SHURYU: More than Rivals?

A GRAVITATION FANFICTION

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Gravitation, its plot elements, or characters. They all belong to the wonderful Maki Murakami and I am only borrowing them. No infringement is intended.

WARNING: This, like almost everything else related to the Gravitation series is boy's love. If you have a problem with BL or anything dealing with same gender relationships, I strongly recommend and request that you don't read. Any "damage" which may result from your reading of this, is now not my problem.

Also, this story contains swearing and adult themes (mentions of abuse/ acts of questionable natures), so if for any reasons these things bother you or act as trigger topics, I also advise not reading this story.

A/N: When I first started this story, it was a little after volume 12 of the manga was released. Elements of this story were inspired by Ryuichi's actions during certain chapters in volumes 11 and 12 (the song battle). As I continued writing, I was able to read some of the Gravitation Remix Doujinshi (see end of volume 6 for Ryu's scary face), and the beginnings of Graviation EX. I have always been fascinated by the duality of Ryuichi's personality and wanted to write a story focusing on that. This is the result.

"Shuichi! Shuichikun!" Click clack, click clack. Space. Bang! Click clack, click clack.

"Shuichi! Kumachan's really cold out here! (Pound! Pound!) C'mon, open up! (Bang!) Please?"

Click clack, click clack. Enter. (This time faster) Unidentified sound from outside…

Click clack, click clack. Nothing.

Now there was nothing but the sound of long, thin fingers hitting the miniaturized keys of a grey laptop and the ever even tempo of a common hanging wall clock.

Ah, finally. Semi-silence, a beautiful anti-sound of the Ryuichi Sakuma-free variety…

Click, clack, click- "Shuichi!"

Slam! With that, the famous romance author, Eiri Yuki, finally snapped after nearly an hour's worth of audio abuse.

After seriously contemplating whether or not to continually bang his head on the rounded corner of his desk, he sighed loudly, and Yuki saved his work. Come to think of it, where the hell was the damn brat, he wondered as got up from his comfortable leather seat and started towards the door.

"Shuichi! Where're you? (Sniffle) Do you hate me, now, Shuichi? (Sob!)"

Passing the designated living room- like area, Yuki looked in to have his suspicions confirmed.

He really isn't here. They must have made him stay late at work, the thought of the his younger lover actually working bringing a small snicker from his lips and a shake of the head as he finally made it closer to the front door.

Stepping easily into leather loafers, he slowly opened the aluminum door to be greeted by what seemed to be a teary eyed brown-haired boy holding on to a pink stuffed rabbit, oblivious to the fact that someone had finally opened the door.

"Shuichi (Sob!) Do you hate me, Shuichi?! Did I do—you're not Shuichi."

No shit. Repressing the strong urge to smother the brunette with his stuffed rabbit, Yuki calmly answered, "No I'm not. Now, why are you banging on my door?"

After a moment of seemingly intense contemplation, the brunet happily answered.

"I wanted to see Shuichi." He nodded as to affirm his statement. He then held up the rabbit under the arms and all but shoving the plush form into the author's pale face. "Kumachan too!"

Yuki could do little but stare at the wiggling pink thing in front of him and then the childish man behind it. Ryuichi Sakuma. And people actually idolize this idiot?

SLAM!

He was in no mood for Sakuma's stupidity. He had enough of it in his life already. Let Tohma deal with the moron as he was surprisingly good at it.

And speaking of mentally challenged pop icons, the damn brat could have called, especially if he knew his doppelganger would be stopping by for a friendly visit. At almost midnight…

Shaking his by now pounding skull at their antics, he trudged back towards his office and tried his best to ignore the idiot outside his door.

Hic! Fabric shuffling. Sniffle.

What the hell? Don't tell me he somehow got inside. Passing the darkened living room and small bathroom, Yuki could swear he heard a series of sounded like someone's choked sobs from deep within the small hallway closet. Carefully, he opened the door.

"Yuki…" There, sitting crumpled on the floor of his closet sat his lover, Shuichi Shindo with his eyes red, face messy, and with his arms wrapped around himself. "Yuki, I…"

"What are you doing in my closet?" Yuki asked with no small amount of annoyance in his voice.

"They….I mean…(racking sob) YUKI!" the pink haired singer attached himself to Yuki's waist in a blink of an eye. The writer just stared down at the younger man and sighed. There was going to be no peace until this was dealt with. And as much as the blonde hated to admit it, he did not actually like seeing his lover cry like this.

"Alright, alright, what happened?"

It took almost an hour, and three fingers of scotch on Yuki's part, for Shuichi to finally calm down enough to explain what was on his mind. Between all the side comments and sniffles, it took another twenty minutes for Shuichi's rambling to start making any sense. In a way Yuki was glad he suggested they move their conversation to the couch.

"And then, K said that I'd be good publicity…" Shuichi continued, crossing his arms and looking up at the blonde, who stared down at him impassively.

"But I don't want to!" he gesticulated, his arms going wild.

"So let me get this straight," Yuki said, blowing a puff of smoke from his cigarette and shoving one of the vocalist's arms away from his face. "NG wants Bad Luck to do a joint movie with Nittle Grasper, but you don't want to because…?"

"Because Sakuma-san will be there!"

"So? I thought you liked him. Wasn't he your idol? I would've thought you'd jump at the chance to do a movie with him."

"He was, but…" Shuichi closed his eyes tightly and leaned his head against Yuki's thigh, while trying to force away the headache which had formed from his crying. "I just can't…"

A long moment passed though the house as the two collected their thoughts and seeped in their emotions. For Yuki it was annoyance, which still lingered from earlier. After several long minutes of stewing, Yuki had enough.

"Why the hell not? You've given me nothing but grief since I met you, you know that?" Yuki rubbed a hand over his face tiredly. "I don't know what else to tell you; either do it and be done with it or don't do it and shut up."

The blonde quickly got up in a huff, ignoring the fact that Shuichi had nearly fallen off the couch, and went back into his office. He made sure to slam the door.

It was quite for quite a while after that, save for the distant click clack of Yuki's keyboard.

Curled up, Shuichi thought about what the other man had said.

"You don't understand, Yuki." He mumbled, falling into what would most likely be a troubled slumber.

"I just can't be near him anymore… not after today…"

TO BE CONTINUED