Title: Counter Attack
Fandom: High School Star Musical (Starmyu)
Rating: PG
Length: 528 Words
Content Notes: No warnings.
Author Notes: Takes place during Episode 8.
Summary: There's no denying that everything in Team Tsukigami fell to pieces following Otori's abrupt departure, and now that everything has returned to a sense of normalcy, the bastard returns to destroy everything they've worked so hard to rebuild.

Not on Akatsuki Kyouji's watch.

"No matter how hard you work towards and strive for the top, someone will always take the easy way up."

Otori Itsuki is one such person. He won't deny that only passion and raw talent pushed him through the grueling musical department's tests and performances. However, no clear answer will be provided if asked about his abrupt departure from the program; only his teacher, Tsukigami Haruto, and his unfortunate teammates know the reason why. Now that he's part of the distinguished Kao Council despite such an oversight, life truly has been handed to him on a silver platter…never mind the people trampled underfoot.

Akatsuki Kyouji is one such person. He'll deny that passion and raw talent alone are enough to succeed in the musical department at Ayanagi Academy, but he knows all too well how wrong he is. After years of struggling with his own abilities and finances, seeing someone so carefree and lax about their work surpass him with flying colors is devastating. It's difficult not to be anything but envious when that bastard also happens to be the center of your unrequited crush's attention.

"What are you to him?" asks Otori with a smile so sympathetic that Akatsuki's insides collapse.

"I'm everything you aren't to him," he thinks with a visible grimace. "A zero, nothing. Hiragi-sama would sooner destroy an entire nation for your sake than grant me a simple request."

Yet Otori takes his brother's relationship for granted and continues to torment him by putting on ridiculous displays of bravado with a team of untalented, energetic brats.

It's all a farce.

"Stop tormenting Hiragi-sama," he says simply after, narrowing his dark eyes in Otori's direction. "He's bent over backwards to support you just because you're his brother. You throw even that courtesy in his face each time your…team performs."

There's no change in the other man's expression, still calm and tired. He sighs and runs a hard through his hair before offering, "Why don't we get some tea together or a bite to eat? We could talk it over then."

Akatsuki's eyes widen a little. "Is he serious?"

"We're both tired, ne? It's been a long day."

"Only because of you…" growls the redhead, quickly losing what precious patience remains to him. "It'll be a cold day in hell when we sit down to eat together as friends."

Otori shakes his head and turns on his heels to leave. "At least I tried to make peace…"

What Akatsuki doesn't scream at the man as he's leaving is that they used to sit and eat in such a manner not too long ago, but Otori ruined all of that. Now, thanks to his 'revolution,' things are in danger of falling to pieces once more; everything that he and the rest of the Kao Council strive to build will be toppled effortlessly once again by Hiragi's obstinate brother.

Akatsuki's entire world trembles again with the threat of annihilation.

Spinning on his own heels, he briskly strides back into the school and towards the council room with renewed urgency.

"If it's a revolution he wants," he says to himself, "then it's a revolution the bastard gets."