Disclaimer: I do not own Gravitation. It would be awesome for me if I did though wouldn't it?

Death Singer
Prologue

The young man froze, head cocked so that pink hair fell into the violet eyes gazing beyond the wall before him. He flowed to his feet, drawn by a silent siren call that echoed within his heart.

"So it's time."

Shuichi lowered his head and considered not answering the call. A sigh escaped. No, he could never do that. How could he exist knowing he had done something so heinous to his own lover? He had to hurry. The longer he waited the worse it would be… for both of them. The sheets of half formed lyrics were forgotten on the table behind him as he ran into the street, desperate to find his Yuki.

Street lights flashed by, dark buildings blurring as he sought the novelist that was his lover. The sound swelled and thrummed through his bones so hard it made his teeth ache. He was close by Shuichi could feel that, but it was too loud. He couldn't pin point the exact direction he had to go. It crashed over him in waves, a silent symphony. Shuichi closed his eyes, hands gripping his head as he tried to think. It was so difficult to think. Gravity had a sound; one that was heavy enough to drive anyone who could listen to the grave. The grave… that's it...Yuki! That was why he was there. Yuki was close by, but where?

Shuichi opened frantic eyes once more. He knew better than to let himself get caught up in the music, not on a job as important as this. Where was Yuki? He had to get to Yuki. A flash of golden red in the sky above caught the boy's attention and he tracked it with his eyes as it lit the dark alley way with a golden glow. He smiled in gratitude. Now he knew where to go. He hurried after the flaming tail that sparkled around corners leading him toward his goal. The dancing light ahead of him disappeared at the same instant the throbbing music died. Here. Yuki was here.

Shuichi's breath came in gasps and his side had a stitch that had started several blocks back. He didn't even notice the pain as he picked his way to his lover's side.

"Y-Yuki?" he whispered.

The blond was sprawled on the ground, his dark clothes rumpled beneath him. His wallet lay open and empty on the ground at his side. His chest rose and fell with each breath he took making a sucking sound. His golden eyes clouded, and blood dribbled from the corner of his mouth.

"Oh Yuki," Shuichi sighed as he sank down to cradle Yuki's head in his arms. Trembling fingers brushed golden locks away from a face as pale as death.

"Brat?"

"I'm here Yuki. Don't worry. It'll be okay," Shuichi soothed.

"No it won't. I'm dying," Yuki grouched, irritable even in the face of his own death. Shuichi gave a quiet laugh even as crystalline drops fell down his face.

"Yeah, you're dying, but that's what you've been wanting. I promise you, it'll be okay."

"You know."

"I've known. I wanted to make you as happy as I could before... I tried so hard to make you happy. I'm sorry."

"You did… you did make me happy." Yuki's words were thin and reedy, hampered by the sucking wound in his chest.

"It wasn't enough," Shuichi murmured, still carding his fingers through Yuki's hair.

"N-not your fault," a sharp gasp escaped his lips as he tried to breathe. His mouth moved without sound, then "I think the shock is wearing off- it's really starting to… to hurt."

"No it doesn't. I won't let it hurt you. I won't let anything hurt you anymore," Shuichi promised.

Yuki rolled his eyes toward Shuichi in a half hearted glare that Shuichi ignored. Shu let his head fall back as the music of his being flowed through his chest and out of his snow white throat.

The strain in Yuki's face eased, peace settling over him as the agonizing pain left his body. The music he sang onstage was nothing like this. This music was old and dark, shimmering through the air like black velvet that draped over the two of them, cutting out the rest of the world. Words that held no form, made no sense to the human mind fell from his lips. Beautiful tawny eyes slid closed as he listened to the music, humbled and awed by the incredible beauty of the sound his lover made.

Shuichi saw Yuki's eyes close. His song rose drawing wisps of light from Yuki's body. An ethereal glow flooded through the blonde's body. Shuichi's song grew soft once more when the glow completely enveloped Yuki's body. Shuichi dragged his hand through Yuki's chest; gentle fingers cradling a swirling silver mist and drawing it from the body on his lap. The body gave one last gasp and stilled. Shuichi laid Yuki's head back to rest upon the ground with a tenderness that the author's body would never feel.

Shuichi rose to his feet still cradling the soul within his hand. The soul pulsed until it started to expand into a human form that wavered. Then Yuki stood before him. He appeared just as he had in life, the same stunning jerk that greeted Shuichi every morning with a dismissive grunt. He wore the same black slacks and trench coat that he'd left the house in that afternoon, the same navy shirt, and his shades were propped on top of his head.

Yuki stared down at his body.

"Fuck."

"Yuki?"

"I'm really fucking dead aren't I?"

"Yes," Shuichi said in a soft voice. Nervous fingers plucked at the hem of an orange shirt. He hadn't bothered to put on any shoes or grab a jacket when he had felt Yuki's injury; he'd left as he was with just his favorite cargo shorts and t-shirt. At least he had socks as he stood there next to the corpse of his lover.

"Well now what Brat?"

"Hey! You can't keep calling me Brat. I'm your psychopomp, show a little respect will you?"

"I didn't respect you before, what makes you think I'm going to respect you now?" Yuki fished around in his pockets. A pack of cigarettes and a lighter were the reward of his efforts. He pulled a cigarette into his mouth from the pack and shoved it back in his pocket.

Shuichi reached up and snagged the cigarette from his lips before Yuki brought the flame near enough to light the tip. He'd been trying to get the novelist to quit for ages.

"You're dead, you don't need to smoke anymore," he answered Yuki's silent question. Incredulous eyes stared at him. Shuichi frowned right back in the face of Yuki's disapproval.

"I'm dead. It's not like it's going to kill me," Yuki countered.

Shuichi blinked.

"Yeah well… It's still a nasty habit," the pink haired boy grumbled. They stared at each other in silence for a moment. Shuichi jerked his head when Yuki's hand shot out to ruffle his hair.

"Huh. I can still touch you in this form."

Shuichi smoothed his hair down, staring up at Yuki from under his bangs with a peeved look. Even dead the man was difficult. "Well of course you can. Come on, I have to deliver you to the afterlife now. There's someone waiting for you and he's been giving Shina trouble for years. I promised her I'd take care of it since I got you."

"But I can still touch you in this form," a wicked grin. Fingers pulled at Shuichi's waistband, flicking open the button holding his pants.

"What? Yuki we don't have time for this! I'm supposed to take you over now!"

Shuichi wriggled in his lover's grip. His back pressed against the wall.

"You can't stay in this world."

Shuichi's shorts fell to the ground, along with his boxers. He shivered when the cool night air hit his bare skin.

"There's someone waiting, I told you." His hands gripped wide shoulders for support as his legs were lifted and wrapped around Yuki's waist.

"An hour or so one way or the other won't make that much difference will it?"

"And your corpse is right there staring at us and it's weird."

"Don't look," Yuki suggested. Teeth nipped along the young man's throat.

"Yuuuuuki! I have to get you over, and oohhhh, Yuki…"

AN: Sooo, this was supposed to be much more solemn and wrap up his death neatly, but Yuki decided to be quite difficult to work with... ~_~ And I know some of you are probably upset that I killed Yuki right off the bat. I apologize but this is plot necessary or I would have had him just move to Tahiti or something.