Gravitation The Story of a Broken Family, a gravitation fanfic

♥-Gravitation-♥

♥-The Story of a Broken Family-♥

♥By: Yuki Kinomi♥

Started: 9/5/06 Finished: 10/8/06

The young vocalist sat there, his hair a mess, and a beer in one hand. Over a few weeks had passed since Eiri cheated on him. Yet, he still couldn't get over the pain. Yeah, Eiri came to visit him, and his young daughter, Satomi Uesugi. Almost, about everyday it seemed. But, there was still a void in Shuichi's life that nothing else could fill. What had happened between them? Why did Eiri leave him, so early? The young boy asked himself these questions, and many more, every night as he tried to sleep. To him, it seemed as if sleep was impossible these days. With Satomi crying, and the Novelist always being on his mind, Shuichi was always tired. In fact, just the other day, he had fallen asleep at work, right in the middle of a recording session. Luckily, Tohma was on his side, and let it slide. Shuichi had told Tohma everything that had happened. And to the boy's surprise, Tohma actually still considered himself Satomi's Uncle, even though Mika and him had gotten divorced a while back. Seguchi was, oddly supportive of Shuichi being a single parent, and said that he would do anything that could help. Even give the young vocalist time off of work, for a while at least.

The pink-haired boy sighed, drinking down the rest of his beer. Satomi was asleep, thus he didn't have to worry about getting drunk; that and the fact that he was staying at Hiroshi's place. Hiro would help him out with anything, even Satomi. After all, he too considered himself Satomi's Uncle. He sluggishly, got up off the couch, and tossed the beer can in the trash, before sliding down the kitchen wall, and onto the floor. He sat there for a while, his head on his knees, tears of depression and inebriated-ness running down his face. Hiro walked into the kitchen, and looked down at him.

"Shuichi…?" kneeling down beside him, he placed a hand on the shaking boy's shoulder. "Shuichi, what's wrong?"

The boy didn't answer, he just shook and cried even more, latching himself onto the other male in a hug.

"Oh, Shu…" he let out a small sigh, picking the other up, and carrying him to the couch, setting him gently down. "How much did you drink, Shuichi…?"

"A…all of it…" he finally spoke out; his speech broken by the sobs. "E...everything is all...blurry, Hiro..." his head went back to his knees, and he didn't say anything more.

"Shuichi," Hiro took a seat next to him. "You need to get yourself together. I know this must be hard for you. And I have to say, what Yuki did was just…wrong. But, Shuichi, you have a child to raise. And she's not going to get the proper care if you're drunk all the damn time!" He shouted the last few words, startling the boy to look up.

"I…I know Hiro. I'm trying, I really am." He started to cry again. "I want to be a good parent, but it's…it's really hard. And, I know, you and Tohma said that you would help but…it's just not the same…" his head automatically went into his hands, and he cried harder.

Shuichi had been akin to this, for what seemed in the vein of forever. He would cry for hours, even days, on end; or at least until he fell asleep. It was tough; life was strenuous. Even though he knew he had people willing to help, he didn't want them to. He wanted to do it on his own, and try to regain some self-confidence. It seemed impossible at the time, but he tried anyways. Many sleepless nights, drunken days, long work hours, and a crying child. Shuichi never thought life was going to turn out this way. In fact, about a week before he found out Eiri was cheating on him, he asked him about marriage. Since they already had a baby together, why not get married? I mean, don't people usually get married, before they have kids? It just seemed logical. Eiri replied with a 'Maybe', which got Shuichi in a giddy mood, and sent him giggling throughout the whole day.

Satomi was getting older. She already knew how to say simple things such as 'ma-ma' and 'da-da'. Shuichi worked with her everyday, even when he was at work, to help her learn and walk. That succeeded, and the little girl was up and walking around in no time at all. With Eiri's golden hair, and Shuichi's violet eyes, she was an extreme cutie. Then again, as was Ryuichi's girl too, yes, Ryuichi had a baby too. Her name is Akina, daughter of Tatsuha Uesugi. She had Tatsuha's hair, and Ryuichi's eyes. Her and Satomi were born at the same time, on the same day, kind of odd if you think about it.

"Shuichi, calm down, Shuichi." Hiro placed a hand on the boy's shoulder again; it was still shaking. "You should try and get some sleep, okay?"

"There's no point, Hiro. I wont be able to sleep, even if I did try." His voice died out, and his crying ceased. "…There's no point, anymore…why do I even try...?" By now he was mumbling to himself, the other still listening.

"You try because of this…" Hiro stood there, the small female child on his hip. She was playing with his long, reddish-brown hair. "You try, because of her. You want to give her a good future. You want to be the best mother you can be. She fuels you, and you strive for her. Because you still want her to see her father, no matter how much of a dick he is. You try because…you try because you don't want this same thing to happen to her."

"…Satomi…" a weak smile lit up his face slightly, and he stood up, gently taking the girl from Hiro, and looking into her eyes. "For you…" his smile grew, as she giggled, and he kissed her forehead lightly.

"Ma-ma!" she giggled again, lightly pulling at Shuichi's pink hair. "Wuv Ma-ma!"

"Hehe…Mommy loves you too, Satomi." His smile gently faded, as he lowered her to the ground, letting the child run about and play.

"Now, there's the Shuichi I'm used to seeing…happy for the most part." Hiroshi smiled lightly "Come on, let her play. She'll be fine. I'll make you something to eat. Lord knows you haven't eaten today." He emitted a small chuckle, walking to the kitchen. Shuichi watched Satomi for a moment longer, before following Hiro into the tiled room.

In this certain household, Hiroshi was the cook. Shuichi couldn't cook, even if his life depended on it. The only things he could make were sandwiches, and baby food; and I'm not even sure if the baby food counts as cooking.

Shuichi watched Hiro cook, and he giggled silently to himself, remembering the first time he himself tried to cook for Eiri.

"Shuichi, what the hell are you doing?" Eiri cocked a brow at the boy. He was wearing an apron, and holding a wooden spoon in one hand.

"I'm going to cook for you, Yuki!" He beamed, trotting back into the kitchen.

"Don't Burn Anything!!" Eiri growled, and sat back on the couch, beer in one hand, and a cigarette in the other.

It was too late, by the time the elder Novelist had shouted that, Shuichi started panicking, and smoke trailed out from the kitchen.

"Ahhhh! Yuki! Help me!!" He sped out of the kitchen, clinging to Eiri's shirtsleeve.

"…Shuichi!!" Eiri rushed into the flaming kitchen, the boy still attached to his sleeve. "What the hell did I tell you?!"

"Not to burn anything…" He sniffled, looking up at Eiri, who was now grabbing a hold of a fire extinguisher, and putting out the kitchen's flames.

"You…" Eiri looked to the younger male, a vein pulsing on his forehead. "You are never cooking again!"

Hiro looked to the giggling boy, curious on what he was thinking.

"…Hehe, its nothing Hiro." He gave a quick smile to him, and walked off back to the living room. "Call me when food is done!" Hiroshi nodded and went back to cooking.

