Gravitation
Date Started: September 11, 2006
Sora Kazuma
Chapter Four: Sunrise Promise
Ryuichi dragged himself into NG studios around five in the evening, putting down the hood on the sleeveless hoodie he was wearing to block out the last bit of sunlight. His immune system was very strong and he could handle being out in the day for brief periods of time, but like all vampires he had a serious weakness to the light. It made him sluggish, and with barely sleeping and eating as it was, he much rather looked half-dead then undead.
Collapsing backwards in a chair, he slouched, resting his arms on the back of the chair and hanging his head. It was needless to say that the atmosphere of the room changed drastically, those who were nearby feeling as if they had kicked a puppy. The normal cheerful handsome face had lost its entire spark, those ocean blue eyes all their life.
"SAKUMA-SAAAANNN!" With a loud melodious call like that it could only be Shuichi, throwing open the door and beaming broadly. Ever since the visit from Tatsuha the night before he had made it a point of today to see how the other side of the relationship was going and it was evident it was not going good.
Ryu didn't flinch, didn't move and for a minute, the boy feared him dead. "Wha? What's going on Sakuma, you look so…not you!" He densely admitted, batting his fine lashes.
Still no answer and no sign as if he was ever gonna answer. "SAKUMMMMMAAAAAA! Can you hear me?" He persisted, getting right in the boy's face.
Finally a fine chocolate brown brow furrowed in annoyance and then returned to normal, eyes returning to near-tears. "Will you keep it down Shu?" He asked finally, voice monotone.
"This isn't like you though Sakuma-san." The pink-haired singer crossed his arms over his chest, standing to full height as if it were impressive. "How bout you tell me about it?"
"Like you don't already know." He said softly. He knew Shuichi had the power to look into his mind as well, and though faint, he could smell Tatsuha's scent clinging to his body. It was obvious the boy had returned to the Yuki residence before he had left the city for good.
Shu let out a small childish giggle, but it died as it left his mouth. Things rarely got to the level where they spoke on terms of their power and position as vampires. But with the situation finally one of seriousness it was probably the best they did not turn a blind eye to it. "You need to feed." He told him matter-of-factly. One serious statement deserved another.
Ryuichi sat up straight and he merely shook his head. "Tatsuha." Was all he managed to say and his voice fell into a slight whimper as the name escaped his lips.
Despite his best efforts, Shu felt a bit jealous to that. "Tatsuha is the only one you'll drink from?" He growled. "B-But…! What about Hiro and Fujisaki and Yuki! And Ukai-san and Seguchi-san! There are several people who would do what they could to help you and you know it! You're just being selfish!" In reality it was a wonder who was being selfish.
"I…! I just want Tatsuha to understand…! I didn't mean to say it!" And all of a sudden Ryu was back in tears, arms wrapped around himself, at a loss without his pink bunny to cuddle at a time like this. "He hates me now! Because he hurt me and I hurt him back! And Shuichi you're so mean!"
"W-Wha? I'm mean?" Now Shu was on the verge of tears, having been smited by his idol. It seemed the crying fest was about to continue. "S-Sakuma-san, don't take it like that! Really, I didn't mean to be mean…" The words were getting all tied up, and Bad Luck's lead vocalist wrapped his arm around his god, trying to comfort him. He was feeling horrible for these two, who loved each other so much and did not know how to say it.
Ryu cried for a couple of long moments, really sobbing just to get out his frustration. "I'm sorry Shu…" He whined, finally stifling his sobs to wipe away his tears with his wrist.
"It's alright." He smiled, knowing a little how Hiro must have felt in the end sitting through all of his crying fits after fighting with Yuki. "It will tear you apart if you let it, but the two of you will get better, and Tatsuha will come back. He might be all you want, but you need to take care of yourself too. At this moment and time, you would bleed the boy dry trying to feed from him and you know it." He couldn't believe he of all people was giving decent advice. He had come far in his own journey with dealing with pain and pleasure of the heart that was for sure.
"Shuichi? You…" He let out a soft sigh and managed a small smile. "It seems you are better then me in a lot of ways. You know what you're talking about."
