! What was that for?"

"Won't you listen to me for a second?" Tenn glared. He appeared angry for a second before tears started rolling down his face. The young boy lifted his shaky hands to pull Gaku's loungewear. Burying his face in Gaku's shirt, he cried out.

"Tenn..." All of the anger in Gaku's heart was washed away and replaced by sympathy.

"That boy is *sob* suffering, but I can't do anything!" Tenn shouted while very lightly hitting Gaku with his fist. A part of him was angry that Riku refused to let him help. Another part of him regretted that he didn't try harder to help the poor boy, especially when he knew Riku simply did not want him to get into trouble for his sake. "He isn't hurting because he can't feel. He's hurting because he feels too much."

The only thing Gaku could do that night was pulled Tenn into a tight embrace, hoping it would somehow soothe at least a bit of his pain.

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

Kujou Riku's popularity kept climbing three weeks after the incident at Zero Arena. With his emotions suppressed and conflicts dismissed, he stopped having sudden attacks. Most clients were happy with his outstanding performance. Even better, his vocals were more stable while holding live concerts.

Nemesis. The boy looked up at one of the large billboards one night. IDOLiSH6's Nikaido Yamato got the lead role in that movie for his great ability to express emotions, the exact opposite of Kujou Riku. Emotions were indeed Riku's nemesis. He didn't need them. He didn't want them. Not when they only caused more and more trouble for him and the people he cared about.

While Riku was not involved in the filming of Nemesis, he, plus TRIGGER, got an outdoor photoshoot at the same location. The redhead greeted TRIGGER formally out of courtesy when they met. He did not have any reason to interact with them, so he only earned a fierce glare from Gaku whenever they saw each other.

On the other hand, Tenn watched Riku's every move during the photoshoot. He watched as his empty husk of a brother gained a soul only from the instructions of the director. The fans might like that 'cool' image of Riku. Tch. If only Tenn could tell them that coolness was the lack of personality. Wait, Riku still possessed a personality. That boy couldn't feel, but he was always playing the part of an innocent boy. Maybe all hope was not lost.

During one of the breaks, Tenn paid a surprise visit to Riku at his prep area.

"Nanase-san." With an empty gaze, Riku stared at Tenn. He didn't mind his brother's presence, but he didn't exactly welcome it either. Especially when he knew his brother was more than capable of touching his heart.

"Listen, Riku." Tenn returned a serious look. He wanted another try. He wished to reach the Riku he knew one more time. "I want you to be free."

Riku didn't react, but several thoughts attacked him on the inside. Free? What does that even mean? Does Tenn-nii want me to stop following his father's orders? So Tenn-nii wants me to quit being an idol?

"I won't ever stop singing and dancing, Tenn-nii," argued Riku. Struggling to keep his irritation in check, his voice shook. 

"You don't need to follow his orders anymore. He broke the promise!" Tenn grabbed his brother's shoulders and shook them, praying Riku would come to his senses.

"At least he gave me a life!" Riku shouted, directing his eyes full of anger and pain at the angelic idol. Clearly, that tiny bit of frustration combined with the feelings he had been forcing shut burned him. The boy shook himself off of Tenn's grip. He didn't want to see those pink, widened eyes. He didn't want to see that hurt expression any longer. Get it together, Riku. The solo idol knew he had to get away from Tenn as soon as possible if he wanted to return to the state of nothingness. "I need to go, Nanase-san." And so he left, leaving Tenn alone in the prep area.

"No, I wasn't trying to..." Tenn's knees felt so weak that he had to sit down. He was only trying to save his sweet boy, yet he messed up again. Looking up at the sky, quietly, he questioned fate.

"Were we born twins only to be torn apart?"

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

"Father?"

Riku returned home one day to find Kujou Takamasa relaxing on the couch, watching the record of Riku's live performance, which took place today. With that grin of his, he seemed pleased. As if Riku knew exactly what to do, he sat on another couch, directly opposite Takamasa. The father pushed a plain white box on the low table towards Riku. "Here, a souvenir."