In the living room, Satomi started running about, talking to her stuffed animals; Shuichi was playing with her. They were both giggling. And for the first time, in a long time, he was actually smiling. Not reminiscent of the smiles he gave to everyone else; this one was real.

There was a knock at the door, and Shuichi automatically knew who it was. He slowly got up of the floor, and opened the door. Surely enough, Eiri was standing there; he had a small toy in his hand.

Eiri looked just as dreadful as Shuichi, if not worse. His hair also a mess, and he had a five o' clock shadow; he reeked of cigarettes and beer. By the looks of him he hadn't gotten much sleep either; the boy and the child were always on his mind. Strangely, he couldn't stop worrying about them; after all, Satomi was his own flesh and blood. Eiri stood in the doorway.

"Uhm…you left this over there, thought I'd come give it back." He twirled nimble digits around the small toy nervously.

"Oh, Thanks, Yuki." Shuichi let a small smile slide. "You can just put it in her playpen over there." He pointed to the said playpen, picking Satomi up off the ground. "Come on in, the place is a bit of a mess though. Hehe."

"Hehe…it's not that bad." Eiri slowly walked in, looking around. "Something smells good…Shuichi are you cooking?!"

"Hah! I wish!" He let out a small laugh "No, no, Hiro's making dinner. Like you said before, 'You are never cooking again!'"

"Hehe, yeah. The time you burned the whole kitchen down. That was pretty funny."

"That was soooo not funny, Yuki!" He gasped lightly, Satomi wiggling free from his hold, and running at Eiri.

"Da-da!!" The small girl smiled broadly, holding her arms up at her father. "Uppies!"

"Ah, Satomi." He smiled, picking her up, and kissing her forehead. "How's my little girl?"

Satomi giggled, kissing Eiri's cheek. She smiled, nodding a bit, and saying "Satomi good! Wuv Da-da!"

Eiri laughed lightly, adjusting her on his hip.

"Hehe, Daddy loves you too, Satomi."

Shuichi watched them; he was smiling, but choking back tears as well. He didn't want Satomi or Eiri to see him crying. Besides, he's cried far too much in the past week or longer; he didn't want it to start all over again.

"Uhm…Yuki, you think that you'd be able to stay for dinner…?" Shuichi asked hesitantly, glancing over at Eiri.

"…Probably not, Shuichi." Eiri's smile faded, and he let Satomi down. She ran off again to her stuffed animals. "I'm sorry, Shuichi…the other doesn't even know where I am right now."

"Oh…It's ok, Yuki." The boy's face turned away from Eiri, and to the ground. "I…I understand."

"…I should probably get going now." Eiri gave the pink-haired boy a quick hug, and kiss on the forehead, and then headed to the door. "…I still love you Shuichi. You and Satomi both, don't forget that." The door shut gently behind him, as he walked out, and down the hall, back to his car outside.

"Foods done!" Hiro smiled, peeking his head out from the kitchen. His smile faded when he saw Shuichi on his knees. He was crying again. "S…Shuichi? What's the matter? What happened?"

"…Yuki came over." He was silent for a moment more, before mumbling to himself. "He didn't mean it…if he ment it, he wouldn't of done in the first place…"

"Shuichi? You ok?" Hiro cocked a brow at him.

"Fucking Yuki!" He got up quickly, picked up a sleeping Satomi, and marched to her room to put he to bed. Hiro just stood there watching, a bit dumbfounded.

Later that night, Shuichi, as always, couldn't get his mind off of things. He kept fading in and out of consciousness, from lack of sleep. Every little dream he had was about Eiri, or what he thought it would come about to if this whole thing never happened. The pink-haired boy wished everyday that it wouldn't of happened. But then again, when do wishes ever come true? They never have before, why start now? Shuichi was alone that night with Satomi. Hiro had gone out to go visit Ayaka in Kyoto. He left late so that he could get there in the morning. The singer felt lonelier than ever. He tossed about under the covers, looking up at the ceiling fan twirl slowly around and around again. Satomi was oddly quiet that night, as a result he decided to go check on her; maybe it would help with his insomnia. She was fine, but he wasn't. The boy had the strangest need to walk. Not to anywhere in particular, just walk as far as he could without stopping. But he couldn't. He had a child to take care of, and he couldn't just leave her home alone. Maybe he could take her with him? No, it was too cold out, and he didn't want her getting sick.

Instead of taking his walk, the pop-singer pulled a jacket on over his shirtless torso, and opened the window to the balcony, walking out. He stood there for some time, looking out at the city. It looked beautiful at night, even from his view. N-G Studios could be spotted easily from Hiro's apartment. The boy dreaded going to work in the morning. He knew that he was going to fall asleep again. Claude would get angry at him for doing that. Once he started thinking about getting some sleep, he groaned, leaning over the bar of the balcony.

"Ugh…sleep is impossible…" He groaned again, looking down at the street below. A few people walked by, just the usual nightwalkers. It was kind of hard to believe that Shuichi used to be one of those 'nightwalkers'. "I'm so tired of being here…" The thought of jumping off the balcony raced through his head momentarily. Quick, and painless; its just how he wanted to leave this world. A bit messy, he had to admit, but an excellent way to go. Then again, if he did commit suicide, where would Satomi go? Would she go and live with that backstabbing bastard, and his new lover? Hell no, Shuichi would never let that happen! Not to her, he made a promise, the promise of a future, even if her father isn't around. He wanted her to live a decent life, even long after Eiri and himself had gone.

Shuichi stepped away from the bar of the balcony, and back into the apartment. His breathing was heavy, and he was terrified; he closed the window.

"…What am I going to do now…?" The poor boy put his back to the window, sliding down its cold, frosty glass, and onto the carpeted floor below.

It was early December; the winter snow had already started; and people were Christmas shopping like mad. It would be Satomi's first Christmas, and the sad thing about it; she won't see her father at all. Eiri had family in Kyoto, thus he was reluctantly going with Tatsuha to visit their father; that left Shuichi with Satomi, having to face his family. Since Satomi was born, he had lost all contact with his own family; they didn't even know Satomi existed, let alone what had happened between Eiri and himself. The air from outside made its way through a crack in the window, pushing a cold breeze past Shuichi; it sent shivers down his spine, and he pulled the jacket tighter around himself. The boy sat there a while longer, with only the moonlight to guide him through the pitch-black apartment. He stood, taking one last look outside, up at the moon.

"…I miss you, Yuki…" He sighed lightly; his eyes filled with sadness, as he made his way back to the bedroom. That night, he slept under all the blankets and pillows he could gather; as always, crying himself to sleep.

By morning, Shuichi's alarm clock rang its usual loud, obnoxious noise, waking him and Satomi up immediately. He slowly got out of bed, and changed his clothes, going to Satomi's room.

"Ah, is my little girl awake?" He smiled warmly at her, making her crying cease. "Yeah, there we go." He picked her up out of the crib, and changed her clothes, putting her in a holster on his chest.

