Disclaimer- Gravitation is not mine!

Warnings- same

Author Notes- Hey, I'm back. Sorry it took so long. Here's the next chapter (I split it up again). I hope you like it! It starts exactly where we left off. Enjoy!

(Chapter 7: At Destiny's Door)

Nothing was more exciting than the city at night, and Tokyo had so much to offer. Karaoke bars where filling up fast, there were long lines to get into many restaurants, and the arcades were packed. Tokyo seemed much more relaxed now that the long business day had come to an end, and everyone walking down the sidewalks appeared to be enjoying themselves and the company of others. But there was one person who looked a little out of place.

Tatsuha walked slowly down the sidewalk with his backpack full of clothes hanging over his shoulders. If it wasn't his good looks that made him stand out, then it was the fact that he was walking up and down the street over and over again. Finally, when he got to one end of the sidewalk, he sat down on a bench outside of a music shop and watched large groups of people pass by. He took off his backpack and set it down next to him, and with the weight finally off his shoulders, he leaned back and stretched his arms.

"Ugh, what am I gonna do now?" he mumbled to himself, as he rubbed his forehead in frustration. "Damn it, Tatsuha! You should've thought about this more!"

It had been a long and difficult day, and the night probably wouldn't be any better for him. He wandered around the streets of Tokyo the whole day with no particular destination in mind. There weren't that many options left for him. He definitely couldn't go to his brother's place. That was the first place Mika would look.

All of his favorite hangouts were also out of the question. He needed to keep a low profile, just in case news of his "disappearance" had already reached Tohma. With the kind of influence Tohma had, the police would be keeping an eye out for him in no time.

And so, the situation he was left with was not the easiest one. Tatsuha had a little bit of money, the clothes he could carry, no place to stay, and no plan. All he really had a lot of was time, and he spent most of it watching people going in and out of the music shop. After a while he got bored.

He looked down at the ground and ran both of his hands through his hair. "I'm finally on my own now. I finally have the freedom I wanted…but where am I gonna go? I can't just sit here all night."

He closed his eyes and sighed, "I should've planned this out first."

Without a clue of what to do next, he thought it'd be a bad idea to waste anymore time. He wasn't about to sleep on a bench in the middle of Tokyo all night if he didn't have to, so he decided to walk around a little longer. Hopefully, he'd find a really cheap place to stay the night. And if he were lucky, he'd have enough money left over to eat and catch a one-way train out of there the next day. His family had way too many connections. No matter how much he loved the city, he didn't want to stay and risk getting caught.

With that in mind, he was about to stand up and start walking…but as soon as he opened his eyes and looked up, a young couple standing not too far away from him caught his attention.

A nice-looking guy, who seemed to be a little older than seventeen, stood next to a very pretty girl matching his age. The couple held hands as they waited to cross the street, and the girl giggled every time she turned to him. While they waited, the guy glanced around the area. When he thought no one was looking, he smiled, pulled his girlfriend close to him, and wrapped his arms around her. Tatsuha watched closely as they kissed for a split second, and then he quickly turned away.

He was immediately reminded of Ryuichi. He thought of their last moments together, and how they were supposed to meet outside of N-G that very morning.

He had missed his only opportunity, the one that he'd dreamed of for so long, because of the punishment given to him by Tohma. And after having witnessed that painful reminder, the young monk couldn't hide his disappointment, and his mood quickly turned sour.

"Shit! I'll probably never get the chance to be with Ryuichi again!" he thought, as he sat up straight in his seat. "This isn't fair! I've barely been around him, and now I can't see him anymore."

Soon, there was no end to the worries that flooded his thoughts. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, "I probably kept him waiting…Damn it! He probably thinks I skipped out on him and--"

Suddenly, another thought popped into his head, one that made his heart sink into his stomach.

"…I wonder if he waited at all…I wonder if he even showed up…wh-what if he completely forgot about me?"

Tatsuha stared blankly off into space, and after a few minutes had passed, he started to believe in this worst-case scenario. For the first time in a long time, he didn't feel like his over-confident self. In his mind, it was getting harder and harder for him to picture an amazing superstar like Ryuichi Sakuma being interested in a teenage monk with a hundred bad habits. And to stop his stomach from aching, he tried to come to terms with it the best way he could.

"It's fine," he said, "It's alright if he doesn't care. I mean…no one else does, why would he? It's better that way."

He sighed again, "I…I only need to look after myself, since no one else is doing that. I'm all on my own now. I don't need anyone else."

A huge smile spread across his face as he tried to lift his spirits. "I'm a free man!" he grinned, "It'll be kinda cool, like an adventure."

