Over the West Wind

西風の上に

Disclaimer: These characters belong to Murakami Maki ©. The fanfiction belongs to me.

Warning: Yaoi, please don't read if you don't like this. Flamers are retards. Nothing to learn from them, so there! Take that, Reiji! Meow ha! XD

Plot Cockroach: Need… more… Ryuichi fics… or I'm gonna… EXPLODE! I know I've been giving way too much attention to Shu-chan and Yuki-san and haven't been too partial to Ryu-chan I'm so sorry na no da don't kill me meow waaah! ;_; Let's see, I've also been using a lot of weird pairings, so now I'd like to use a simple, canonical pairing, Tatsuha x Ryuichi fwees! Ryuichi goes to Kyoto for a concert despite the lack of publicity there, due to the Temple area affecting the youths. Having his own problems, he tries to get away from it all and gets into some trouble. By chance, the heroic Tatsuha is there! Will Tatsuha be able to catch the wind? Rated for near-rape content! 0_o (I actually… wrote that?)

Pairing: Tatsuha x Ryuichi + K

_________________

"Everywhere! Everyday na no na no da!"

That was a good sign. Ryuichi was at least, on his part, still cheerful. Tohma sighed in relief. He was glad, having optimism was important for a group to succeed. What with the lack of publicity in a conservative place like Kyoto, where even the youths were living a time-honored life compared to the life of their city brothers and sisters… he doubted that even Ryuichi could smile for long.

But business was business. They had to while the week away here, and do well, on top of that all.

They weren't exactly in Uesugi-san's good books either. Tohma had every right to take the blame on what had happened to the man's son. Noriko knew. Mika knew. Ryuichi… he knew as much as the others. Where did that leave Nittle Grasper?

'In Uesugi-san's bad books.' Tohma resisted a smile.

Life's like that.

"Tohma! What're you thinking about na no ka?" Ryuichi asked, tilting his head innocently. "You look… so serious."

"Don't be silly, Ryu-chan! Tohma's always the serious one! He has to look after us, remember?" Kumagoro reminded his sidekick. Ryuichi pulled a long face, but he smiled again as he caught sight of Tohma's grin.

"But he needs to have fun too!" Ryuichi bounced. "We're going to Kyoto! Oh yay, temples, temples, temples all the way!"

"There weren't many temples in LA, were there, Ryuichi?" the blond asked in a friendly tone. "I went to New York, but that's kind of different…"

"Nope, no temples," Ryuichi bit Kumagoro's left ear. "I liked San Francisco. The Hulk went there."

"Ah, Rainbow City, where the boys are pretty…"

"Hey, I like the sound of that! Rainbow City, the boys are pretty na no na no da!"

At that, Tohma laughed. It was a standing tradition that whenever Ryuichi got the hang of a quote and wanted to make a song of it, he usually added his trademark 'na no na no da' at the end of each sentence… but when he composed it, things got… different. Ryuichi loved his career. On top of it all, he loved to shine.

Look out, Kyoto – Here comes the West Wind!

_______________

"Tatsuha! Did you hear? Nittle Grasper is gonna stage it right here!!"

"WHAT? Stage… what?" Tatsuha goggled. He was dreaming! He had to be dreaming! Staging a concert, in Kyoto?

"A concert, what else! Silly! I thought you'd be the first to catch wind of it!" his friend bounced on his heels. "In fact I heard that they were going to be here for a week, just for fun!"

"They might be visiting your family's temple," another boy, wearing white, said.

"Ah, well…" Tatsuha felt a little distressed. He knew that his father didn't think too much of NG's president, and much less of Nittle Grasper. The only closest Tatsuha could get to his honey was a few seats away from the stage… along with a million other screaming fans from Tokyo, perhaps. A few… scratch that; a hundred Americans had also flown to Kyoto to watch Nittle Grasper strut their stuff. He'd seen them - a troop of them.

"Tatsuha-kun… is something wrong?"

"Yeah! You look kinda… well… unnerved."

"Nah, it's nothing…" Tatsuha was quick to cover it all up. Nothing worse than getting sympathy for nothing, ever heard that phrase? To his family, it was dishonorable. Well, at least it was to his father.

"It's your father, isn't it?" Well, well. Trust the quiet ones to be oversensitive.

"I guess… Hah, you know the fuddles. They aren't exactly fans of rock."

"My father is," his friend in white smiled. "He bought us tickets. My mother's a little sick, and my sister doesn't like Nittle Grasper, my brother's busy, and my father has to stay home for work. Would you two like to come with me instead?"

