My Crown: Reimagined [IDOLiSH7 Fanfiction]

12: My Nemesis

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?