Disclaimer: I own nothing. Not Gravitation, not Kyou Kara Maou! ...Nothing.
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Be-beep. Be-beep.
"Mmm..."
The pink-haired pop star rolled over and looked at the alarm clock, the display glowing red. 5:00 AM. Ehh. So early...
He hit the alarm button and the beeping ceased, apparently having had no effect on the sleeping beauty in bed next to him. Yuki's face always looked so angelic when he was asleep.
"If only you'd look at me that way when you were awake. But instead, you just put on a scary face like this!" Shuichi stretched his face out with his hands and scowled. "Leave me alone, damn brat, you're loud," he growled in a mock-Yuki voice. Shuichi's beloved didn't awake, he just mumbled something in his sleep and turned over. Shuichi sighed and got up, strolling off to the shower to get ready for work.
Half-way through his shower, K-san, the crazed American manager of Bad Luck had dragged a water-logged Shuichi, half-blinded by soap in his eyes, kicking and screaming from the bathroom and barking that it was time to go. A short car drive and two hours of practice later, Shuichi found himself at gunpoint in one of N-G's recording booths, fumbling the lyrics to No Style time and time again.
"I don't get it. You wrote the song!" the American shouted at the teary-eyed singer. "You have two options- make this next recording the best recording you've ever done or I'll blow you away and destroy any chance of ever seeing your dear Yuki-pookie again!" he declared maniacally.
Instead of his usual whining response of "But, nooo!", Shuichi just looked down, shame and sadness written all over his face. Hiro and Suguru exchanged a look.
Hiro studied his best friend's expression for a moment. He placed a hand on K-san's shoulder, causing the manager to lower his Magnum a little. "I think Shuichi needs a break. Maybe we could all use a break," he said, meeting the blonde's eye.
Before Suguru could protest or K-san could shoot anyone, Shuichi grabbed his bag and bolted, rushing out of the room. He didn't get very far, however, as right outside the door, he collided headlong into something very solid, dropping him to the floor.
A tall woman with bright orange hair and the brightest blue eyes Shuichi had ever seen was standing there, pushing a drink cart, presumably what Shuichi had crashed into.
"Ah! Sorry, kiddo, I didn't expect anyone to come running through the halls like that!" she said in a strange, deep voice with a grin, reaching down to help Shuichi to his feet. As she shrugged her shoulders in embarassment, Shuichi couldn't help but notice that under the sleeves of the uniform dress, she had biceps to rival any man he knew.
Shuichi realized that it was probably rude to stare at a woman's biceps, so he grinned and locked onto her blue eyes. "No, I shouldn't have been so reckless!" He bowed in apology and hurried off down the hall, leaving the woman grinning and shaking her bright orange head.
Outside, Shuichi sat on a bench, looking up at the sky. Clouds were rolling in, and he could tell rain wasn't far away, the sweet, metallic scent heavy in the air. As the deep growl of thunder rose above the sounds of the city, Shuichi closed his eyes and leaned his head back. What was going on with him lately? Yuki was being nice to him lately (or as nice as Yuki gets), song lyrics had been flowing like there was nothing to it, Bad Luck had been performing live headlining shows for a solid year, now. Despite having everything he could have ever wished for himself at twenty years old, Shindou Shuichi was unhappy.
There was nothing new anymore, nowhere to go. Thanks to N-G partnering with XMR for Bad Luck, Shuichi's fame was global. His love life with Yuki was as good as it always was. His family had even come to meet Yuki one time. Yuki had been absolutely wonderful, sharing spoilers from his next book with Shuichi's mother and Maiko, while Shuichi's father had questioned Shuichi in detail on their living situation. Shuichi's success meant he was wealthier than he'd ever been, so he wasn't hurting for money. But still, he couldn't see where it was all going, and it left this space in him that kept growing bigger and bigger. A void that ate the meaning from everything he was doing.
Shuichi sighed as the first fat raindrop landed on his cheek and slid across his skin, a cool stripe of wetness. All around him the pattering of rainfall crescendoed into a constant static. Some of the passersby pulled out umbrellas, and the canopy broke out over the streets, bursts of color sprouting above the crowd. Shuichi sat on the bench and let the rainwater soak through his clothes. Through the sleeves of his long-sleeved shirt, stinging the cuts that were concealed by the thin fabric.
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A/N: My first FFN story! My first ever crossover. It worries me, just a little. We'll see how it goes. I'm an editor, not really a writer, so forgive me if it sucks. If you know KKM, perhaps the orange-haired woman isn't so much a mystery. I'm dying from the flu, which means time off of work, so the next chapter is not far away! Read and review, please!