"Ma-ma go work?" Satomi looked up at Shuichi, her violet eyes staring into his.

"Yes, mommy is going to work." He gave a small nod to her. "Satomi gets to come with mommy to work too." He smiled to her again, before heading out the door.

"Yay! Unkie Tohma!" She giggled as Shuichi called a taxi, and got in.

"Yeah, we're going to see Uncle Tohma today!" He laughed gently at her giggle, and the cab sped off to N-G.

They arrived moments later in front of a building, the letters "N-G" in red print on the side of it. Shuichi paid the cab driver, and continued inside, shielding Satomi from the snow, the whole way there. They finally got inside, Shuichi waved to the receptionist lady; Satomi mimicking his moves, and he trotted off to Bad Luck's conference room.

"Hallo!" The boy walked through the door. Claude, Sakano, and Fujisaki had already arrived there.

"You're late again, Shindou." Claude ruffled with some papers on the conference room table, before standing up and looking at the boy.

"I know, K-san. I had to take a cab, and there was traffic today…" Shuichi sighed, taking a seat across from Suguru. "I promise, it won't happen again." He gave a quick smile, removing Satomi from the holster, and taking her jacket off.

"Saka!!" Satomi ran over to the man in the suit. For some odd reason, Satomi and Sakano got along exceedingly well. Since Fujisaki wasn't very fond of children, and Claude had guns, she didn't take much of a liking to them.

"Ah, S--Satomi-chan!" The man smiled, and shakily picked her up. Shuichi smiled, watching them.

"She gets along so well with you, Sakano-san." The boy giggled, and adjusted himself in the seat, as the shaky man nodded, letting the girl down.

"…Anyway, today we're going to be working on—" Claude stopped, looking around the room. "Where is Nakano?"

"Didn't he tell you?" Shuichi was struggling to talk, and keep an eye on a hyper Satomi at the same time. "He went to Kyoto for the weekend, to visit Ayaka…" He finally got a hold of the child. "Got' cha!"

"…No, no he didn't." Claude sighed, pulling out one of his new guns to shine it. "Ehn, go take a break, I'll page you all back here later…" He waved a hand at them, shooing them out the door of the room.

Shuichi was the last to leave the area. He was walking down the hall, to the cafeteria; Satomi was on his hip.

"Ah, Shindou-san." The familiar voice came from somewhere behind Shuichi. He whirled about to see who it was. "So, you decided to come to work today?" Tohma smiled at the boy, walking up to him.

"Oh, Tohma-san," Shuichi bowed slightly; Satomi giggled again, and made grabby hands at Tohma "yes' sir I did."

"Ah-haha, and I see Satomi came along too?" Tohma smiled, taking the child from the other's arms.

"Unkie Tohma!!" Satomi squealed, and hugged the president, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Hehe, happy to see me, I see." A small laugh emitted from Tohma's mouth, and he handed the female child back to the younger male.

"She's been talking about you since she woke up this morning, sir." Shuichi smiled, and took Satomi back from the elder.

"Psh, enough with the formal speak. I may be your boss, but I'm also that child's uncle. No need for 'yes' sir' 'no' sir' things." Seguchi gave his usual innocent smile to the both of them. "Well, have a nice day, Shindou-kun, Uesugi-chan." He gave a quick wave, before heading back to his office.

"Uhm, yeah, you too Tohma-san." He waved back, and then continued on to the cafeteria.

Shuichi stopped, halfway to the dining hall; Eiri was there. Just standing there, leaned up against a wall. He seemed as if he were looking, maybe even waiting for someone, or something to happen. His sunglasses were pulled over his eyes, and his hair hung down a bit; there was an unlit cigarette in his mouth.

"He needs another haircut…" Shuichi thought to himself. Suddenly, Satomi shouted 'da-da' and Eiri spun around, just as Shuichi had hidden in the men's restroom.

"Jeeze, that was close…" He sighed, huffing a bit. "Don't ever scare mommy like that again, ok Satomi?"

The child's lip quivered, her eyes wavered, and she began to cry with a loud shrill noise, tears running down her face. The boy tried his best to make her stop; he didn't want Eiri to find him. He rocked her gently, pressing a finger to his lips.

"Shhh, Satomi, please don't cry!" He rocked the child a bit more, trying to sing softly to her; he didn't notice the bathroom door open.

"…Trying to hide from me, no?" The blond looked down at Shuichi, making Satomi cease her crying immediately. "What, you scared of me now?" He gave a smirk, awaiting a reaction.

"…N…no! I'm not trying to hide!" Shuichi struggled to hold onto a wiggling Satomi. "And I'm not scared of you either!" He childishly, stuck his tongue out at the other; Eiri took Satomi into his arms.

"Calm down, Shuichi…" Eiri smiled, looking at Satomi and kissing her cheek. "I just came to see you guys at work…" He played with the child a bit, making her laugh.

"…You don't ever come to see us anymore, so why start now?" Shuichi looked away from the elder novelist; the feeling of melancholy returning to him again.

"I've been busy, Shuichi. I told you that already." Eiri adjusted the child in his arms.

"That's no excuse for you not to visit! If not for me, then do it for Satomi!" His voice was rising; people outside of the bathroom could hear him.

"I told you, Shuichi! I'm trying my damnedest to visit! But I constantly have to put up with deadlines for work! And on top of that, I'm always worrying about you and Satomi both!" Eiri's voice rose above Shuichi's. "So don't say that I don't care! I do, and I always try to visit!" He took a few deep breaths, looking directly into the boy's eyes; all his yelling made Satomi cry again.

"I…I'm sorry…I…" His gaze focused to the floor. "I've just been…really lonely. It's hard living by yourself, and trying to raise a child at the same time…" He took Satomi from Eiri, calming her down again.

"…I know Shuichi…and…I miss you back at the house. I just wish…" He looked away from them. "That there was a way for me to keep both you, and the other…"

"…Yeah, so do I…" The boy sighed, heading toward the bathroom door. "I'm going back to work, I have things to finish today…" He walked out back into the hall, Eiri following him.

"Shuichi, wait…" He grabbed a hold of the boy's shoulder, and gently spun him around to face himself. "…I…love you." He leaned down, and planted a light kiss on the other's lips.

Shuichi blushed a deep cherry, and kissed him back; Satomi giggled at this.

"…I…I'll always love you, Yuki…" The pink-haired boy turned around, choking back his tears, and started to walk away. Eiri watched him for a moment or two, before also turning around, and walking in the opposite direction.

"Hey, Shuichi!" Ryuichi popped out of what seemed like nowhere, and latched himself onto the boy's sleeve. "Hey, hey! I saw Eiri-san! Did you talk to him? Oh, oh! Did you tell him you found a new apartment?" Ryuichi was clearly hyper, Tohma probably just made him take his pills.

"Ah, Sa…I mean, Ryuichi." He blinked, looking over to him. "Yeah, I talked to him…we got in an argument…and no, I didn't tell him about my apartment…"

"Awww! How come?" The elder singer detached himself from the other's shirt, and stood beside him.