Shu blushed. "I'm not that good. I just…have had practice with my relationship with Yuki and all." He admitted sheepishly. He was not necessarily proud that he knew every little bit of what heartache was like. "Anyway, I think you need to eat. You can feed off of me. I'm done with rehearsal today and I'm going home, so I can always go hunt with Yuki later." The way he said it, it was almost like it was a date, but it was the truth. It was one of the only times the two left the house together to do something.
"Are you sure?" Ryuichi asked, but his body was already gratefully accepting the idea, his stomach rumbling in anticipation. Shuichi nodded and smiled brightly and the other felt himself reluctantly giving in. He lifted the boy's wrist to his mouth, incisors lengthening and very gently biting into his slender wrist.
Shu barely flinched, violet eyes closing for a minute before he let his shoulders slump and relaxed again. He could feel the hot breath on his skin, the lips and tongue lapping at the warm liquid pooling from the open wound to make sure for the most part this little transfusion stayed clean and the studio did not become a crimson mess. He let him continue to drink until his vision began to blur and he gently tugged on his arm. Ryu lifted his head, wiped the corner of his mouth with the side of his hand and leaned back in the chair. His cerulean eyes had regained some of their light and his strength was returning while Shuichi looked a little on the pale side, but nonetheless he was smiling.
"There. Much better." He said in all honesty, bending his hand back so that the skin was stretched and brought the wound to his lips, healing the nasty puncture marks to nothing more then faint scabs.
"Was…was Tatsuha really that upset…?" Nittle Grasper's lead singer was still there in his head, or rather, dwelling on the memories that had come flooding into his mind with the exchange of blood. No doubt he had seen how the boy was the night before and seeing him on the verge of tears clutching Kumagoro like that really made him feel even more horrible then before. "I…I have to go to him! I have to find him!"
At that the door opened and Tohma stood there, talking with a taller man who had fallen in line behind him. Teal eyes blinked at the ordeal, not quite sure what was going on but knowing something was surely up. "Oh…excuse us, were we interrupting?" The blonde asked innocently as if he were truthfully sorry when in reality he didn't care.
"Seguchi-san! N-Nothing was going on! Sakuma-san and I…" Shuichi had started, elbowing Ryu in the side, but he did not get any sort of reply. A quick scan showed utter fear in his emotions, and his body appeared frozen as he stood there, staring at the guest accompanying the NG president with wide blue eyes. "Sakuma-san…?"
He glanced back to him, noting the young man, undeniably a foreigner. He had short silver hair with long bangs and strands that fell well past the edge of his cheeks to tickle against the spotless white business shirt he was wearing. Pale green eyes the color of the ocean blinked behind a pair of thin-framed glasses and he smiled. He was easily Eiri's height if not taller and his skin tone was dark gold as if he spent all his time in the sun. A very strange individual indeed.
"YOU!" Shuichi pointed at him, violet eyes wide with disbelief. "It's Dr. What's-his-face!"
At that kind of reaction the room got very quiet. "Shuichi, what are you talking about?" Ryu said finally, glancing over at him.
"Heh…he looks like one of the guys in a yaoi book I borrowed from Sis. Creepy, that one. But he was hot…" And the lead singer was instantly drooling at the memory.
The newcomer chuckled and he smiled. "I'm flattered you would think of me in comparison." His words were sweet, but to those who knew him well it was just an outright lie. "You must be Shindou-kun."
"O-Oh! Yes sir!" The pink-haired singer nodded with a smile. He could not see what Ryu was so scared about him for. He seemed like a nice guy. He tried to scan the man's memory and found it startlingly blank, not one scrape of evidence there to cling to. It was often a defense tactic to cut one vampire off from the other but he had never seen a spell this outrageously strong. It was exactly as if his brain was locked and barred far out of reach. And that both put Shuichi at unease and impressed him.
Tohma chuckled good-naturedly despite it all. "Shindou, let me introduce you to a good friend of Nittle Grasper's. This is Tachibana Hideo of KMS Records in Los Angeles."
"Tachibana…-san! You're Japanese!" Shuichi was gaping in awe over this. There was no way this man could be Asian! He was taken over by Eiri's striking features, but this was just way too much.
"Japanese-American." He corrected. There was an accent but figuratively speaking his voice was correct and easy to follow. "My mother is from Osaka." Ah, good old Kansai dialect.
