DISCLAIMER: Gravitation belongs to Maki Murakami. I'm just borrowing the characters to fulfill the needs of my own morbid plot bunnies.

AN: Hmm. What am I doing? Beats the hell out of me. See, I've been re-reading Gravi and for some reason the following quote from "Win a Date with Tad Hamilton" inspired me to write a little story...okay...so it'll probably be bigger than I have time for, but...yeah. I want to do this from various POVs, ending with Shuichi's POV. This isn't quite like the many, many 'Yuki broke Shu's heart and EVERYTHING ON EARTH CHANGES' stories, although it may feel like it at first. I guess it depends on whose POV you're reading! Yuki does something...but...break Shu's heart? Hm. I don't think so. But I haven't decided yet!! Hahaha!! Okay, that's enough rambling. I'm sorry to new readers who aren't used to my rambling...such is life. Anyway, all in all, I'm really displeased with this particular chapter because it didn't go as smoothly as I wanted. However, I'm out of practice and I chose a weird format to write this in...so...whatevs. I hope SOMEONE out there likes it!

"Love you get over in two months, big love you get over in two years, and great love, well great love... changes your life. So which one is it?" – Angelica, Win a Date with Tad Hamilton

Hiro

Hello, Japan! This evening we welcome Nakano Hiroshi-sama of Bad Luck to talk, for the first time in public, about the mysterious disappearance of Shindou Shuichi-sama, the infamous lead singer of Bad Luck and international superstar.

Nakano-sama, do you have any idea where Shindou-sama is?

I smiled weakly because there's nothing else I could do. I don't know where Shu is. I haven't a clue. It's all been scripted for me – a publicity stunt to increase public demand – but the truth is: no one knows where Shuichi is. Not Seguchi, not Sakano, not Suguru and not even K. And, coincidentally the only person left to ask has also conveniently disappeared.

The reporter watches me with eager eyes, expecting some cookie-cutter response fresh out of N-G. After all, I'd become the spokesperson for Bad Luck. Shuichi wouldn't come to press releases anymore. He wouldn't say a word to the press and paparazzi when they followed him everywhere he went. He wouldn't go on television. He wouldn't even do radio shows anymore.

I knew what I was going to tell them, and it's not what they expect.

"The truth is it all started with the fight..."

And that is the truth. Something changed in Shuichi that day. Something both wonderful and broken emerged in place of the Shuichi that I had known for years. It was the fight in a relationship full of fighting. I still don't know what was said. I don't know what Yuki-san could have said to Shu that would finally break him. I don't know what Shu could have done to incite that argument. And I really don't know why Shu never went back to him.

It happened right after we finished our national tour. Shuichi was as excited as ever to be reunited with Yuki. He was practically exploding with joy on the train ride back into Tokyo. I had heard him talking on the phone to Yuki, laughing and smiling. Things were normal.

And then...well... Shuichi showed up to the studio the next day, but something wasn't right. There was no bounce in his step, thus indicating that he'd done something to upset Yuki again, and yet he wasn't moping or miserable. In fact, he'd strode in with an armful of new lyrics and music.

"I want to start recording a new album."

Bam. No lead up, no excitement, just pure professionalism. We were all baffled – Sakano, Suguru, K, and I.

"Shu, is everything alright?"

His eyes turned to me and I saw that something was, in fact, irreversibly wrong. It was a question I regretted asking as soon as I had. I had expected him to explode in a fit of whining. I had expected him to just lay it all out. For him to come up with that much music and all those lyrics overnight, well...it just...wasn't something I expected him to be capable of at this point in our career. I mean, even as we toured Japan, the kid was still clinging to Sakuma Ryuichi as though he were a god. I didn't expect him to come to the realization that Nittle Grasper was a thing of the past for a long while. But his face told me that he was done with being second best. Maybe that had to do with Yuki, maybe it didn't.

"Never better," he replied with that same cool professionalism and a smug smile. The room erupted with noise as K and Sakano started in with their usual routine – questions and gunshots. But Suguru had his wits about him enough to look over what Shuichi had brought.

"Shindou-san, this is...amazing." His small voice cut through the madness.

He passed the papers to me and, well, he was right. Shuichi had always been talented, but this was something else. This was the album that could put him up with Ryuichi and Nittle Grasper. The papers were snatched from me by K and Sakano. I turned my attention back to Shuichi while Nakano and K exploded with pure happiness over Shuichi's work. I watched him calmly sit down at the table, crack open a can of coffee, and start reading the newspaper. Shuichi. Reading the newspaper.

"Shu," I said quietly so that the others wouldn't hear, "Something happened with Yuki."

It wasn't a question. Something had happened. That music, those words – Shuichi would never have been able to come up with them without something happening with Yuki. Something bad.

Shuichi looked up from the paper and smiled delicately. Sadly. He didn't say anything, he just went right back to sipping his coffee and reading the paper. Before I had a chance to say another word, Sakano and K were already planning out our schedule. That night, Shuichi left the studio with his newspaper in hand and began walking in the opposite direction. I tried to keep it light. Tried to get him to speak about it.

"Ne, Shu? You've been away from Tokyo so long that you've forgotten where you live?"

He turned, the orange glow of sunlight surrounding his figure, and smiled again. That same sad smile. "I have something I need to do."

Later that night, I passed by Yuki's house. I had a bad feeling about this whole thing and it would've made me feel better to know that Shuichi had gone home like he should have. But, when I got there, the lights were out. No one was home. I didn't have much of a choice but to go home myself.