"It wasn't a good time to tell him, that's all…" He sighed, and started to walk again. "Besides, I can just call him later and tell him."

"Oh yeah, that's true!" The childish singer giggled to himself, before trotting off. "See you later Shuichi!"

"Bye, Ryuichi-san…" Shuichi sighed again, as he walked past Tohma's office.

"Shindou!" Tohma's hatted head popped out of the office door. "May I see you in my office for a moment, please?"

"…Huh…? Oh, Tohma-san." The boy nodded, and entered the man's office. "What is it that you needed to see me for?"

"Hm, take a seat, please." The elder closed the door, as Shuichi sat down; he too sat down, behind his desk. "How are you and Satomi doing?"

"Uhm, were doing great!" He smiled "I just found an apartment just north of here, I can just walk to work, now."

"Oh, that's wonderful, Shindou." Tohma smiled, and laughed lightly as Satomi giggled.

"Yeah," Shuichi adjusted the child on his lap. "It is, isn't it…uhm, is that all you needed, Tohma-san?"

"…Oh duh, I almost forgot why I called you in here." He laughed again, pulling a checkbook out of his desk. "I want you…to have this. Its to support both yourself and the child." He wrote up a check for almost a grand. Shuichi peeked over at it, from the other side of the desk.

"…B...but Tohma-san! I can't take this!" He shook his head, and fluttered his hands a bit.

"Oh? And why not?"

"I just…I'd rather work for my money, not have someone just give it to me…" He looked down, twirling a digit around the piece of paper.

"Hm, I see your point." He nodded, folding his gloved hands on the wooden surface. "But, if you don't want to use it now, just put it in the bank. It can be…emergency money."

"…O…ok, Tohma-san…" Shuichi looked down, putting the check in the pocket of his hoody. "…Thank you, Tohma...so very much."

"No need to thank me, Shuichi. Like I said before, if you ever need it, I'm always here to help." Tohma gave his innocent smile to the other, before sending him back off to work. "Have a nice day, Shuichi."

"…Oh, you too, Tohma-san." He smiled, picking Satomi up, and heading back to the conference room.

"Shindou! Your late again, I called you all back a half an hour ago!" Claude pointed a gun to the singer's temple.

"S…sorry, K-san! First I ran into Yuki, then Ryuichi, and then Tohma called me into his office! Don't shoot me!" He held onto Satomi for dear life.

"…Oh the president called you in?" The man pulled his gun away from Shuichi's head. "Hm, well...ok lets get back to work people!"

Shuichi sighed, taking his seat again, and letting Satomi wander about the room. They didn't do anything important at work that day; Shuichi didn't even know why he bothered to show up. Later that evening, the boy had packed up all his and Satomi's things, and moved into their new place. An abode apartment, and just as Shuichi said, just north of the N-G building. It was the perfect size for the small family of two. But yet, to Shuichi, it seemed surpassingly empty without a third person. That same night, the young vocalist called Eiri up on his cell phone; he was worried about the other picking up the main house phone.

"Hello…?" The deep voice spoke out from the other end.

"Uhm, hey Yuki." The boy smiled to himself, happy to hear Eiri's voice again. "Uhm, I found my own place, and…I just moved in. I thought…you might want the address?"

"Yeah, I do." The elder let a small smile slide. "Just let me pull over, ok?"

"Oh, oki doki." He waited for a moment, hearing the brakes of a car on the other line.

"Ok, what is it…?" Eiri got out a pen from the glove compartment.

"Uhm, ok its fifty-nine-eleven Kusamura Avenue, apartment twelve-B…" Eiri wrote the address on his hand, as Shuichi said it.

"I'm going to drop by, ok?" The car started to drive off again.

"Oh, ok Yuki! Promise?" His bit his lower lip.

"Yeah, I promise…" Eiri's voice wavered a bit.

"Yay! I'll see you soon then!" His smiled grew, and they both hung up.

Shuichi went into an extreme cleaning mode. Since they did just move in, boxes were everywhere, and possessions scattered about. Therefore, he quickly picked things up, and unpacked the rest of their belongings, all the while, Satomi watching him. Afterwards, he put the female child to bed. Then, he waited, all night, and still no sign of Eiri. The boy had been disappointed again, another promise, broken. The poor vocalist had yet another sleepless night. Sometimes he wished, that these things never happened, that he had never met Eiri in the first place. If he had never met Eiri, they would have never formed a relationship; they would have never conceived Satomi. The thought of her not being there made Shuichi even lonelier than he already was. He shook his head, and slammed it into his pillow, trying to disregard the thoughts.

"…I'm sorry…for whatever I did, Yuki…" The Shindou boy was whispering softly to himself. "…I don't know why you left, it was probably because of me…wasn't it? What else could it have been…? Satomi maybe? …No, you love her too much, I can see it in your eyes when you look at her…" He started to sob into the pillow. "It wasn't a mistake, was it? All the times I met you…? All the things you said…? Even the broken promises? You were busy, I understand that, but…when you say things, and I know you don't mean them…it really hurts…now look at me…I'm falling apart without you…" He sighed deeply into the cushion, and fell to sleep. Lucky him, he didn't have work the following morning. Saturdays were his favorite, a time for him and Satomi both to get out of the house. Maybe even go to the park, and the ice-cream shop. That would be pleasant, just the two of them, having merriment as a family. The only thing missing was a father.

The next morning, Satomi was still sound asleep. Shuichi was up, trying to get the rest of his cleaning done.

"Gah…I didn't realize how much stuff I have…" He sighed, unpacking his books. There was a knock at the door. "Ah…!" The boy quickly, skittered up and answered it.

"…Hey, Shuichi" Eiri was standing there; he was smiling and looking down at the younger one.

"Oh…Hey Yuki!" He smiled up at him.

"So, how's it going?" Eiri smiled again, still looking at Shuichi.

"Oh, great! I'm just finishing up my cleaning and stuff…its still messy" He giggled. "Please, come in." Eiri did so, looking around the box-covered living room.

"Heh, you want some help with this?" He smirked.

"Oh! Yes, please!" He smiled, twirling a bit. "Knowing me, I would procrastinate half-way through, and it wouldn't get done for days!"

"Hehe, so…you going show me the rest of it?" Eiri smiled at him.

"Hehe, oh yeah! I can give you a tour from the living room!" He giggled again. "Ok, that's the kitchen over there, this is the living room, down that hallway is my room, Satomi's room, and the bathroom! Its so small."

"Yeah, but it's a good size for both you and Satomi."

"Yeah! Perfect size for two!" He twirled again.

"…And three sometimes."

"…Yeah…and the occasional three." He smiled.

"Like tonight." Eiri leaned down and hugged Shuichi.

"R…really?" The boy hugged him back.

"Really." He smiled again. "So…where shall we start with the cleaning?" The elder looked around slightly, then back down to the other.

"Uhm…" He too looked around. "How about the living room, since it's the messiest!" Clearly being in an energized state, the pink-haired boy began to clean up the said living room.