"Whether you know or not, Broken Butterfly was labeled by KMS from the states but has become such a big alternative rock band that NG has agreed to license their tour in Japan. It's going to be small, but it is what it is." Tohma was obviously pleased with this turn of events, and Shuichi knew about the new band; they had arrived yesterday to begin with rehearsal for the concert. The lead singer was a girl; in fact half the band were women. Shu was not threatened in the least and many of the other bands in session this week were smitten with the six-group ensemble from America.
"I figured you would be happy with a few new rivals Ryu." Hideo replied with the same charming smile. "I heard you finished the movie premieres early so that you could join in on the concert. You don't seem to be so lively."
"No, really, it'll be fun." Ryuichi spoke up quickly. "Things have just been complicated the last couple of days." Shuichi had never seen his idol so shaken or nervous in the presence of another person. Even Tohma furrowed an eyebrow, realizing something was wrong. He managed a bright flash of a smile just then. "Tohma…that song we were talking about…you and I will have to discuss it further this afternoon. And we should get started with rehearsal. Hideo, Shu, if you'll excuse us."
Wrapping an arm around the blonde's shoulders, he shoved him toward the door, flashing a grin back at the other two and a peace sign. Tohma was used to treatment from Ryuichi but even this was a little much.
"Honestly Ryu, what has gotten into you?" His said, pushing him off of him.
"What is HE doing here?" Those cerulean eyes narrowed as he glared at him. "And now of all times?"
"I know little more then you do." Tohma shrugged as they made it down to the end of the hall. "He simply called me last night and told me that he was going to personally be here for the concert. You don't look to happy to see your old boss." It was all rather calm still for the blonde who was only momentarily flustered by being dragged out of the room.
"I want nothing to do with that man and you know it." Ryuichi replied. "Does he know about Tatsuha? What did you tell him?"
"I told him nothing. Ryu, you act like I would betray you." He smiled that ever-soft smile. "I didn't ask you to tolerate him, and you don't have to accept him. But please don't give me any grief during the concert all right? I have a feeling Bad Luck will be enough." And that was Tohma's end of discussion with no disobedience in between. "About those song lyrics you gave me this afternoon…I expected nothing less from you. You are sure you want to do this?"
"I have to Tohma." He gave a small nod. "If I ever want to get anywhere, I have no choice."
"Alright then. I gave them to Noriko and she was inspired. We'll start putting music to them right away but I think she wants to handle this. It is much more her style then mine." The NG President smiled. "Are you feeling up to singing?"
"Let's do it." Ryu smiled back, his first true small smile of the day. "Because there's no going back."
Meanwhile Shuichi and Hideo were at a loss of what to do or say. "W-Well it was nice meeting you." The pink-haired singer started after a moment, making a beeline for the door. "Hope to-"
"Shindou-kun, it's nice to see you well." The heavy words cut him off and for a moment the boy froze in his place. "Echo would be proud."
"W-What did you just…?" He blinked his violet eyes wide, looking over his shoulder, but the man had stuck his hand sin his pockets, looking out on the sunset through the tinted windows.
"Be careful on your way home, won't you? You're tolerance for the sun must not be very high. You wouldn't want Eiri-san to worry now." He said, his back to him.
If he had read Shu's mind, the boy had no knowledge of it, no presence there to remind him that his thoughts were not his own. And he didn't know if he had found this out through someone else or not, but the words he was saying were really creepy. He didn't bother to answer, dashing out the door and slamming it shut behind him. Obviously he was dealing with one of their own, a vampire. "He really is like Dr. What's-his-face." The boy muttered, though he couldn't help but shake the fact that something was horribly wrong.
--
Speaking of things gone horribly wrong, Tatsuha had returned home and locked himself in his room and would not come out for anyone. He did not get out of bed, did not speak, did nothing, but lie there and cuddle Kumagoro. It was late evening when there was the sound of heels resounding down the hall, the door slammed open and there was Mika holding Kairu in her arms.
Charcoal gray eyes blinked and he started to get up when there was a polite high-heel to the forehead stomping his face straight through the floorboards. "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!" She hissed and the toddler clapped his hands, giggling and babbling at the outward display of aggression.
Yet again Tatsuha had to pick himself up out of the floor. What was it about his family and beating the shit out of him? He raked back his long raven bangs, averting his glance. "Nothing."
"Bullshit!" She snapped and the baby chimed along with his own incessant talk. "Why aren't you out drinking?"