Just then, Tatsuha stumbled upon the perfect way to celebrate his newfound freedom.

Three chatty women dressed for a night out gathered close to the bench he sat on. With so many people surrounding them, they didn't notice him sitting there. But he noticed them almost instantly. The first woman wore a black mini skirt, the second wore a pink tube top, and the third wore her hair in pigtails. All three seemed to be in their early twenties.

Tatsuha started listening to them in the middle of their conversation, and the one in the mini skirt seemed to be their ring leader.

"So, Aya? Are you coming or what?"

The woman in pigtails shrugged her shoulders, "Um, I don't know. I probably shouldn't."

The second woman responded with shock. "What?! You're gonna miss out if you don't come! Come on, it's going to be really fun!"

"Hmmm, I still don't know."

The first woman in the mini skirt continued urging her friend to go with them in a very convincing tone. "Look, Aya, everyone's raving about it. It's the newest and most exciting nightclub on this side of Tokyo. You'd be stupid not to go. I've been there once before. Tons of cool people will be there."

Then, the second woman joined in. "If you don't want to go because of distance, you don't have to worry. It's just a few blocks from here. There will be dancing and drinking, you'll love it! It'll be a blast!"

"Okay, okay." The woman in pigtails finally gave in, "I'll go…but it better be worth it."

"Trust me," the first smiled, "It won't disappoint."

Tatsuha was intrigued by what he heard. It had been a while since he last enjoyed himself, and he needed to have a good time. This club was practically calling his name, begging him to come.

"Well," he smirked, "I guess finding a place to stay could wait a little longer. There's no harm in a little fun."

A light signaling the women to cross the street flashed repeatedly, and their ring leader walked out first.

"Come on, Girls!" she called to them, "Follow me. I'll show you where it is."

Tatsuha grabbed his backpack and stood up.

The three women crossed the street, with Tatsuha not far behind. He followed them closely, like a lost puppy searching for a home.

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Bring, Bring, Bring…

Mika jolted out of her deep sleep to the sound of the telephone ringing next to her. She had spent most of the night waiting by the phone for Tatsuha to call, and she tried her best to stay awake. But after hours of waiting she fell asleep, and now she lay on the couch, startled.

Bring, Bring, Bring…

She grabbed the phone and answered as fast as she could.

"Hello?! Tatsuha?!"

"…No, dear…this is your husband."

"O--Oh…Tohma?"

"…Yes," he answered, "I was just calling to let you know that I'll be working late tonight. Why did you answer the phone thinking I was Tatsuha? Isn't he there with you?"

Mika gripped her phone and couldn't respond. The long silence made Tohma even more suspicious.

"Mika?" he questioned, in a low but calm voice. "Is everything alright?"

"Well… um…" she began cautiously.

"Tatsuha is with you, isn't he? Did he do anything? Should I come home?"

After hearing those words, Mika answered quickly.

"No, no. Everything's fine. I was sleeping and the phone woke me up. I was thinking so much about Tatsuha today, I guess I blurted his name out accidentally. Don't worry, Tatsuha's fine."

She heard a sigh of relief coming from the other end of the line.

"You had me worried there for a second," he chuckled, "I'm glad to hear that nothing's wrong. You should really get some rest, dear. I think your little brother's been on your mind too long."

Mika laughed hesitantly, "Ha-ha, yeah. I will."

"Well then, I have to finish working," Tohma said, "I'll see you later. Goodbye."

"Yes," she replied, "goodbye."

She slowly hung up the phone and stretched out on the couch. "Tatsuha," she sighed, as she stared up at the ceiling. "Wherever you are, hurry back here…please."

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"We're here!" one woman cheered as she ran ahead of the other two. She stopped at the end of the sidewalk and pointed to the left. "This is it! It's just around this corner!" she called back to them, "Come on girls, before it gets too crowded inside!"

Her friends ran to catch up with her, but Tatsuha took his time. He strolled along a little further behind them, not really sure what to expect, but he stopped dead in his tracks as soon as he turned the corner.

"This? This is it?"

In front of him was a semi-large building with a huge crowd of excited young people surrounding the front doors.

The building was very plain-looking and it didn't have any windows. It was tan, but in dark areas where there weren't any street lights, it looked brown. There wasn't any creativity in its design, either. Most clubs looked interesting and cool on the outside. This one, however, looked like a giant paper bag with doors. The outside looked so bland and boring, he wasn't sure if he still wanted to go.

"This is the famous club that everyone's raving about? This place?"