"Ok then…" The blond laughed lightly, before helping the other clean up the room.

"Hey, cool! My bookshelf is done!" He smiled. "…Huh…more than half of the books on this shelf are yours…odd…"

"Hehe, doesn't surprise me. You bought all of them, and some I gave to you." He smiled, pulling open a box full of Shuichi's costumes. "Hey, what'd you want me to with these?"

"Huh?" He looked over, and blushed. "Oh...uhm…I'll...take care of those." Quickly, he took the box from Eiri, and dropped it off in his bedroom.

"What? Not like I haven't seen you in them before, cause I have."

"Its...just a bit embarrassing."

"Why is it embarrassing?" Eiri opened another box.

"It…it just is now…" Shuichi pulled a snow globe out of a box. "Huh…? Hey, you know where this came from?"

"Why would I know?" The elder looked up at him.

"…Hm…Oh well." He placed the object on the coffee table, and began to rifle through another box. "Oh! Hey, Yuki! You remember this?" The boy giggled, holding up a black and white, French Maid's outfit.

"Hm…?" Eiri looked up; of course he remembered it. The day Shuichi wore that dress; it seemed exceedingly long ago now. That was the day Ryuichi and Tatsuha were over. They were doing some…explicit things in Eiri's shower. As a result of that, Shuichi, being the little maid of the house, decided he was going to clean the bathroom up, and that he was going to do it in the maid's outfit he had bought a few days before. He did accordingly, Eiri helping him. When they finished cleaning, the novelist picked up the vocalist in his arms; he drew up some bath water, and undressed the pink-haired one, setting him into the water. Then, they too, ended up doing some…explicit things in the bathtub. What did they get out of it? Well, Satomi, of course. Eiri's smile faded lightly, thinking back on it, he nodded, and returned to unpacking.

"Hm…yeah…Oh! I almost forgot to ask!" He folded the dress, and popped up from the floor. "Would you like something to drink, Yuki?" Shuichi trotted off to the kitchen.

"Oh, sure."

"Ok, but it can't be alcohol!" He smiled, opening the fridge. "Cause, I threw all that out!"

"That's fine, I'll just have water."

"Oki doki!" He giggled, grabbing two bottled waters from the fridge, he handed one to Eiri, and sat down on a box. "Here you go."

"Thanks." He smiled and sat down too, taking a drink from the bottle. "Oh, don't throw your boxes away. I'm planning on moving again. This time to an actual house."

"Oh, really? Cool!" He smiled, adjusting himself on the box. "Well, good luck with moving, Yuki-san!" He smiled again.

"Heh, yeah. Thanks…" The elder smirked, taking a swig from his water.

"Ah, yeah…" Shuichi also took a drink from the water. "Nehh…" He slid off the box, and onto the floor, lying back.

"Tired?" Eiri quirked a brow at the pink-haired one, and smirked lightly.

"A bit, yeah."

"Then take a nap, I'll clean up a bit around here, ok?"

"Huh...oh, ok, Yuki." He smiled, curling up on a pillow that was on the floor; he fell asleep.

Eiri watched him for a moment, smiling as he put a blanket around the boy. He cleaned the living room the rest of the way, and started working on the kitchen, then Satomi's room; silently of course, not to wake either Shuichi or Satomi. When he was done with the kitchen, the blond went back to the living room, taking a seat next to Shuichi, and watching him sleep. The boy rolled over, peeking an eye open, and looking up at the other.

"Uhn…" He sat up, rubbing at his eyes.

"Hey there." Eiri smiled.

"Oh…Hi, Yuki." Shuichi smiled back, and Eiri helped him up off the floor. "Thank you…"

"Mmhm. Hey, I finished the living room, Satomi's room, and the kitchen's done. Only thing left is your room, and I'll leave that to you."

"Wha-- Oh! Thank you, Yuki-san!" He bowed lightly "It would of taken me forever to do that!"

"Hehe, no problem, Shuichi." Eiri smiled. "Hm, hey, I'm going to go shower, that way you can get your room cleaned up."

"Ah, oki doki, Yuki!" The singer skittered back to his room, and did the said cleaning.

Meanwhile, Eiri goes out to his car to get his belongings. He set the bag down in the corner of the living room, and grabbed a pair of clothes from it; then proceeded to go to the bathroom, undress, and take his said shower.

"Boxes, boxes…Lots of boxes…" Shuichi piled the empty boxes from his room into the living room.

After Eiri had washed up, and gotten dressed, he walked over to Shuichi's room to check on him. The boy was sitting on the floor in front of his closet, going through the box of costumes.

"Lets see…Banana, Battery, Dog, Maid, and School-Girl…Yup! All here!" He giggled, folding the costumes, and stuffing them in the top of the closet; not noticing that Eiri was standing in the doorway, watching him. He turned around, looking at the elder. "…H…how long have you been there?" He flushed.

"Ever since you started going though those costumes." Eiri crossed his arms, smiling, as Shuichi blushed even more. "Heh, God, I love making you blush."

"…T…that is soooo mean!" He flailed slightly, and all the costumes fell down on top of him. "Ahhhh! D-damn it…"

"Hehe…" Eiri laughed, picking them up off of the other, folding them, and putting them back in the closet; making them stay this time.

"Eh-hehe, Thank you, Yuki…wait, how'd you get them to stay?!"

"…Just put the ones that fold easily on the bottom, the rest on the top."

"Oh, makes sense." He giggled and got up off the floor. "I'm so slow."

"No your not."

"Well, sometimes I am." He smiled.

"Yeah, sometimes." Eiri too smiled.

"Oh, Yuki! I made a copy of my photo album for you! Thought you would want it!" He rummaged through his closet, and pulled out a medium sized book, and handed it to the other. The blond took it, and flipped through the pages. It was filled with pictures, from the first time they met, all the way up till recently.

"…Thanks Shuichi." He smiled, and hugged him lightly.

"Oh…no problem, Yuki." He smiled, and hugged back.

"Hm…?" he turned around, hearing a noise from Satomi's room. "Looks like she's up."

"Ah, its about time." He smiled, walking to her room, Eiri following him. "Oh, my little Satomi is up…" He smiled again, picking her up out of the crib. "I bet your hungry!"

"Hey Satomi." Eiri walked in, and smiled at her.

"Da-da!" The child wiggled, and reached for him. He took her from Shuichi.

"Sorry, I didn't come and get you this week-end, Daddy was busy."

"It ok, Da-da!" She smiled and kissed his cheek.

"Heh, ok, I'm going to give you back to Shuichi, so he can feed you, ok?" Satomi smiled and nodded, as Shuichi took her back.

"…She's so cute." The pink-haired boy trotted off to the kitchen, setting the child in her high chair; Eiri followed him again. "She's the biggest daddy's girl ever too..." He giggled.

"Could be, or maybe she just doesn't get to see me that much."