"Don't feel like it." He replied simply.
"Why aren't you out riding your bike?" She asked as soon as he had answered with another question.
"Don't feel like it." He repeated, this time with a little more push in his voice.
"Why aren't you out having a threesome with an ex-girlfriend and her boyfriend?" Again another question for something Tatsuha was notorious for.
"I don't feel like it!" He growled, glaring up at her. Those slate blue eyes just stared defiantly back.
"Alright then asshole, what do you want to do?" She asked, since all her ideas had obviously been denied.
"I…" His lower lip trembled and for a moment he was just quiet, before he looked up at her with teary dark eyes. "I wanna do Sakuma-san!" He cried in a whiny baby voice.
Mika staggered and finally just sat down on the floor, pushing back her chocolate brown curtain a hair. "Jesus, Tatsuha, are you still going on about this Sakuma business? I thought the two of you were buddies with benefits by this point. Where the hell is it wrong?"
The boy swallowed. How could he put this in terms his sister would understand? "Well, you see-"
"Does this have something to do with the fact that Sakuma's a vampire?"
Charcoal gray eyes blinked wide and he looked up at her, jaw nearly hitting the floor. "H-How did you know?"
"You idiot! Did you forget who I'm MARRIED to?" She huffed. "Tohma could never keep such a secret from me. I've known for years." She let go of Kairu, letting the toddler walk over to his uncle and play with the ties on Tatsuha's robes. "So what is it about this that has you all emo? Don't tell me it's the whole blood sucking thing- I figured that would be your turn-on."
"It's not that, no. But Sakuma-san told me that was all he wanted me for. Its not that he wants me…as anything more then a food source." The boy was clutching Kumagoro and his little nephew up in his arms looking like he was about to bust out into tears. "Why! Why me!"
"I think you're being to dramatic about this. You stay in Tokyo a few days and Shindou has warped your brain entirely." She sighed, running her fingers idly through her long chocolate brown hair. "Look, Sakuma-san is a busy man. Probably as busy as Tohma, if not more so. And he has taken time out of his life to spend it with you. He was trying to hold you close in what way he could." Her normal frown deepened, nibbling on her pouty lower lip softly as if debating what to say. "You know…Tohma thought he was giving you what you wanted. You wanted to be with Sakuma, and Sakuma wanted to be with you. You're supposed to be his number one fan. He figured you'd be happy to find out a little more about the man you idolized." She paused. "Sakuma is not alright in the head Tatsuha. Something happened to him to make him the way he is, and it's not just the vampire thing that has caused his split personalities."
The young priest, who had been listening quietly with only a soft whimper now and then blinked, raven eyes widening slightly at that piece of information. "Sis? Do you know something I don't?"
She looked back at him with those slate blue eyes. "It was something Tohma told me once. That he was not capable of saving anyone in his life. It was right after the incident with Kitazawa and Eiri in New York and Tohma took it pretty hard. He mentioned Sakuma and said now he had let two of his favorite people down. I don't know what happened, I did not ask details then and I haven't now, and you might be to young to remember everything that went on at that time. But maybe there was something traumatizing like that that happened to Sakuma. We've seen what such a situation can do first-hand with Eiri."
"You think someone tried to rape Sakuma-san?" He asked straight out, his deep voice devoid of all emotion. Just the thought of it was making his blood boil. If that were true, he'd track that person down and make them pay, no questions asked.
"I don't know if that was the case. But it had to be something enough to leave a scar. You have to think that there was more then one reason Tohma saw to it that that crazy American stayed with Sakuma at all times, especially when he was stationed in New York." She stood up, picking up her little child along the way who was falling asleep snuggled in Tatsuha's arms. "Or maybe I'm just making blind shots into the dark. The bottom line is, that no matter what is going on with Sakuma, you ran away from him, and you disgraced Tohma's offer in the first place. I think you should return to Tokyo and apologize for what you've done." Her haughty over demanding tone had returned. "If you're not back in town by the concert on Saturday, I'll see to it that you wish you've never been born."
And with that she turned, slamming the door behind her as she left the boy's bedroom. Tatsuha could not argue, he couldn't do much, but sit there and hold Kumagoro and let the tears fall down his face.
