Title: EVERYBODY’S GOT SOMETHING TO HIDE EXCEPT ME AND MY HONEYStarring: Yamashita Tomohisa and Inoue Mao and A LOT of other famous people
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Love/comedy
Disclaimer: No I don’t own Yamapi (though I wish and pray hard I do) or Mao. I am not whatsoever affiliated with JE either. It’s fiction. Look it up in the dictionary.
Chapters: ?
CHAPTER 11 (PART I)Yamapi came to Johnny hung over, and in an extremely unpleasant mood. It’s the first time in so long that he woke up without a smile on his face. Johnny was expecting him and as Yamapi entered his office, he beckoned him to take a seat. But Yamapi didn’t bother.
“I have good news and bad news for you Johnny-san. I’ll get straight to the point. Good news, we broke up. Bad news, I’m not doing the drama with her anymore. You’ll just have to replace me with someone else because being around her again will make me want to abduct her and never take her back. News is going to tour for awhile around Japan as soon as possible. This is to keep myself busy and preoccupied otherwise I might kill myself. Ja ne, and thank you so much for the good advice you gave me.” the last bit was a sarcastic one, and without delay, he bowed and left the office before he starts choking his creator.
Johnny was left quite bewildered and stunned. But he figured the break-up didn’t go well, and the kid was restraining himself from making an outburst in front of him. And he was right, the break-up didn’t go well. Yamapi came home severely drunk the previous night and caused chaos in front of Takki, News, and Akanishi. His friends had to carry him home and it didn’t end there—he trashed the kitchen looking for more alcohol, locked himself in the bathroom while throwing up, and then taking a bath with all his clothes still on. He was rather violent when his friends tried to control him, and at one point, even pushed Takki, his father figure. Yamapi was on the verge of insanity, and he didn’t know quite what to do next, it was as if he couldn’t function—he wasn’t himself at all and his members are extremely worried.
“Are you sure you can do well?” Ryo had asked him.
“I’m a pro.” was all Yamapi could answer.
And he was. But being one doesn’t necessarily mean being prone to post-breakup syndrome. He was crankier, meaner, more aloof, and strangely, became more sarcastic, which used to be Ryo’s specialty only. Yamapi decided to busy himself with work, instead of sulking in his house with Akanishi, staring at Mao’s pictures in his phone. He agreed to have a mini tour with news all over the country promoting, performing, and holding fan meetings. He thought it would be a way to get her off his mind, but no matter how hard he concentrated, her face keeps popping out in his head every 5 seconds. This was what drove him crazy. He decided not to go back to school too, not until he is able to muster the strength to move one. Though he wanted to forget her, he didn’t erase anything associated with her from his life. Like their pictures in his phone (which were mostly of them kissing), their Print Club photo sticker, her valentine letter, or the receipt from their first date. It never crossed his mind to throw all those away, not even once. Mao, unbeknownst to Yamapi, is doing just as horribly as he was. She stayed in bed the whole time in her bathrobe, doing nothing except eat ice cream and watch re-runs of animes. She missed school, and ignored the tons of calls and messages from her friends, including Koichi. She did not talk to anyone at all, not even Hug-chan. One time, she was surfing through the channels on TV, and caught accidentally landed on one where News’ Hoshi wo Mezashite music video was playing, and it was just in time for Yamapi’s solo part. Before she even knew it, she reduced to tears. The days following their tragic breakup were harder than anyone can imagine. It was only a few couple of days, but for the both of them, they were excruciating and torture, that felt as if it would last and linger for a long time. Yamapi stirred great worry by demonstrating odd behaviors. Each day he would have a different attitude, which would change into something else the following day. It scared his friends to death.
Behavior 1: Emo Yamapi
Yamapi sits in a corner, head hung low, listening to his iPod. Tego comes over and tried to make small talk to see if he was still alive.
TEGO: What’re you listening to?
PI: Michael Jackson
TEGO: Eh? What song?
PI: She’s out of my life.
TEGO: Oh I see. Is it nice?
PI: [death glare] No, it’s not. It’s an utterly depressing song that talks about a girl leaving him with nothing, making him feel he’s been cut by a knife. He let her slip away from his hands and now the way that it stands she’s out of his life. So no, Tego, it’s not nice. Leave me alone.
Behavior 2: Mean Yamapi
SHIGE: Is it okay for you to tour like this?
PI: Like what?
SHIGE: You’re not the way, you know, you used to be.
PI: Well you’re not the way you used to be either. You’re uglier now.
KOYAMA: Pi! That was a bit too much.
PI: Sure, take his side, you always do because you two stick together all the time. Why don’t you two just get married.
RYO: We’re just concerned for you, dude.
PI: Yeah, sure. Be quiet and go back to your other group.
Behavior 3: Fanboy Yamapi
PI: I’m going out.
JIN: Where?
PI: I’m buying something.
JIN: Can you buy me root beer?
PI: No.
JIN: What’re you buying?
PI: Hana Yori Dango DVD set.
JIN: Heh? @_@
PI: You better be out of the living room when I get back, I’m having a DVD marathon.
As Yamapi continued to portray different shades of personalities, Mao remained indoors, on the brink of turning into a hermit. After her daily routine of watching anime re-runs in the early hours of morning, someone knocked on the door. Her heart pounded for some reason and she half-hoped it was Yamapi. She sprinted to the door to see who it was. It was Koichi, to her surprise.
“Koichi-kun.” she said, embarrassed and surprised at the same time.