"SUGOI!!!"

"Wow, thanks!" This was good. He needn't argue with his father. It was an invitation and he didn't have to tell his father where he was headed. It was just an outing with his friends. Besides, his father really approved of his shy friend's behavior. He was a lot like… like… Hmm. Touchy subject, that.

"That leaves me just two more tickets," he smiled. "I'll ask my neighbor over. Oh, you know… that boy who's always wearing blue?"

"Cool! I like that guy he's really funny! Fwees!"

"And I'll also ask the little girl down the street who likes Noriko-sama."

"Yuri?"

"No!" he looked a little horrified at the idea. "Of course not… she wants to grow up like her someday, that's all. To her, Noriko-sama is like a breathing, living Barbie doll!"

"And you?" Tatsuha could resist a jive at his friends. "Who are you a fan of, then?"

"Me's a fan of Sakuma-sama!"

"As with me!" Tatsuha gave his outgoing friend a high five. "Yo, what about you?"

"I'd rather not say…"

"He's a fan of Seguchi-sama!" his other friend bounced. "He is he is look at him he's blushing hee hee hee that's so kawaii!"

Tatsuha and the boy in white stared at him.

"What??"

"I knew I shouldn't have 'donated' that lollipop to you…"

_________________

The workmen were getting the wiring fixed even as the trio discussed a few songs that were charted and how to go around performing them. Noriko, as usual, gave her full attention. But Ryuichi seemed a little unsettled and distracted. Tohma could only guess that Ryuichi was getting the jitters, but… this was a little dissimilar in a way.

"We'll sing our last song, then the lights will go out… Ryuichi? Are you listening?"

"Hey," Noriko poked him. The singer jumped.

"Yes! Yes! What… what was it?"

"Is something troubling you?"

"Not at all na no da! Don't worry!" he was happy again. Yet a part of his mask had slipped. Tohma, even as he spoke, observed this. So, Ryuichi had only been feigning happiness in their train ride here, hadn't he?

"Well, this is it. We're going back to the hotel now," Tohma settled it. "Ryuichi, if you want to, you can stay out a little to enjoy the sights here."

Ryuichi stared at his blond colleague. He knew that Tohma was a smart cookie, not someone to be played around with. The blond's train of thought this time was subtle but simple, though. A little time off would do him good. Ryuichi wanted to protest, but he stopped himself. He did need some time to think.

Didn't he?

So, slowly, he nodded. "See you guys around na no da!"

Dusk was falling. He made his way to a deserted playground, and to the swings. Rocking himself, Ryuichi thought hard. Kumagoro was here for support… though he didn't know what to say.

This moment felt a lot like the first time he stepped off the plane and onto the foreign land called America. No one there were his fans, and Ryuichi did so love to shine. The disbanding of Nittle Grasper had somehow smashed his dreams to bits and pieces, but he saw the logic of doing so at the peak of their prime. Without K, he would have…

K…

K had other things to attend to. He was now the manager of Bad Luck. A rival group. Their rival group. His rival group. They had everything he had, and the one thing he wanted and didn't have now. They had K. Once upon a time, so did he, all to himself too, but… the American didn't even spare him much thought. It was working together; it was shining when he could. And that had been nerve wrecking. Ryuichi had changed a lot since he worked in America, and come home to Japan.

K had been so willing to do anything for Shuichi. What did Shuichi have that he didn't?

Youth?

Spunk?

Glamour?

A writer boyfriend? Was it because Ryuichi hadn't any ex-s that made him less attractive in any way? Was it because K had an ex-wife, which made him so attractive in the first place?

You can have too little of something, and yet you can't have too much.

It's worse when you have nothing at all.

He used to smile because he could. But now he smiled because he had to. Tohma and Noriko… they needed his smile so much. They hadn't said a great deal about it, but he knew. In their eyes, they couldn't afford to lose the talented, cheerful and happy Sakuma Ryuichi that he was years ago.

"Hey, hey, if it isn't a little late for a pretty lil' thing like you to be out, huh?"

Ryuichi frowned. This was Kyoto. This wasn't the city, nor was it the streets of NYC or even LA, where it was dangerous out at night, were one alone. As far as he was concerned, Kyoto was a safe and peaceful area. He had conveniently forgotten that his concert had attracted people from various backgrounds to Kyoto – and not all his fans were nice.

