Note: I had considered abandoning this fanfiction, because Tohma hasn't got many fans (he can definetly counts me among them though!!) but the few reviews encouraged me to write a bit more, and I'll probably write even more (chapters will be small scenes of Tohma's life) although Tohma's got such a complex personality it is realy difficult to write from his point of view! So i do apologize if I fail doing this!

Plot (chapter 3): Tohma Seguchi is at the edge of NG Records building. Just a little step forward and it's all over... One-sided Eiri x Tohma

Disclaimer: I (unfortunately!) do not own any Gravitation characters! I'm already happy with my Kumagoro plush toy! :-D

Please bear in mind that I'm French, therefore, my English is far from perfect and I do apologize for the mistakes I surely make now and then!!

UNTIL THE MASK FALLS OFF - Chapter 3

The night view is really beautiful from the top of NG Records building. Beautiful and quiet. You're too high to hear distinctly the busy noises of the town and you're away from the craziness going on inside the walls. Meetings, business phone calls… Pressure… And the same old hypocrites who only care about me because I'm the official president of that loony bin.

Today has been just like any other day and the night has fallen without any change in my heart. The million fireflies of the city lights make me feel dizzy. I close my eyes and sigh. A chilly wind is blowing and caressing my hair. Just a little step forward and that indescribable pain that's been eating my heart for years will go away. Just a little step forward and it's all over. My whole body trembles. I take a deep breath and open my eyes.

"I wouldn't look down if I were you"

I wince and fall backwards but strong arms have already wrapped themselves around my waist and picked me safely. He loosens his embrace and I turn around to meet his golden eyes.

"Eiri-san, what are you doing here?" I say, panting.

"Preventing you from doing stupid things, I suppose"

I blush. That voice. Deep. Sexy. It is like a pleasant melody and I am delighted at every single syllable.

"Sakano called me and told me you'd spent the day locked in your office and hadn't replied to any phone call. What is it, Tohma?"

Could it be that he was worried about me? Eiri-san...

"Nothing. I just needed to take a break" I say, softly.

"At the top of a building, with a foot in the void?" He sneers.

I gulp. Eiri is about ten years younger than me, but right now, I feel like a little boy being told off. Though I witnessed some rare moments during which he gave himself away, he always seems so strong and so confident, that I often forget how young he is. He still had a baby face when he was sixteen, but his features now wear the weight of his dark past.

"Would you have done it?" he asks, narrowing his eyes.

I shrug.

"I don't know"

And I really don't know. The mask has become so heavy to wear now.

"Aren't you happy with my sister?"

I gasp and look away with embarrassment. He perfectly knows why I married her in the first place.

"I know there's never been true love between the two of you, but I thought you were doing pretty well together. Mika even told me you were talking about having a baby last time I met her."

She's the one who talks about having a baby, and I'm the one who always avoids the subject. I only talk about him.

"Why, Eiri? Why does it hurt so much to be in love with someone who doesn't share the same feelings?" I ask, eyes filling with tears.

He knows I'm talking about him, but he just pretends he doesn't. Highly sensitive area.

"Love is a complicated thing," he whispers.

I put my hands on his shoulders and stand on tip-toe to look at him straight in the eye. My heart is pounding in my chest, and my lips dangerously approach his. I can feel his breathe against my frozen face. I can't resist. No time for second thoughts. I press my lips against his mouth with all my love and all my despair. He doesn't move an inch, but at least he doesn't push me away either. I cup his face with my gloved hands and kiss him more deeply. His lips finally part, allowing our tongues to meet. The kiss is both sweet and wild and it sends electric discharges all over my body. I know that for him, it's nothing more than a kiss. Lust, at best. Pity, at worst. But not love. I bite his lower lip softly and take a step back.

"You know to whom I belong, Tohma, don't you?"

I nod and try to chase away the images of the young pink-haired singer floating around me.

"I love him, and there's nothing you can do against that," he goes on.

Stab in the heart. Tears run down my cheeks.

He sighs when he notices them but this sigh is not like his usual exasperation ones, this one is different. I feel sadness and maybe even guilt in it. But then again, maybe I only imagine this.

He wipes my tears away with the back of his hand and the soft contact of his skin against my cheeks would be enough to make me lose my mind again.

"I shouldn't have let this happen. This is not fair. To Shuichi. To Mika" He pauses. "To you"

"It's not you, it's me" What a banality! "Maybe you shouldn't have stopped me, after all…"

"Don't be silly, I would have missed you if you had jumped, Tohma. Never do that again, you stupid git" He says, his lips curling into a slight smile.

My eyes widen and I open my mouth to speak, but he wraps his arms around me, forcing me to lean my head against his chest. He holds me tightly and rests his chin on the top of my head. The world may as well tumble right now, I wouldn't care. I feel like I am in a warm and inflatable bubble and I want that moment to last forever. Love's illusions…

Thanks for reading!!

And NO, Eiri is not a cruel and heartless person playing with other people's feelings, it's much more complex than that!!