"…Hm…yeah." He shrugs and feeds Satomi her baby food. The blond watched them, smiling. "Ok Satomi, here's the last of it!" Shuichi smiled, feeding her the rest, and cleaning her off.

"…Daddy's girl, eh?" Eiri smiled, and picked her up out of the high chair, setting her down on the floor; she ran off in to the living room.

"…So energetic." Shuichi followed Eiri into the living room.

"Just like you." He smiled, sitting down on a box, watching the child play.

"Heh, yeah, guess so." Shuichi stood, also watching her.

Satomi stopped, and stood up. She looked from Shuichi, then to Eiri, before running over and hugging Shuichi's leg, looking up at him smiling.

"Ah…" The boy looked down, smiled, and then kneeled down to hug her. "I love you Satomi."

She let go of his leg, and ran at Eiri next, basically tackling him down off his box. He fell to the floor laughing.

"I love you too, Satomi." Eiri smiled still, as she ran off to go play again; he stood back up, dusting himself off.

"…So adorable." Shuichi smiled, watching her play again.

"Yeah, she is." The blond walked over to the other, and hugged him gently.

"…Uhn…" He blushed lightly, hugging back.

"…I like your hugs better." He whispered into the others ear, making him smile, and blush more.

"Uhm...that's good, I guess."

"Its true, Shuichi." Eiri smiled, releasing the hug.

"Well…I'll always like your hugs better, Yuki!" He giggled, and twirled around again. Eiri smirked, watching him.

That night, Eiri slept over. He had hauled a section of his couch to the small apartment, so that the boy could have somewhere to sit until he got a real couch; that and the elder needed a place to sleep for the night. The next morning, Shuichi was sitting on the couch, he was skimming through the newspaper; Eiri was giving Satomi a bath.

"Hmm…nothing good…" Shuichi sighed, setting the paper down, looking up, and hearing the bathroom door open. He giggled seeing Eiri and Satomi both wet. "Did you have fun?"

"Hehe, just a little wet from her splashing so much..." He let her loose onto the floor to play.

"Not to wet I hope?" He giggled again, as the other sat next to him.

"Ah…I think I got more of a bath than she did." He smiled as Shuichi started to laugh.

"Yeah, she can be quite the demon when in the tub." He smiled, as Eiri shook his head a bit, trying to dry it faster. Shuichi wanted to say something along the lines of 'you still look sexy wet' but he decided it wasn't the best thing to say. Instead, he giggled, and sat back on the couch.

"…What?" The elder looked down at him.

"Hehe, nothing." He smiled that usual innocent smile.

"Mmhm…sure." Eiri smirked, watching Satomi play.

Shuichi smiled, also watching Satomi. He leaned onto the elder's shoulder. Eiri smiled, and wrapped an arm around him, just as he used to; the boy shivered, just lightly, at the touch.

"Something wrong…?"

"…Sorry…I'm just…not used to it. Heh…"

"…Its ok, Shuichi."

"Heh…hm…I want to play with my baby!" He giggled, and quickly slid off the couch and onto the floor with Satomi. Eiri laughed, and watched them; his eyes began to water as he watched Shuichi tickle Satomi to the ground, her laughter spreading throughout the small apartment.

"Come on, Yuki!" The singer smiled, picking the child up. "Come play with us!"

"Nah, that's alright." He smiled, adjusting himself on the couch. "I enjoy watching you guys."

"Awww, oki doki then." He smiled and twirled around the living room, both him and Satomi giggling. Eiri watched them, still smiling.

"Whoo!" Shuichi stopped spinning for a moment, and threw the child up in the air, catching her again when she came back down. The elder smiled still, getting up, walking over, and hugging them both. Satomi giggled, and kissed his cheek as Shuichi hugged him back.

"I love you, Satomi and you as well, Shuichi." Satomi giggled, saying she loved him too.

"Yeah, I'm with Sato-chan on that one." The boy smiled, and blushed as Eiri laughed.

"I know you'll say it, Shuichi." He smiled. "Come on."

"I'll…Always and forever, love you too, Yuki." Shuichi smiled, as Eiri planted a kiss on both his, and Satomi's forehead. "Hmm…now that you're up." Shuichi smiled his innocent smile, and giggled. "Now will you dance with us? I am determined to get you to dance!"

"I don't dance, Shuichi. You know that."

"Awww, come on! Just once? Then…I'll never ask again!!" Eiri smirked, and replied with a 'No', making Shuichi pout. "Awww, you…you meanie!"

"That still doesn't bother me when you call me that. I'm used to it by now." He smiled, placing a hand on Shuichi's magenta head. "Why don't you go get supper ready, and I'll stay in here and play with Satomi."

"Ok…" He sighed. "I'm still going to get you to dance one day!!" He put the child down, and twirled off to the kitchen.

"Hehe, if you say so, Shuichi." He smiled and began to play with Satomi.

"Hmmm…" The boy rummaged through the pantry and the fridge. "Hey, what should we have to eat?"

"What all can you cook?" Eiri still played with the child.

"I don't know!" The boy giggled to himself. "…Uhm…anything that doesn't require too much oven!"

"Heh, alright, surprise me."

"…Oki doki then!" He smiled, mumbling to himself. "…Mac'n cheese? Nah…too…uhm…kid-ish."

Eiri was sitting on the floor, still playing with Satomi. Every time she went to crawl away, he would pull her back by her feet; she was laughing to it. Shuichi listened to her from the kitchen; he smiled.

"Hehe, adorable…" He smiled again, getting out the things he needed to cook.

The elder was tickling the child, she was laughing incredibly hard, that she was crying almost.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Shuichi was getting out bowls and things to dish the food out in. He almost dropped one of the dishes.

"Oh, shi—" He caught himself before he could finish the word. "Uhm…food's almost done! Hehe…huh?" He looked down, stirring the pot on the stove, as Satomi ran in and hugged onto his leg, trying to hide. "What's you father doing to you in there, huh?" The boy laughed.

"Nothing much, just tickling the hell out of her." Eiri smirked and walked into the kitchen with them. Shuichi laughed again, and turned the stove off, kneeling down and picking Satomi up.

"Oh, is that all, sweetie?" She nodded, and he smiled, setting her back down again. "Well, you're a tough girl! Go beat him up!" The boy giggled as Eiri walked back to the living room, Satomi running close behind him.

Shuichi snickered, dishing out the noodles, and carrying them out to the living room.

"Oki doki! Food is done!"

The novelist smiled and went to pick Satomi up, only to get hit in the head with a stuffed animal of hers.

"Come on Satomi, we'll play later, it's time to eat." Shuichi smiled at the two of them, setting two bowls of Udon on the table, and another small one on Satomi's high chair.

"So…" Eiri took a seat next to Shuichi on the couch, taking up the steaming bowl of Udon. "You actually leaned how to cook, huh?"

"Uh-huh! But, I'm not so sure on how the Udon turned out, this is my first time cooking it…without help anyways."

"Hehe, really now? I better taste test it then." The elder smirked, and took up his chopsticks, eating a few of the noodles. "…"

"What? What? Is it good?" Shuichi skittered, and looked up to him. "Did I burn it? Is it too spicy? Or, or, something?"