--
"Oooh, Ryu! That was so awesome!" Noriko giggled and fussed, her big purplish-red eyes sparkling as she pounced Nittle Grasper's lead singer. "It's sooo cute! You're really going through with this?"
Ryuichi smiled sheepishly, big blue eyes looking back over his shoulder at her. "I made up my mind. There's no going back."
"Awww, it's like you're getting married! I'm so happy for you! Can I be the maid of honor, please, please?" She mused huggling him tightly. "And Uesugi-san would look so good in a black tuxedo with that dark hair and eyes of his! And I will have to find you a dress-"
"It's merely a song Noriko." Tohma said wearing the same sheepish look Ryuichi was, amazed by her sudden burst of fangirl. It was normally not like her to be that way, and it made the blonde wonder just what in the hell she was thinking about.
"Tohma!" She retorted, spinning around and glaring at him. "This is a love declaration! It's about time our Ryu-chan has settled down and found himself a nice man!" She blushed. "And they look so good together! Mmm, talk about hot!" And they lost her to her own little world. Tohma was rather stunned. So Noriko had a yaoi-crazy side…who knew?
Ryuichi was not quite sure what his friend's babbling was all about, but it did not matter. She was happy with this song; with the decisions he had made, and as time passed and night had gotten later and later, so was he. He knew what he wanted, truly now, and he was not going to give up on it so easily. "Noriko's kinda right you know?" He said looking at Tohma with those pretty ocean blue eyes. "This song is important to me. Not just me, but it'll be important to Tatsuha too. Thank you Tohma, for what you've done for me."
Tohma stared at his best friend, the drive behind their entire band, and he watched him smile for the first time that day. It was such a bright, hopeful expression that the keyboardist found himself smiling back and he realized that in Ryu's case, all was not lost. "It's the least I could do."
It was just before midnight before practice let up, most of the staff already gone for the evening, and all the other bands having left hours before. And it was Ryu who wanted to go, done with sitting through sound tests and recordings singing the lyrics he had written down over and over again, the words already forever memorized as they resounded in his heart. With a newfound inspiration and determination, he left the others who were staring later to finish the production with the music. Putting together a song in less then a week was going to be a lot of work.
"It's late already, so I'm just going to stay until Tohma's satisfied." Noriko replied messing with the synth and turning to smile at the energetic singer.
"Mika went to visit her parents in Kyoto and she took Kairu with her. So I'm free to come and go as I please." Tohma explained, as if Mika ever shackled him in the first place. He always did what he wanted.
"Mika-san's in Kyoto?" Those cerulean eyes blinked, remembering just how far away Tatsuha was in relevance as well.
"She'll be back in a day or so. She knew I needed time to work on this piece." He smiled. "Go ahead on home Ryu. We'll see you tomorrow evening."
"Kay! Thanks guys! See you tomorrow!" He waved and hopped off the stage, dashing out the side door to the empty auditorium.
It was quiet for a moment, nothing but silence throughout the place and then Noriko let out a small giggle. "You know where he's going." She said, never looking up from the keyboard, or rather the notes she was scrawling out on a piece of paper which was sitting side by side to the new song's lyrics.
"I know." Tohma replied calmly as ever. "I have no intention of stopping him. This is his problem. All we can do is interfere when we can." He said, not glancing over to look at her either. "It's hard not to be jealous of Ryuichi. He does everything with such passion, that I know he will take this relationship in with all his heart and soul. I could never do that."
"You were never Ryu, Tohma. But that doesn't mean you aren't loved for who you are." She lifted her head, her oddly bright eyes staring over at him in all seriousness. "You love Mika-san, and you love Yuki-san, and you love Ryu and me. And we love you back. You are dwelling again. Don't do that."
Cyan eyes blinked up at her, a little taken back by that, and then he smiled that warm cheerful smile as always. "You're right. Thank you Noriko. Sometimes its hard to remember that."
--
The night was Ryuichi's playground, and he took full advantage of it. There were several vampires he knew out tonight, and he could sense their auras well. Stealthily hidden in shadow and moving from building to building unseen, he picked up a trace of Shuichi's presence that made him lift his head, quickly followed by the strong familiar scent of Yuki. So the two had gone hunting after all. It made him smile, knowing that at least Shu had gotten the night he had wanted after all.