I was awoken early the next morning by a panicky phone call from Sakano.

"Nakano-san, it's horrible! You have to find Shindou-san! RIGHT NOW!"

"What?"

"THE NEWS, NAKANO-SAN! THE NEWS! OH, IT'S AWFUL!"

"Okay, okay. Hang on, I'll turn it on."

I didn't think much of it as I clamoured around, looking for the remote. Sakano was well-known for panicking over nothing. I flicked on the TV and dropped the phone.

Yuki Eiri, well-known romance novelist and admitted lover of Shindou Shuichi the rock band, Bad Luck, was seen canoodling with popular actress, Ito Misaki last night at Tokyo's most romantic restaurant, Ryugin.

And there they were, more than canoodling I'd say, right there on the television for all of Japan to see. What the fuck was he doing? Better yet, where the hell was Shuichi? Now I understood the urgency in Sakano's voice. Where Yuki was concerned, Shuichi could get more than a little irrational.

I hung up on Sakano, who was still yelling in full-panic mode, and dialled Shuichi's number.

"Good morning, Hiro," Shuichi answered after the second ring. He sounded, well, normal, which of course wasn't normal for Shuichi.

"Uh, hi, Shu. Um...have...have you seen the news?" I prayed that he hadn't.

"Oh," he replied softly, a touch of sadness creeping into his voice, "Yes."

"Are...well, are you...okay?"

Shuichi sighed deeply. "Sure. Though, it's a shame that they're cancelling Iron Chef after so many years."

I almost sighed in relief until I realized that he was just trying to cover himself now.

"Shuichi-"

"I'm fine," he interjected, his voice suddenly cold. "Yuki Eiri can do whatever – and whoever - he chooses."

I was shocked into silence. This was Shuichi. Shuichi, who would break into a bawling fit whenever he was parted from Yuki for even a day. Shuichi, whose whole existence had revolved around Yuki Eiri for the past three years.

"Where are you?"

He laughed. That tinkling, easy Shuichi-laugh echoed over the receiver, and I could almost believe that he was actually fine with this. "I'm on my way to the studio. I want to start recording as soon as possible. I want this album out, Hiro, before people forget who we are. Japan is not enough. I want the whole world," he paused then and giggled again, "See you soon!"

I had never seen Shuichi as serious about his music as he was then. When I arrived at the studio, he was there as promised, already playing with the vocals and poking about at the keyboard. Everyone was on edge with him, expecting an outburst at any time. But I had never seen Shuichi like this. I didn't know what to expect from him. One thing was certain, as he continually made us stop so that he could rearrange some bit in the vocals, Shindou Shuichi was planning on surpassing Sakuma Ryuichi.

At the end of the day, I offered Shuichi a ride home. I was still afraid that he would fall to pieces at any moment.

"Sure, but I'll have to give you directions."

"Don't be stupid. I've been to Yuki's plenty of times."

Shuichi jumped on the back of the motorcycle, strapping on the helmet in uneasy silence. He hugged my back, the smallness of his body felt so frail.

"I don't live with Yuki anymore."

The tone of his voice told me not to push it anymore right then. When he was ready, he would tell me. He certainly wasn't ready yet.
"Okay. Where to?"

When we rounded the corner towards Shuichi's new apartment, it became apparent that someone had leaked his address to the press. I started to pull over, but Shuichi fingers curled into my shoulders, stopping me.

"It's okay, Hiro. Things aren't going to get better from here on out. I may as well face the music," he forced a laugh, "Face the music, get it?"

"Shu, I'm sure there's a back door. You don't have to do this."

Shuichi leaned his head against my back. "It's better to see the blade coming than to have it stabbed in your back. Pull over here and let me off. You don't want them on your tail, too."

I don't know if it was the shock of this whole messy situation, or what, but I did as he asked and watched him bravely solider on into the crowd of waiting news vultures.

I could hear them from here:

"It's Shindou-san!"

"Shindou-san, is it true that you and Yuki Eiri are no longer living together?"

"Shindou-san, how do you feel about Yuki Eiri's relationship with Ito Misaki?"

"Shindou-san..." etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.

Shuichi really said nothing besides the occasional 'excuse me' as he weaved through the crowd. He turned once he got to the front door and smiled widely. I wasn't expecting him to say anything at all.

"Bad Luck is recording a new album right now," he said loudly, cutting through the questions involving Yuki. His face turned serious, the same face he had when he walked into the studio yesterday. "This album will be unlike anything you've ever heard. It'll blow your minds!"

The directions of the questions had turned suddenly, as he had wanted, to the fact that we had just returned to Tokyo from a nationwide tour. But, some creeping, gossiping predator couldn't help but ask:

"This sudden recording session – it doesn't have anything to do with the end of your relationship with Yuki-san, does it Shindou-san?"

Right then, I watched Shu become something I'd never seen before. In fact, the only time I'd seen that kind of powerful stage presence was when I'd seen Nittle Grasper perform.

"It's time for Japan to start seeing me for what I am – the lead singer of Bad Luck – and not for who I choose to take as a lover. I want to bring this band to a whole new level. I want to surpass Nittle Grasper."

While the crowd was too stunned by his declaration to pay complete attention, he slipped inside and out of sight. Shuichi had laid down his challenge to all of Japan and I knew right then and there that he would get what he wanted. I just hadn't known the cost.