"Shuichi, calm down." He leaned down, kissing his cheek lightly, and whispering into his ear. "Its perfect." The boy blushed at this and pulled away giggling, eating at his own bowl of noodles.

Eiri stayed over again that night, but left early the next morning, saying that the other would come home shortly. They said their good-byes, Eiri saying that he'd come back soon, Shuichi saying that he'd be waiting. It was about a week later, which Eiri came back. Nowhere near the time of 'soon'. It was Friday afternoon, and he was there to take Satomi for the weekend.

"I'll bring her back Sunday night." The elder smiled, picking Satomi up, and draping her bag over one of his shoulders.

"Promise?" Shuichi looked up to him. He always had to make Eiri promise, even if it was the smallest thing.

"Yes, I promise, Shuichi." He walked out the front door to the small apartment. "Later." He walked down the hall, and back out to his car, not even giving the junior time to say bye.

"Uhm, yeah…later, Yuki…" The boy sighed, and closed the front door, plopping down onto his couch. "This is going to be a tough weekend…" He closed his eyes, falling asleep on the couch.

Sunday finally came around; it seemed to take forever. Shuichi was vigorously cleaning house, awaiting the arrival of his child, and his…ex-lover. Once he was done cleaning, he waited, and waited. It was about nine o' clock at night, and still no sign of the two of them.

"Well, maybe it's not what I think…" He nodded, agreeing with his thoughts. "Maybe something just came up, and he wasn't able to bring her back today…no, he would have called if that was the case." The boy stood up, pacing the living room. "Better not worry myself…just wait another day…one more day." He fell asleep in Satomi's room that night, and the night after. He woke up Tuesday morning, and grabbed his things, heading for work. Once at N-G, the boy went straight to Tohma's office, knocking on the door.

"Come in." The voice from inside spoke out as Shuichi opened the door, and quietly came in. "Oh, hello, Shindou-san."

"Uhm, Hi, Tohma-san." The boy took a seat in the chair in front of the mahogany desk.

"What is it that you need, Shindou? You look a bit tired." The blond cocked a brow, and leaned forward, studying the younger one.

"…I was up last night worrying…and I couldn't get to sleep."

"Worrying? About what, if I may ask?" The elder stood up from his desk, and walked over to Shuichi.

"…Satomi." He sighed, and looked down. "Yuki took her on Friday afternoon, he said he'd bring her back Sunday night, like he always does...but...it's already Tuesday, and he hasn't brought her back yet…" A small sob emitted from his mouth. "T...Tohma, I don't know what to do."

"I'm so sorry." The blond leaned down, and gently embraced the other. "Have you tried going to his apartment?"

"N…no." The vocalist leaned into the hug. "Yuki moved to a new house… he didn't tell me where though."

"You can always try his editor lady's house, Shu-chan!" The usual hyper voice of Ryuichi came from the door. "She'll know where he lives!" He had Kumagoro in his mouth; Akina was in a holster on his chest.

"Oh, Ryu-san! That's a great idea!" Shuichi smiled, and turned back around toward the blond. "Tohma-san, do you know where Yuki's editor lives?"

"I'm afraid I do not, Shindou."

"Awww, damn it…!"

"You can check the phone book!" Ryuichi smiled, giving Akina a cracker to keep her from wiggling. "Please hurry and get Satomi back, Shu-chan! Akina misses her play-mate!"

"Oh yeah!" Shuichi smiled. "I'll try my best to get her back, Ryu-san."

Later that day, after work, the young vocalist did as his idol suggested; he used the phone book. And, after many trial and errors, he finally got the right number.

"Hello, would this happen to be Eiri Yuki's editor?" He crossed his fingers, and held his breath.

"Uhm, yes it is. Do you have any business of Eiri-san?"

"Yes, I do. This is Shuichi Shindou. We've met before I believe." The boy paced his living room; he was fidgeting again.

"Oh, Shindou! It's been a while since I last spoke to you. How are you and the child doing?"

"Well, not too great actually." He sighed, and paused for a moment before continuing. "Where is Eiri Yuki's current residence?"

"Oh yeah, he did move...uhm…oh yes!" The sound of shuffling papers and book pages could be heard from the other line. "Here it is…twelve-fifty-six Shiraga Lane."

"Twelve…fifty-six…shi-ra-ga…" The boy was quickly etching down the address in a sketchbook. "Ah, ok! Thank you so much! I owe you!" He hung up the phone without saying good-bye, and pulled on his jacket. "I'm on a mission!" Pulling his shoes on, he skidded out the door, and out to the cold winter air.

At this point in the day, the young vocalist was a bit…out of it. He ran down the street wearing all black, and humming his own theme music. To Shuichi's surprise, people were staring at him as if he was some kind of lunatic; which was a believable cerebration at the time. He was being a bit over dramatic.

Finally, he arrived at the said residence of Eiri Uesugi. It was quite a large house, similar to most of Eiri's apartments. A plain, yet somehow exotic white covered the house's exterior; the shutters and door were painted a brilliant blue, almost reminiscent to the color of sapphires. It had taken Shuichi a while to reach the marvelous house; therefore it was around sunset, the perfect time to do his 'mission'. The pink-haired one sidled the house, sneaking around one of the corners, and peeking into a brightly lit window. Inside was a child's room, most likely Satomi's; a crib was in the corner nearest the window, a toy box, closet, and small dresser just opposite of it. Suddenly, the door to the room opened, and the tall blond walked in with the child in his arms.

"Time to go to bed, Satomi." The elder smiled, setting her down in the crib, and kissing her forehead. "I'll see you when you wake up." He smiled again, turned off the light, and exited the room. Shuichi, during this time, was trying his best not to scream.

The younger boy waited awhile before opening the window.

"That stupid…" He thought to himself. "Doesn't he know to lock the windows, and get a security system?!" The boy sighed, looking down at Satomi. He was whispering now. "So cute, especially when she sleeps…" He smiled, picking the sleeping child up, and gently placing her in a holster that he had brought with him. "Mommy's taking you home, Satomi…" Shuichi slowly climbed out the window, and closed it up again. "I'm sorry, Yuki…" And with that, he ran off back towards his apartment, shielding the child from the cold, darkened winds.

Once back at the abode place, the vocalist put the child back to bed, and covered her up. He muttered a few goodnight words to her, and headed off to bed himself.

"Yuki's going to freak out when he finds out Satomi's not there…" The boy rolled over, burying violet eyes into a pillow. "Serves him right for trying to take her like that…after what he did, I don't think he should have the right to see her…father or not, what he did was wrong…"

The next day, Shuichi went to Ryuichi's house to tell him the wonderful news.

"Ryu-san!!" The boy pounded on the door, Satomi on one of his hips. "Ryu-san, guess what!" The door opened, as sapphire eyes stared into that of violet ones. Akina was also on the hip of her mother, a smaller version of Kumagoro in her mouth.