Transformation was not outside of Ryu's powers and his favorite creature to use to fly was a small red and black bird, tiny enough to be unnoticeable and fast enough to dust anything that might happen to come after him. In the air he could move even faster then he did on ground and it was not very long before he could see most of Kyoto in view. There were still a few more hours of night left before the sun would start to rise.
The difficult part was tracking Tatsuha without letting him know he was there in his mind. To his relief, prodding the boy's senses he found he was already asleep and he breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that he could follow that aura until he had found him.
He had never been to the Uesugi mansion but he did not have to have been there to know how to get in. There was someone waiting for him out in the gardens, a figure he easily recognized sitting out in the small courtyard by the pond. "Mika-san…" He swallowed, emerging out of the darkness in human form as to not startle the young woman sitting there.
"I was wondering when you were going to show. Tohma had an idea of what you would be up to." She said, looking back on him with slate blue eyes that somehow resembled Tatsuha's. "There are no seals put up within the house tonight. You are free to come and go as you please. I will be returning to Tokyo when Tatsuha decides to go back." Her words were cold, stern. "You have done a great deal of pain to my little brother Sakuma-san. Tohma's friend or no, I will not stand by and watch him suffer."
"I know that." He retorted softly, and his eyes had narrowed, the pupils slitting like cat's eyes in defense. "And I will correct this mistake myself. Thank you for your help." And with that he vanished from her view, fleeing silently into the walls of the building, following Tatsuha's presence and the blood flowing in the boy's veins.
The candles had all but gone out in the rather large room, sitting on the free surface of the dressers. There was not a lot in this room, most of it had been taken over to Tatsuha's own apartment but everything that was still there was Nittle Grasper. Books, magazines, videos, DVDs, t-shirts…you name it, it had NG on it somewhere. The boy was asleep in bed, on the floor, curled up with the blankets pulled tightly around him, and Kumagoro's head snuggled up under the crook of his chin. Long raven bangs were plastered to his face from tears, stuck to his cheek and hiding the delicate lashes that had fallen across his closed eyes. He looked so naïve and peaceful that Ryu almost thought he had the wrong person.
The vampire knelt down by his sleeping form, just watching for a long long moment. Tatsuha was unaware of being watched and shifted, laying back on his back, his arms still tightly wrapped around the small pink bunny. He had obviously cried himself to sleep from the tearstains on his handsome face and it tore at Ryu's heart. "I'm sorry I hurt you like this." He murmured, trembling fingers reaching out to push those long raven bangs out of the boy's eyes.
He could feel the boy's mind stirring, the touch curiously pulling him from sleep and a little off guard, Ryuichi placed a compulsion deep in his mind to stay asleep, to rest because he needed to stop worrying over this. It seemed to comfort his conscious and return him back into a deep calm. The boy sighed. He was not sure what he would say if he were caught here at this hour like this.
The situation of Tatsuha being asleep however made Ryu feel a little bit more comfortable around him. His stomach rumbled and lurched, his craving for this boy not yet satisfied. He knew that he shouldn't do this, that it was only going to make it all seem worse, but he could not help wanting this man. He blushed a little, fingers trailing down the side of the boy's neck, feeling his slow steady pulse under his fingertips. He was not sure he could be what Tatsuha wanted him to be. He had the experience and he had the knowledge, but the thought of being with someone like that again…sent shivers racing through him. Still, Tatsuha made him feel so good whenever he was around him, and he longed to have him for his own. It was just a matter of facing fears, something he was not sure he was ready for yet.
"If…you do this for me…can I do that for you…?" He whispered softly, knowing he would get no answer in return but feeling the need to ask it. He moved slowly, like a stalking panther, up onto his hands and knees, body overtop of the boy's, looking down on that peaceful face streaked with sadness he had caused. Cerulean eyes half closed, his body trembling in anticipation, feeling his fangs grow in his mouth, longing for this. His body ached to do this as if he needed this one person to go on living.
Bowing his head to the side of the man's throat, he felt the strong pulse underneath his tongue as it slid across the soft skin, finding his spot to dig in. Sharp teeth pierced the flesh, crimson nourishment flowing up in its wake and instantly Ryu was lost in the overwhelming heat of having that boy's very life in his mouth. His body reacted, welcoming the hot salty blood into its own with a slamming throb of sensual desire. Even Tatsuha could feel it beneath the heavy spell he was under, a soft moan escaping his lips, dark brows furrowed and his hand clutching the covers. He did not wake, but it was as if he knew what was going on, and couldn't help but revel in it as well.