Riku opened it to find a strawberry shortcake inside. Acting on auto mode, he grabbed a plastic fork right next to his hand and began eating his gift.

"You've done me proud, son." Takamasa's attention went back to the TV screen. It was showing the end of Riku's performance. The redhead stood there for a moment to catch his breath before saying 'thank you for coming'. Riku stared off into the distance as if his fans below the stage did not exist. He bowed, then exited the stage without saying anything more. "They can't touch you, Riku. You're their golden crown. Something they desire but will never obtain." Satisfied, Takamasa turned off the TV and decided to chat with his son. "How's the cake, Riku?"

"Sweet." Riku couldn't describe it in any other way, even if he wanted to.

"Good."

The thoughts inside Riku's head wouldn't quiet down. Was it really acceptable for him to be so 'cold' towards his fans? Riku remembered how hard some of the girls tried to get his attention; they jumped, shouted his name, and said that they loved him. In return, he did not even wave to them. Somehow, it felt wrong. "Father..."

"What is it, son?"

"Forgive me, but I have a question." No, Riku wouldn't dare question his father's orders. Just that he wanted to understand them a little more.

"I'll allow it." Takamasa didn't seem bothered by Riku's curiosity.

"That night when you were about to take my brother. Why did you take me instead? I'm sickly and weak, unlike him." Riku looked away, avoiding eye contact with his father.

"Because it didn't matter, Riku. Both of you have potential, so as long as one of you becomes a legendary idol under my name, I'm satisfied." A smirk appeared on Takamasa's tired face. "Although, if it had been your brother that I took in, I might have used a different method."

Riku froze, holding his breath without knowing it. Different method? What did that mean? Did his father mean to say that he wouldn't make Tenn forget how to feel?

"It is late now, son. You'd better go to bed." Takamasa got up and left. Technically, it was his apartment, so he could come and go as he pleased. That was abrupt, though.

The closing of the door acted like Riku's mind switch. Hyperventilating, the boy covered his ears with his forearms, hoping it would silence his thoughts. Why though? Why did his father do this to him? Why him? For the first time in weeks, Riku let out a loud cry. It was unfair how much he had suffered for his now non-existent family. What was he supposed to do?

"I want you to be free."

Free? How? Riku's hands twitched from a rush of anger. It was easy for his brother to say something like that. Without being an idol, he would become a husk just as empty as he was now. There was no way out. Simple as that. He was born to be steered.

The boy raged until exhaustion got to him. Crying himself to sleep, he wished he could dream about the old happy days.

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

Busy, busy, busy! Iori had become busy in a way he never expected himself to be. Just like Kujou Riku's and TRIGGER's, IDOLiSH6's reputation was on the rise. With an important event like JIMA coming up soon, the boys could not afford even a single mistake, especially when they needed to win JIMA to gain entry to one of the biggest music competitions of the year: Black or White (BoW).

It seems Kujou-san has already been invited to compete at BoW. It wasn't unexpected, yet it was impressive for someone who debuted only months ago. But is he really alright? The last time they spoke was the night Tenn called Iori for help. Iori had tried sending messages and calling, but Riku never responded. It was only via TV or SNS that Iori heard anything about Riku. Unfortunately, they weren't all pleasant. Some of Riku's fans had started complaining about how cold Riku was to them. Kujou-san, I'm sure you know this, but an idol can't exist without their fans.

"Wonderful."

Iori snapped out of his thoughts when he saw a pale-skinned man approaching him and IDOLiSH6. Clapping, he smiled at their group. Not one of the studio staff, for sure. His attire, an expensive-looking suit and gloves, was way too proper for that. "I congratulate you for being selected to complete at JIMA."

"Thank you." Iori carefully observed the man as he walked away from the filming area. Definitely not someone he knew. It was strange for a random guy to drop a compliment then walk away. Perhaps he was someone big in the entertainment business who came to observe new idols? Anyway, the best I6 could do for now was to give the best show.

"Iori, are you ready?"

Iori looked up to find Mitsuki smiling at him. Right, they had a show to do. Returning a gentle smile, he nodded firmly.