"Yeah… and oh, man, he sure does look like Sakuma Ryuichi!" another youth exclaimed, grinning lecherously. "We'll have quite some fun tonight, won't we?"

"You won't," Ryuichi got up to leave. Seriously, these young punks needed a life, fans or not.

"Hey, c'mon! Why are you so shy all a sudden?" a tall youth wrapped his arm round the singer's neck. He leaned over to nibble at Ryuichi's earrings. "We were just praising you, not criticizing your style or anything… Mmm, raspberries…"

"Lay off!" Kumagoro ordered, launching himself at them in a Kumagoro Beam.

"Yaaaagh!" Kumagoro had socked one guy in the eye and he was out cold before he knew it. His friends were enraged. They took hold of Kumagoro and inched closer to Ryuichi.

"Think you're smart, huh? Well, this lil' toy ain't anything to us, kid!"

"Let go! Lemme go!" he was getting scared. It wasn't as if he had never been mobbed by fans before, but none of them had ever mistaken him for anyone else, or had any bad motives…

"Let you go? Of course… right after we're done, that is!"

"No! No…!" Ryuichi protested as they dragged him away from the open to a secluded area right at the end of the park. It was getting dark; no one could see or hear what was going on. And even if they did, who was going to concern themselves in a crime involving a mob of teenaged punks?

Choking back sobs, he felt the youths running their hands all over his body. He could feel them tugging at his clothes, ripping his shirt and jacket off and pulling at his zipper… that was when he began to scream.

Bite.

And kick.

He hadn't planned this. Ryuichi had only wanted some time off to think. He was a grown man; how could anything like this happen? Even Tohma would never have guessed… but then again, things like these weren't impossible in the world. He happened to be there at the wrong place, wrong time. He was petite and lithe, and these youths were strong, tough and tall. They had mistaken him as a normal person, never dreaming that they would one day meet the godlike Sakuma Ryuichi.

There were too many odds against him.

"Sh'up!" the tall youth slapped him hard, causing Ryuichi to reel back, lightheaded. The other youths held him down at all sides… Ryuichi counted them; one, two, three, four… four youths, who looked old enough to be in their sixteenths. Tall, not too well built, but whatever they lacked in brawn, they made it up in numbers.

He could feel, half-awake as he was, their nipping and biting at his skin, rough, untrained kisses on his face, and their current warm, aroused breathy condition. The last of his clothes now lay in tatters on the grass. The sky was so dark… the stars that were sprinkled round weren't burning bright enough to show what crime these people were committing – all to their own advantage.

"Hold it right there!"

Time stopped for a moment. In shock, so did the youths. They got up stealthily to meet their intruder… no, their intruders. This was more than they bargained for. Eyewitnesses.

"Who are you?"

The figures stepped out of the shadows. The tallest, most probably their leader, had black hair and black eyes to match the night. He wore a grim smile, as grim as their guilt itself.

"We're the… uh…"

"We're Weiß, the white hunters of darkness!"

"Bombay! You gave our identity away!"

"Sorry! Sorry! Hee hee hee! Anyway, we're Weiß and we're gonna rescue him and beat the living poop out of you!"

The other three boys stepped out after their leader. One was had a confident and good-humored air; one wore white and looked on seriously, and the other simply looked high-spirited and mischievous.

"Unhand him already, scum!"

The boys flung themselves at the punks and began to pummel them well. They may be lithe and small, but they had the advantage, knowing the terrain well, for they were locals. Besides, they knew where the crowbars and hammers were stored near the park. As soon as they'd heard the screams, they'd rushed there and equipped themselves as good assassin groups would.

"Good for nothing leeches!" 'Bombay' finally declared as he spit at the soil after them. The youths had run off, scattered, some undressed and some pants-less; all of them bruised and battered. "See if you come back to Kyoto and not have us chase you out!"

"Hey, are you alright?" the black-haired youth tried to help Ryuichi up, who in turn curled up and shivered. He refused to be helped; he refused the kind hand. Ryuichi wanted to die that moment.

"I hope we weren't too late…"

The boys fell silent. Their leader bent down to take a closer look at the victim's face, only to reel back in shock and horror. "S-Sakuma-sama!"

"What?"

"Are you kidding? Tatsuha! You're seeing things!"

"Sakuma Ryuichi! Sakuma-sama! What… why… how?" Tatsuha spluttered. He felt his veins burn with liquid fire. This young man… even if he wasn't Ryuichi, looked a lot like him. How could anyone do such a thing? Especially to someone who happened to look a lot, if not, was actually his honey? His hands shaking violently, Tatsuha draped his jacket around the shivering figure. He then spun round to hand the boy in white a small card.