"Oh hey Shu—You Got Satomi Back?!" The elder choked, almost dropping his child.

"Yeah!! Isn't it awesome?" Shuichi giggled, and walked in.

"How did you manage that one, Shu-chan?" Ryuichi blinked, taking a seat on the couch, Shuichi sitting next to him.

"Well…I kind of snuck into Yuki's house when everyone was asleep. Hehe…" The younger vocalist smiled innocently, sitting back.

"Yay! That's wonderful Shuichi!" The brunette smiled back, and let Akina run free. "So, what about Yuki?" He turned his gaze toward Shuichi, as he too let Satomi run free; he was silent for a moment, before answering.

"…I don't care about him anymore…"

"…Oh." Ryuichi smiled. "Hey, you've finally got to where I am about Tatsuha! I haven't cared about him in months!"

"Heh, yeah…" Shuichi smiled weakly at this and stood up, kneeling by the playing children. "But…I still wish all this never happened…"

Weeks passed by since the day Shuichi stole Satomi back, and there was still no reaction or sign of Eiri; the boy was more than ok with that. Day by day, Satomi was getting bigger, and talking more; Shuichi only wished that someone other than himself were there to see it. December had gone and died away, and the birth of a new month was in the midst. Satomi's first Christmas didn't turn out the way Shuichi had expected it to. Although, Ryuichi along with Akina and Hiroshi were there, and even Tohma stopped by for a visit. It was a bit surprising that Eiri didn't show up, it was almost as if he had completely forgotten about them. But, that was all ok; Shuichi had given up on him a long time ago. New Year's and New Year's Eve were entertaining days. Some parties went on; dancing, singing, and eating till your heart's content. That was the first time Shuichi realized how much Satomi could actually eat. But, no matter how much celebrating went on, life was still different for the broken family; the boy had even decided to change Satomi's last name to that of his own. Satomi Shindou, it has a pleasant ring to it; she'll grow up to become quite the woman. Akina was the same age as Satomi, and just as developed too; she could talk and walk all the same as the other female.

In the spring of that precise year, Hiroshi and Ayaka married. It was a beautiful day; Satomi and Akina were the flower girls, and Shuichi was the best man. There was still no word from Eiri, but, that was still ok to the boy; life was better without him anyways. On Mr. And Mrs. Nakano's honeymoon, they went off to Europe for a getaway, and Hiro ended up getting his bride pregnant. It was similar to one of Shuichi's dreams, Hiroshi being Eiri, and Ayaka being himself, both of them happy. But those were just dreams, pointless dreams. April came around, and that only ment Shuichi was a year older. Twenty years old, it was kind of hard to believe at first, but the boy soon got used to the thought of growing older, as long as he got to spend the rest of his days with his friends and family. Speaking of family, the day of the Nakano wedding, the pink-haired singer decided to finally tell his family about Eiri, Satomi, everything. To tell the truth, they were quite shocked, but accepted them both, despite everything that was told.

It was a clove of seasons; warped between summer and fall; around August I would say. Satomi was almost a year old already; things seemed to go by exceedingly quick for Shuichi. It seemed as if only yesterday he was in the hospital with her, Eiri at his side, and Ryuichi in the bed next to his with his own child. But besides that, Shuichi still lived in the same apartment, and since he was working more often, he was able to bedeck the dwelling to his liking. Work was easier, now that things had calmed down a bit. Bad Luck was number two in the charts, one rank below Nittle Grasper; it seemed they would never surpass Grasper, but instead always one step behind. That was ok, because that wasn't the number one priority on Shuichi's list anymore.

The day of Satomi and Akina's birthday was a big festivity. Everyone came, Hiroshi, Ayaka, Tohma, Ryuichi, and all of the immediate Shindou family. Well, everyone except for Eiri, but then again, that wasn't all too surprising. He hadn't come for about eight months, why start now? The elder novelist was out of the vocalist's life; disappeared like smoke on a windy day. Although, the Shindou boy did keep his photo album, it was still sitting on the same shelf, in the same place collecting dust. He hadn't touched it since the night he stole Satomi back; except for now. The day after the party, he decided to flip through it, just to see what was inside; he had forgotten after such a long time. There were pictures such as, the very first one of Eiri and himself at Odaiba Amusement Park, a few pages after, the first picture of them all as a family. That was his favorite out of the whole book. A newly born Satomi resting in his arms, Eiri's arm wrapped about the boy's waist, and a smile on both their faces; it was a picture perfect family. But that's all it will ever be, perfect for a picture, and the keyword being 'was'.

In the end, Eiri never did come back, and even today, no one knows exactly where he is. Shuichi had forgotten completely about the novelist, and lived a happy life with his daughter, without anymore romantic nightmares to interrupt. The Nakano child was born in early December, it was a boy, and the couple named him Aikyou Nakano. Shuichi and Ryuichi spent more time together, even though they were still rivals on the charts; their children played with one another.

Weeks, months, and even years pass by in the blink of an eye. Shuichi was now twenty-five years old, Satomi six; and already starting school with Akina. Ryuichi had turned thirty-seven, and was starting to realize that his age had finally started to catch up to him, although, he still had to take his pills, behaving or not. Eiri was still gone, and the boy didn't even bother to go looking for him, he knew it was a waste of valuable time and energy. According to Eiri's editor, the novelist had moved again, but the information on his location was classified, and was not to leak out to anyone at anytime, especially the press.

Now, as I sit here and type, growing older everyday, I still think about him and all the things we went through together, good and bad. My daughter always used to ask me where her father went to, but the only thing I could reply with was 'I don't know'. Now, she's nineteen years old, and heading off to college with her best friend of which she shares a birthday with. I'm thirty-eight now, and living in a small house, due west of the N-G building. I'm still with Bad Luck, it's kind of hard to believe after all these years with them, I know; we're still number two on the charts, and still one step behind Nittle Grasper, as always. Ryuichi's age finally caught up to him; he's about fifty years old now, and getting ready to retire from his career of being a vocalist. Bad Luck will finally make it to number one. If Eiri were still here with me, he would be forty-one, and I would still consider him Satomi's father. But, unfortunately for him, I don't. He left almost nineteen years ago, abandoning his only child and myself; he doesn't deserve the title of 'father'.

Everyone's just fine now, despite what happened in the past. Aikyou Nakano grew up to become quite the handsome young man, and if it weren't awkward I would date him myself. But unfortunately, he has a girlfriend. That reminds me, Satomi and Akina both grew up to become straight, beautiful women, and they both have wonderful boyfriends of their own. Ryushi Hiroichi's my son-in-law, last fall he asked Satomi to marry him; my baby's finally grown up, she's not even a baby anymore. It saddens me to watch her leave, but all eggs must hatch, and leave the nest. I'm happy, truly happy for the first time, in a long time. Deep down, and even though I don't show it, I'm glad she found a man of her own to live and start a family with; their wedding's coming up soon. I only hope her life goes the way she wants it to, unlike the sadness of which my life once was.

♥-End-♥