He looked at her as if he hasn’t seen her in years.
“Sorry for this sudden visit. You weren’t answering your phone, so I was a bit worried.” he said.
She let him in, even though the whole house looked like a catastrophic mess.
“Gomen ne. I’ve been… busy.” she lied. But she knew Koichi was too smart to buy that.
He saw all the tissues and tissue boxes on the floor and all over the couch, and there was even an empty ice cream box too, and everyone knew ice cream was the universal comfort/breakup food. He looked at her worn out and sleepless face and he knew right away.
“You and Yamashita-san…”
“Yeah, we did.” she cut him off, smiling awkwardly.
He nodded sympathetically.
“Sorry. Do you…want to talk about it?” he asked.
That was the last thing she wanted to do.
“No, no it’s fine. I’ll get by.” she said optimistically.
“You need cheering up.” he smiled, taking something out of his bag. He reached for a big envelope and handed it to her.
“What’s this?” she asked, opening it.
“Your pictures. They came out so good, I thought I’d let you see them.”
They were good indeed. Mao hasn’t seen such beautiful pictures of her like that before, not even in her photobooks. She was thoroughly impressed, especially by the photo of her where she was against the sunlight, turning her head towards the camera.
“These are seriously good. You’re very skilled.” she told him, awestruck at each of the photos.
“My teacher gave me the highest remark in class for them.”
“Really? That’s awesome.” she said, and handed them back to him.
“No, they’re yours.”
“Oh. Thanks. I hope I could hire you for my next photobook.”
They sat at the dining table, where there were less crumpled up tissues.
“Mao-chan. I know you’re not the type who would share your sadness to people. You’re the kind who doesn’t display your emotional side, so as not to affect anyone else. You hide it, thinking that the pain would go away faster, but I’ve been there, and it doesn’t work that way.”
He had a point. Everything that ever came out of Koichi’s mouth made perfectly good sense, and she knows it. She laughed quietly, the way she always did when she’s embarrassed, amused or uncomfortable.
“You seem to know me more than I know myself.” she chuckled.
“You need to get away. From here. Take a vacation somewhere.”
“Really? You think so?”
“Yeah.”
“Ooh that’s a good idea. I’d like that. I’m tired of crying. Sooner or later I’m going to have to get out.”
“Exactly.”
“Where should we go?”
We, Koichi thought.
“W-wait, I’m coming too?”
Mao grinned warmly. She’s been severely lonely for the past few days, a little company could cheer her up.
“Yeah, the two of us. Unless, you don’t want to.”
“No, no. I’d like to.”
Koichi felt ecstatic about the idea, but he knew he had no shot at her. Even though she might never be with him, he would still be there, to accompany her and just be a friend.
“Where should we go then?” he asked.
“Anywhere but Kyoto.” she mumbled.
“Okinawa then?”
“No, not Okinawa either.”
“Osaka?”
“Osaka sounds good. We can do a photobook shoot there, ne?”
“Yeah, we could. Let’s go to Osaka then.”
“What about school?”
“I think it’s okay, if the excuse is important.”
They laughed together, and it was then that she realized she hasn’t laughed in a long time. Maybe this trip could help her move on. Maybe Koichi’s company could too. Maybe.
“What do you mean, I can’t quit? They told me at the last minute, I don’t see why my last minute back out is unacceptable.” Yamapi argued on the phone with his manager.
“You already signed a contract. You can’t back out now. You will just have to continue with the drama.”
“But I can’t. I can’t stand the girl I’m working with.”
“Then don’t talk to her unless it’s a scene. f it’s not As long as it’s not Erika Sawajiri you’re working with, then you’re fine.”
“You don’t understand. I just can’t work with her.”
“You are a professional. Please find a way to deal with this.”
His manager hung up on him which caused him to get into a scary hissy fit. He can already picture it: a scene with Mao, where he messes up his lines from staring at her too much, or in a kissing scene, where he turned it into an X-rated one because he can’t control himself, or the breaks between takes where they don’t talk at all, and just stand there awkwardly, avoiding each other’s eyes. It would drive him completely nuts.
TEGO: Shige, call Pi, we’re about to leave.
SHIGE: Why me? He’ll yell at me again.
TEGO: You’re the underdog here. Do it.
SHIGE: No.
TEGO: We’re going to be late for the tour damn it.
SHIGE: Let Ryo do it. Ryo eats babies for breakfast, Ryo makes grown men cry, let him do it.
RYO: Pi-chan! Let’s go, the bus is waiting!
Yamapi cringed.
“Don’t call me that!” he snapped.
They began their journey full of hope—the other 5 members of News hoping Yamapi doesn’t kill them off one by one, and Yamapi hoping he can get rid of his feelings for her the way he did for his past girlfriends. Massu turned on the TV in their tour bus, and surprise, surprise, a music video greeted them—Oda Kazumasa’s Kokoro, where Mao portrays a bride. Ryo immediately threw his cap at Massu, signaling him to turn it off, which Massu understood immediately. Everyone got uncomfortably quiet for a moment, wondering when Yamapi will cause havoc. Surprisingly, he didn’t. He acted all cool and passive, convincing himself not to be affected anymore.
“Are you all set?” Koichi asked.
“Yep, let’s go.” Mao said, carrying a bag.
They exited the building, and went on their own journey. Not long ago she went on a roadtrip, but it was to a different place, and with a totally different person. If Koichi did all this effort to help her, the she would do her part as well, and do her best to be happy again.