"Yohtsuki, call this number."

_________________

"Tohma…"

Noriko looked troubled. This news wasn't good at all. As the president of NG Records paced around hearing the details, she couldn't help but feel sorry that they hadn't kept a better eye on Ryuichi. He now lay asleep in the room, buried under stacks of sheets, covers and pillows.

"We were… we… I'm sorry, Seguchi-san," Tatsuha looked up at the blond. "We should have –"

"It's not your fault," Tohma's words were curt but gentle. "We should have kept a better eye on Ryuichi. He was a little troubled before… it's just… I didn't think it'd happen. And therefore I'm responsible."

"I think…" Yohtsuki looked up. "It's pointless to blame ourselves, Seguchi-sama, Tatsuha-kun. Things like this happen. It's unfortunate, but whatever's happened cannot be undone. [1]"

"You're right. Well, boys, it's getting late. Your parents might be worried. Thank you very much for your help," Tohma stopped in mid-stride, his mind seemingly set for a moment. "Tatsuha, your father…"

"I've had more than one late night before," Tatsuha smiled grimly. "And this time it's something important. I don't mind getting killed for it."

"Sakuma-sama got hurt, you see," one of his spunky friends explained. "Tatsuha's angry and he wants to protect him and that's why he's gonna stay here for the night and make sure nothing happens that's so romantic ooh I wish I were that lucky too fwees!"

"…I really, really, shouldn't have 'donated' that lollipop to you…"

"Meany," he pouted. Tohma could help smiling, grim as the situation was. This boy was a live wire.

"Anyway, we don't want to be disturbing you. We have to go; our parents might be worried sick," the youth in blue spoke up. He stood and winked at Noriko. "Beautiful women need their beauty sleep at this time of the night."

"Yes, we have to go now," Yohtsuki followed his friends. He bowed politely to the host and hostess. "We wish Sakuma-sama well, and a quick recovery. Tatsuha-kun, do get your rest. Seguchi-sama, Noriko-san, we apologize for taking up so much of your time."

"It's alright. We want to thank you all the same," Tohma smiled.

"Yes. Thank you!"

"Goodbye… Bye, Tatsuha!"

"Byes and take care y'know don't overwork and overstress please take care of Sakuma-sama please make sure he's well or I'll be very sad and everyone will be very sad!"

"…You're contradicting your own words, pretty boy."

"Meany."

The door swung shut and the voices subsided. Tohma and Noriko sighed, as Tatsuha made his way to Ryuichi's room. There were just so many emotions to sort out… so many issues… and it was late. Protective as they were of Ryuichi, Tohma couldn't help feeling relieved that his brother-in-law had volunteered to help look after Ryuichi.

Tatsuha wasn't just fan. He was… well, somewhat of a little obsessed, but Tatsuha's love was pure and true. He didn't take advantage of anyone, unlike those punks; Tatsuha had changed a lot since the time he met Shuichi. All in all, Tatsuha did care for Ryuichi, even when he hadn't known the singer well.

The raven-haired youth walked into the room, and was surprised to see his favorite singer sitting up, wide-awake in bed. Ryuichi wore a somewhat blank expression, punctuated by a few tears. The aftermath was setting in, so it seemed.

"Hey… um, are you okay?"

"…Yeah." He squashed Kumagoro against his chest, looking down. Tatsuha put the bowl of warm water on the mantelpiece, keeping his distance. He didn't want to distress the grieving singer further.

"Thanks."

Tatsuha nearly jumped out of his skin. He grinned and scratched his head, flashing one of his charming smiles. "Ah… oh, well. It's nothing. My friends helped too. I really hope you're fine…Were we too late? I mean! Um…"

Tatsuha wanted to smack himself.

Ryuichi blinked. Too late? If it hadn't been for Tatsuha and his gang turning up, wouldn't it have been too late then?

"No, you weren't. I was lucky."

"Hoo boy! I thought we were too late! Man, we should've trashed those bastards harder!" the youths black eyes glistened with so much fury that even Ryuichi was taken aback. He shivered. He hated wrath… at least; he hated it then. Tatsuha stopped in mid-sentence. "Oh, crap! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to, I…"

"It's okay," the singer half-smiled. For a moment there, it just… reminded me.

But I know that you'd never do such a thing.