Ryu kept himself in control the entire time, even though his hunger seemed insatiable. He drew back, sweeping his tongue across the wounds to close it and looking down at the boy with eyes so dark blue they were nearly black. His body was aching, his heart was pounding in his chest and all he could think of was the sweet warm taste clinging to the insides of his mouth. Long dark chocolate hair shadowed his face, tickling against Tatsuha's bare chest and neck. He stared at that face, watching as the contorted stress melted back into nothing, though he could hear the heavy heartbeat racing with his own. "Mine." He whispered his claim, staring at that handsome face, and before he was aware of what he was doing, he had brought his wrist up to his mouth and bit his teeth into it, crimson running back along his slender arms.
He moved to the side, his lean form snuggling close to that muscular body and he cradled the boy's head against his stomach, opening his jaw and forcing him to drink. Dead to the world in trance and sleep, Tatsuha meekly obeyed, his body accepting the offering for what it was. It would make their bond no doubt stronger, tie them closer together, and anything more then this blood exchange could have tremendous consequences. But Ryuichi did not want to lose this man to anyone, not even his own foolish pride and stubborn fear.
Even after he had sealed the wound on his wrist, he continued to hold Tatsuha like that, fingers running through the thick dark strands of onyx hair, down the hard line of his jaw, across the stains on his cheeks. It was a lot easier when he was in control to get a feel for this body, this body he wanted to know so badly and yet feared its every reaction. Trembling fingers slipped down his strong neck, dancing along the delicate ridges of the boy's collarbone before working up the courage to push back the wide collar of the robes to expose more of that pale skin, caressing the hard muscles of his strong chest and feeling them twitch in response to such caresses, finding ever delve between bones and contour of the boy's torso from the defined muscles of his chest to his flat hard stomach which rippled and tensed as the soft fingertips brushed across it. His hold on Tatsuha's mind lessened, allowing him to react accordingly to the touches and Ryu blushed heavily when he found even in his sleep he could make the young man moan and shift so that he was leaning in to the caresses. He felt accomplished on what he was doing and wondering what exactly the man was dreaming of with such soft strokes across his body.
He was not aware of the time slipping by, not until the singing of the birds in the yard alerted him that dawn was quickly coming. Bright blue eyes jerked up and he pulled away from the young man, settling him back amongst the pillows and blankets of the floor mats. He went to the door and poked his head out, catching a glimpse of the midnight blue sky growing lighter and lighter by the minute, fading into baby blue over the rooftops of the house. He had no time left.
He turned, glancing back at the boy he was leaving behind and he turned, returning to his side for but a moment longer. Cerulean orbs were nearly in tears as he stared down at him helplessly, biting into his bottom lip. His hold on the boy's mind loosened and slipped away, not able to compel him to sleep any longer. "I…have to go now Tatsuha. You'll come back to me, won't you?" He didn't want to think of any answer other then yes, but he left that answer for the boy to make. "Kumagoro, I expect you to watch after him." It was a soft childish order in an attempt to cheer him up, but it didn't work. He leaned over, lips grazing across the young priests for but a moment. His first attempt to reaching out to him. "I love you…" He murmured, and before he changed his mind and had to face the dawn, shimmered out of view and left before the day completely broke.
--
Tohma had returned to his office late that evening, finally letting Noriko return home somewhere near four am. Not one to sleep very much in the first place, he collapsed into his chair behind that huge desk and closed his eyes. He did not move, and he could not hear it, but he knew he was not alone. "What can I do for you Tachibana-san? I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."
The man came out of the shadows elegantly as if merely being called had brought him to life. He had removed his glasses, green eyes glinting in the low lights, hands shoved in the pockets of his dress pants. "This man Ryuichi suddenly has an interest for…who is he?" He asked, his deep quiet voice a little bit more frank and to the point then it had been earlier that day. All of the polite cheerfulness had drained right out of it.
Tohma did nothing more but turn on the lamp on his desk, showering the dark room with a glow of amber light and those blue-green eyes turned upward to look at the other man. "Uesugi Tatsuha, my brother-in-law." He said casually. "He's been a Nittle Grasper fan for years, and adores Ryuichi. He has helped me out on more then one occasion with dealing with Bad Luck and watching over Ryu when NG did not need to practice or perform."