Tatsuha didn't know what to make of it. But for some reason, a lot of people were trying to get in. They all dressed as if they were in for a long night of partying, and they pushed each other out of the way in an attempt to get closer to the front doors. He watched as the three women he had followed hooked arms and disappeared into the crowd, which could've been heard from all the way down the street. There was a lot of shouting and laughter, and some people ran around teasing each other. They did anything they could to kill time until they were let in.

Tatsuha approached the new club with apprehension. He walked slowly up to the crowd of people for a better look, and examined his surroundings carefully. When he was close enough to the building, he immediately noticed something.

The club's name was painted on the wall, but it was dark and hard to see. It confused him. Why was its' name so hard to read? Why wasn't there a sign or something?

He tilted his head to one side and squinted in order to see it better. The letters were much clearer then. They spelled out "Destiny" in English.

"Club…Destiny?"

At that very moment, there was a sudden uproar. The club began letting people in, and there was a fast rush for the doors. The doorman made them get into lines and checked their IDs as they passed. And every time someone entered, Tatsuha could hear music coming from inside.

The young teenager wasn't sure of what he should do next. He wanted to know why everyone thought the place was great and his curiosity was killing him, but for some reason he felt like he should turn back. The feeling made him shiver and he hesitated. It was as if something were telling him not to go inside, and if he did, something unforgettable would happen. He just wasn't sure if it were good or bad.

After a short pause, he shook his head and disregarded every worry. "This is crazy. Snap out of it Tatsuha," he laughed as he tried to loosen up, "Nothing's gonna happen! It's just a club. I'm here aren't I? I might as well go inside."

And with that said he headed towards the entrance.

The only problem was that he was underage, which meant he had to find another way in. As it turned out, sneaking in wasn't that hard to do. Actually, it was surprisingly easy…but only for someone like Tatsuha, of course. It was all about patience, which many people standing in line did not have. He stood to the side of the lines and waited for the right moment, and it came when a large group of people got too excited. All at once, they rushed for the doors. There were too many of them, and the doorman was overwhelmed. As he tried to re-gain order, a few were able to slip past him without being noticed. Tatsuha was one of them.

As soon as he entered the club, all the doubts he had about the place disappeared. His jaw dropped and his eyes widened with disbelief as he looked around.

"Whoa!" he shouted, "Is this place for real?!"

It was almost unbelievable. Who would've thought that the inside would look so incredible?

The club was very wide and spacious. There were neon lights everywhere, and a huge dance floor packed with people dancing. A DJ booth was set up next to the dance floor, and the entire place was filled with loud upbeat music. Throughout the club, there were also lounge areas where people sat down and chatted with friends.

The club's bar was big, and it looked amazing. It had a long bar table with bar stools lining up against it, and it was decorated in very trendy neon lights. Behind the table, bartenders in uniforms were serving up drinks non-stop, and in flashy ways. They smiled, tossed bottles in the air, and then caught them.

The club also had two levels. The first level was called the "bottom floor". This was the floor with the bar and DJ booth. The second level was the "top floor". It was like a giant balcony that overlooked the first level. As for decor, it looked just like the bottom floor, only it had a smaller bar and dance floor. It also had a lot more lounge areas.

Club Destiny definitely lived up to all the hype, and it surpassed all of Tatsuha's expectations.

Instead of interacting with people, Tatsuha decided that the first thing he would do was rest for a minute. He nudged his way past the dance floor and sat down at the bar. Two seconds later, a bartender walked up to him.

"Anything to drink?"

Tatsuha looked at all the different drink options listed on a sign behind the bar table, and a huge smile stretched across his face. There were so many choices to pick from! He wanted to order right away, but then he noticed the prices. The price for each drink was too high, and he needed to save his money for later. So with that in mind, he reluctantly passed on the offer.

"No, thanks," he sighed, "maybe later."

He was just about to get up and leave the bar, when two older men sat down next to him. They both looked annoyed and they talked loudly. Tatsuha couldn't help but hear what they were saying.

"Man! It's not fair I tell ya!" one man shouted.

His friend nodded his head in agreement, "Yeah! How come we can't go to the top floor?! We're just as cool!"

"That's right!" the first man continued, "The top floor shouldn't be for 'important guests' only! Whose idea was it to make the entire top floor a V.I.P. section anyway! That doesn't make any sense! It's just not fair!"

Tatsuha glanced at both of them from where he was sitting. "A V.I.P. section?" he whispered to himself, "So, are these guys telling me that I can't go up there at all?"

He turned around and looked up at the top floor, which was above everyone else. There, sat someone he had least expected to see.

"Ryuichi…S-Sakuma…"

His voice trembled as he gazed up from his chair. All neon lights faded from his sight in an instant. Tatsuha couldn't hear any noise anymore, and he couldn't see anyone else. There was only Ryuichi. His heart pounded in his chest and his body temperature rose.