"Well, anyway, I got you this broth. Seguchi-san was adamant about you taking it. But it's better than what my brother's boyfriend makes," Tatsuha commented.

"You mean Shuichi?"

"Yeah! You know him?"

"Uh-huh! …Ne, why are you standing there?"

"I wanted to give you space after that incident---" Tatsuha froze in horror. "Oh, no! I meant… Look, I'm sorry, I—"

"That's alright," Ryuichi managed to laugh. This youth was so easily flustered! Traumatized as Ryuichi was, this wasn't much compared to all that pressure to shine, coupled with dilemmas, K, and his personal thoughts. In fact, he owed Tatsuha a lot this time, and his friends as well… And Ryuichi was… lonely.

He didn't want to feel unloved.

Not after this.

Wanting human touch, wanting those senses seemed so far away at that moment. Ryuichi only wanted companionship. K never offered him that. Tohma had a wife and he didn't offer that either, and Noriko… she was usually busy prepping them up. He wanted to be treated like a normal person, not a superstar.

It was good to shine. But it was better to be accepted.

"Please? Can't you… just sit by me?" he begged, "Just for a little while?"

There was nothing Tatsuha wouldn't do for his honey then. He took a seat at the edge of Ryuichi's bed, spooning the broth and handing it to the singer. Despite his problems, thankfully, Ryuichi seemed to recover quickly. Tatsuha was mildly surprised, he didn't mention it, but Ryuichi understood. "I've done some thinking. I don't trust people, but not all my fans are as bad as that. Some are good; some are violent. Like you, you're a good guy, right?"

"Right!" Kumagoro answered before Tatsuha could reply.

"Anyway, it's okay, what's done is done… I have to be careful never to let it happen again, na no da. I'm Sakuma Ryuichi, it's my duty to shine," a smile, it was sad, but hopeful. In some way, Ryuichi at that point just didn't seem to be what he was – the hyper, happy, outgoing singer they all knew, neither was he the man who stood in the limelight, serious, with the eyes of a man-eating tiger, shining.

Strong, wise, simple.

"Yes, but your other duty is also to love… and be loved. If you don't mind that," Tatsuha was lucky. He saw past what every other fan never did. He saw the real, shining Ryuichi, whose heart shone more than his fame.

"…I can't say yes straight away. But… I can give it time."

Tatsuha smiled, the broth cooling down gently in his hands as he propped the singer up with pillows. Love, or no, things happen, and only time can tell. At that moment, a certain calm descended – Tatsuha knew what he could do, would do, and never give up. For so long as his memory serves him, and he remembers this fateful night and words, Tatsuha will try his utmost to catch the west wind.

~*~*~ おわり ~*~*~

Clearing some things up:

Notes: [1] Yeah, my friend always says that when accidents happen to him. (^^;)

There are a few things I'd like to clear up in this story, mainly about Tatsuha's friends. For a reason, I'd like to keep them faceless and nameless. A lot of readers might find this annoying, but do know that I'm not given to adding in any original characters. These people are Tatsuha's friends and they only make guest appearances. To add in names and a face and a personality in full will ruin the effect of the story. Only Yohtsuki is used because he speaks up most. After a while though, even he disappears from the scene. Anyway, Yohtsuki isn't an original. He's a guy with an attitude and he doesn't mind me picking on him, heh, heh! XD

Another thing is regarding the reference to Weiß Kreuz. This isn't a crossover; so don't worry! It's only a reference, as stated. I remember using a few Gravitation references in WK fics, they don't complicate the story further other than being singers, and the same thing applies here. Only a short note, you don't have to dig up any information on WK to understand anything. But if you already know WK, well, I hope you caught my joke. :D

Lastly, and most importantly, I apologize for the quality of this piece. I was writing it while going through severe depression, so the moods went up and down, and sad to say, the plot went a little haywire. I had intended this fic to be fluffy and happy, but it drove off to rape-fic-ville and ended in a… let's call it a disappointing moment in which Tatsuha doesn't get the guy. But I had to finish this; I was already 3000++ words off and nearing the end when I reread the fic and laughed at my stupidity (or in my horror, gaped at it for 5 minutes before laughing). It's a pity to stop when you've done quite that much.

Man, my brother thinks I'm on crack. How would you feel if your eldest brother laughs at nothing in particular? And he's been depressed lately? Can't blame him, huh?

Thanks! Thanks for reading if you did to this point! Fwees!

…Yes I'm gay and I admit it. XD Meow ha, in your face, Reiji!