"Uesugi…" The man growled out the name. "I should have known. And I suppose Eiri Yuki has said nothing to him then?"
There was a slight furrow of those blonde brows and then Tohma merely shrugged. "I don't see Eiri telling anyone much. He keeps secrets about himself that not even Shindou knows. There are things I'm certain Ryuichi doesn't know."
"I cannot allow this to happen! There will be no way I can ever acknowledge my son associating with any brethren of Uesugi." Hideo snarled, but Tohma just stood from his desk, not even acknowledging that he had said anything.
"You can do what you want." He said finally, slipping his cell phone into his pocket. "But it will in no way ruin my concert. I could careless what happens to your band, but I will not let my hard work be all for nothing. Don't expect my help."
"Seguchi!" He seethed, watching the young man walk to the door. "You were hiding this from me from the beginning. Are you really afraid to lose your family that much?"
"You cannot touch my family Tachibana-san. I may not be one of your kind, but there are ways of dealing with you." He said calmly, standing in the doorway. The vision of absolute confidence even if inside he was shaken a little bit. "This conversation is over. Perhaps you should return to your room soon. Dawn is not to far off." And with that, he left him in the empty half-lit office. This man would not touch Eiri, and Tohma would try his best to keep Tatsuha out of harm's way. The sad thing was he could not say the same for Ryuichi, not when this man was bound to the very core of his best friend's blood.
--
Tatsuha awoke early morning just as the sun was lighting the courtyard by his room. He sat up with a start, panting hard and dark gray eyes blinked wide. "Saku-" He started, reaching out, but there was no one there. He peered around, scanning the entire room just to see if anyone was there. He was a little disoriented but he felt well rested and a little stronger. Somehow his heartache didn't pain him as much.
He tilted his head and his neck throbbed. Instinctly he brought a hand up to rub the kink there, worried he might have slept in a weird way. His robe top was all the way undone and open and his body tingled and pulsed as if it was being caressed by hundreds of little fingers. His lips burned and he was perplexed. In his mind he had heard Sakuma talking to him, heard his deep sweet voice whispering sweet nothings to him as he slept. It was as if that man had ravaged him as he had slept, and left him aching and throbbing with the morning light. "Ryuichi…" He sighed, pushing back his long dark bangs. He was going through withdrawal so bad it was not even funny. He could not deal with this anymore. It had only been a little over twenty-four hours and already he could not stay mad. He had to do something, anything. He was still furious for what had been said, but he would have to swallow his pride and apologize just as Mika had told him. And hope there was still something there left to salvage.
Chapter Four EndAuthor's Notes: Chapter FOOOOUUUURRR! I was gonna stop but I got inspired and worked all day with this, so there you have it! Lots to tell you all about though! As always, thank you for the reviews, I'm glad you all like it, I'm continuing the story because of you! It was originally going to be a sidestory, but I will keep it going for a bit, so we'll see.
Tachibana Hideo and the Dr.-What's-His-Face comment. LOL. For those of you who know your shounen-ai, Shu's making a reference to Dr. Kazutaka Muraki of Yami no Matsuei. I have come to found there are bad guys with silver hair in almost every yaoi anime (Loveless, YnM, Gakuen Heaven) and now Gravitation has one!
Since school has been taking up a lot of my time, and you all wait patiently and impatiently for the next chapters, I decided to do you all a favor and post pieces of each chapter on my myspace, so you all can check them out if you want! It's my listed website in my profile!
Anyways, Chapter Five: a little worried about Tachibana's threats, Tohma has taken matters into his own hands and has sent some very…trigger happy help out to Kyoto to fetch Tatsuha. Meanwhile, he's asked Eiri to keep an eye on Ryuichi, and between Shu and Ryu it's enough to drive everyone's favorite blonde novelist insane. To make matters worse, Broken Butterfly has outwardly insulted Nittle Grasper and Tachibana has all but declared war on NG! Ryu's got his hands full with trying to make the debut of his newest song, deal with the media and avoid Tachibana and disaster strikes. You never know how much you loved something until it's gone. Until I write again!
Sora Tokumi Kazuma