Off to the stage they went, painting the world in rainbow colour with their song. It wasn't a live venue, but the boys imagined that they were in front of their fans, giving them their very best performance.

The show went by perfectly without any problems. Another success! Iori mentally celebrated. The boys got in a brand new van Tsumugi bought, ready to get back when Iori realised he had left something important behind. "Ah!"

"Iori-san?" Tsumugi jolted while showing off her new driving licence to the boys. "D-do you not trust me to drive you guys home?"

"No, no, manager. It's just-" Iori bowed lightly. "I'm sorry everyone, but I forgot my notebook." With that, Iori quickly made his way back to the locker room they were in earlier.

"Where is it? It should be somewhere around here... " Iori thoroughly checked the area. There was nothing on the benches or in the locker he used. He was starting to worry because that particular notebook contained a lot of sensitive information he had written down, including how to manage IDOLiSH6. Embarrassingly, it also contained some notes and research about his friend, Kujou Riku.

Then, he saw the figure of a tall man in one corner of the room. He recognised the man's face as he got closer: it was the guy who congratulated them earlier. To make matters worse, that man was holding a pink A5 notebook with a cute Usamimi Friends charm: the very notebook he was looking for! "That's-!"

The man turned around to find Iori's astonished face. "I see. So this is yours, IDOLiSH6 young centre." Grinning, the man continued flipping through the pages. "Stage lighting, group formations, practice routine improvements... so you manage this group along with that naive-looking girl, huh?" He locked eyes with Iori.

"Please give it back," Iori demanded in the most polite tone possible.

The man ignored him. He kept flipping the pages until he reached a blank page. Then, he gave Iori a fierce glare while closing the notebook with force. "Extensive research you've done there. I must say it's impressive that you managed to get this far." He handed the notebook back to Iori.

Such pressure. Iori gulped, feeling intimidated. The moment he tried to pull the notebook back, the man resisted.

"But you didn't stop at just that. You've been meddling in my methods and messing with my son. Aren't you a dangerous rat?"

The man let go of the notebook when he felt Iori was trying to tug it back. The boy recoiled. He felt weak. Strange. The man didn't even raise his voice, yet he felt like he was facing an unbeatable foe. Now that he knew the identity of the man before him, he felt a shiver down his spine.

"You are Kujou Takamasa..." The centre stood as tall as he could. He told himself to appear fearless. He'd been discovered, and now he had to face the consequences.

"Riku was curious enough to ask me about his past the other day, out of the blue. He never did before." Takamasa dropped his grin. "A while ago, he sang with your group with a smile on his face. Weeks ago, I received word that Tsukumo was threatened by a random stranger. It was all your doing, was it not?"

Iori remained silent.

"I take that as a yes." Takamasa grinned victoriously.

What should I do? Iori realised that he was trapped. No matter what answer he gave, Takamasa would have come to that conclusion on his own. He had now put himself, I6, and even Riku in a dangerous situation. The best strategy would probably be to get as much information as possible out of that man.

"Why go so far to make Kujou-san shut down his emotions?" Iori confronted the man head-on. "He's talented, and his vocal power is second to none."

"That boy is a monster."

A strong word, not that it made any sense to Iori. "What do you mean?" The boy actually did not expect Takamasa to answer at all. Still, he couldn't be any less vague.

"To control a monster, you need to chain it." The man didn't seem bothered by this whole conversation. "You've seen his smile, haven't you?"

Iori thought that anyone who'd seen Riku's smile would never forget it. It was beautiful, and because it was something natural and genuine. He remembered Riku's smile from Kimi to I6 Night. Just seeing it made his heart bloom.

"Well then, you have your notebook back." Takamasa touched Iori's shoulder. "You'd do well to worry about yourself first, not my son, Izumi Iori." He then walked away calmly, as if nothing had happened.

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

How was it? Was there enough popcorn for you all? Again, thanks for reading! Until next chapter~!

One quick chapter note: - Takamasa reading Iori's notebook happened in canon, can't remember when it was though, but yeah it's why I made them meet this way