"I can't believe it…he's here."

What luck! What a coincidence! It had to be fate!

Ryuichi Sakuma was sitting down in plain sight with a drink in his hand. He wore a tight shirt and jeans, and he was smiling. His brown hair looked messy, as if he'd been dancing for a while, and his beautiful blue eyes beamed brighter than any light there.

Tatsuha immediately acted on his first impulse, which was to go to him. He threw down his backpack and ran across the dance floor (not caring who he bumped into), but his pace began to slow down once he reached the stairs leading up to the top floor.

"Wait a minute," he thought, "what if Tohma is with him?"

He looked around the room in a panic, "This is bad! I can't let him find me here!"

After scanning the room for a blonde-haired man wearing a familiar-looking hat, Tatsuha paused for a moment. Although he didn't want to be caught, he still wanted to talk to Ryuichi. At the very least, he had to apologize for his absence at N-G that morning. He tried a different approach.

To get Ryu's attention, Tatsuha ran over to the DJ booth. He stood next to it and waited for Ryuichi to glance in that direction, which had to happen eventually. And it did, when a new song came on. Tatsuha smiled, jumped, and waved his hands in the air. His idea worked. Ryuichi spotted him.

However, the singer's reaction wasn't what Tatsuha had anticipated. As soon as their eyes met, Ryuichi's smile disappeared. He no longer looked happy and he turned away almost instantly, leaving Tatsuha with a confused expression on his face.

"Wha-What?" he thought to himself, "He looked upset just now. Didn't he see me?"

He slowly walked back over to the stairs, "Was he ignoring me? It seemed like it, but why would he? No…he probably just didn't see me."

Tatsuha made up his mind then and there. He decided that getting caught was a risk worth taking, if it meant he could talk to Ryuichi one more time. He ran up the stairs, and at the top he came face to face with a security guard. The huge guard was the only thing standing between him and the top floor.

"Damn security guards," he mumbled, "Always in the way!"

The security guard folded his arms when he saw him approaching, "Sorry sir, V.I.P.s only."

"It's okay, it's okay!" Tatsuha grinned, "You see that man sitting down over there?"

He pointed his finger over the guards shoulder, and the guard turned to look. He saw Ryuichi sitting down. The singer was laughing again, and he looked like he was having a good time.

"That's Ryuichi Sakuma," the teen continued, "I'm a friend of his. You can let me pass."

"I don't know…I don't think I can just take your word for it."

"No really! I am his friend! Look, if you don't believe me, then I'll get his attention to prove it."

Tatsuha called Ryuichi's name over and over again, and he waved his arms wildly in the air. But Ryuichi wouldn't turn to him. No matter how much he yelled, his idol refused to look.

"I don't understand it. Can't he hear me? Everyone else can."

Suddenly, Tatsuha noticed something. Ryuichi was looking at him, but only through the corner of his eye. The singer had stopped smiling after hearing Tatsuha's voice, and he pretended to look in the other direction.

"He can see me! But why won't he turn to me? I-Is he trying to ignore me?" He tried again, "Hey! Hey Ryuichi!"

It looked as though Ryu were trying his hardest to ignore Tatsuha, but after awhile he finally gave up. He turned and looked directly at the teen, and their eyes locked onto each other. Tatsuha smiled and waved, but Ryuichi didn't do anything. He just stared at him, as if he'd never seen the teen before in his life. Tatsuha tried not to let it faze him.

"Look, see!" he cheered as he faced the security guard, still trying to convince him. "He's looking straight at me." He called back to his idol, "Hey! Hey Ryuichi! This guy's not letting me through! Tell him we're…"

Time slowed down towards the end of his sentence, as he stood there and witnessed the worst sight imaginable. It happened in slow motion.

A beautiful woman in a short skirt walked in. She had long blonde hair and red lips, and she carried a purse with the name "Terra" stitched into it. Tatsuha watched as she walked over to Ryuichi and sat down on his lap. She placed her hand on his cheek and redirected his gaze so that his attention was completely on her. Then, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him affectionately, the way lovers do. Ryuichi kept his eyes open the whole time, and when they finished kissing, she flipped her hair and giggled. As for Ryuichi, he was smiling again.

"…..together."

He was dumbstruck. It was the worst feeling in the world. Rejected and ignored at the same time, it was too much to bear. Completely heart-broken, he forgot all about trying to get pass the security guard. He went back downstairs and sat down at the bar.

"Bartender," he sighed, "I'd like to order a drink now."

"What'll you have?"

Tatsuha thought for a second. Then he answered.

"…I want the strongest drink you've got!"

Okay, first half done! Now go read the second half.