SHURYU: More than Rivals?

Chapter 20: Searching for an Unseen Truth
[Edited 2013]

Hiro would have never guessed or even believed it possible to be in the situation he was in now. No, in the back of his mind he had always been wary of Sakuma's fascination and overly sweet disposition when it came to Shuichi, even if just a little bit. Instead of rising to the defensive, however, he allowed his laid back and friendly nature take over and decided to watch from the sidelines and strike out only if need be. Sadly, only realizing his mistakes now, Hiro found that he had not been watching as closely as he had thought and he wanted to smack himself for it.

He was suspicious of Sakuma for sometime now, yet he idled in his uncertainty. In the beginning, Hiro hoped it was only two like-minded individuals getting along in a way he simply couldn't understand. Hiro had to admit there were few people in the world who really could understand Shuichi on such a level.

But, as time went by, something began to nag at the back of the guitarist's mind, though he couldn't quite place what. It started long before Shuichi's nervousness around the older singer, but became all the more tangible in the past couple of months. Without anything to go on Hiro could say an do nothing. One wrong word or move and Shuichi's whole would could come cumbling down.

Until the night at the park, when he had finally discreetly and (he hoped) indirectly confronted the singer, he had been still withholding a hope for the best. However, now he was most certain that appealing to Ryuichi's better nature had been a lost cause. Perhaps too many years of being on top of the world had been too much on the man and warped him into what he had become: a man used to getting whatever he wanted.

But worse than being mistaken and not interfering when he should have, Hiro found the something else making him sick to his stomach. Deep inside, he had always expected it to be the man currently helping him to be the one who would hurt his best friend most. He had, for a long time, held Ryuichi Sakuma in higher regard than Eiri Yuki and the thought ate away at him. Hiro only hoped that once they found Shuichi, and it wasn't any question of if but when, the vocalist would forgive him.

"Where the hell could they have gone to?" he muttered to himself and was surprised he heard a soft sound in reply.

Looking over to the author, Hiro found that sometime during his thoughts, the other man had situated himself against the side of what seemed to be a bed and placed both hands over his face. He sat there silently, not counting the small sight which escaped his lips, with nothing more that soft breathing and a slight tremor in his huntched shoulders signaling that the man was still alive.

More than just a bit startled, the auburn haired guitarist slowly made his way to the author and tried to get even the slightest of glances of the man's face. It was then he stopped in his tracks with his eyes glued to the back of the blonde's hands. He stared at the small bit of moisture escaping through the cracks made by the man's fingers as they hung there and grew until they fell to the floor with a soft pitter-patter.

Rage boiling up inside him, Hiro turned and left the room to let the normally emotionally stunted author have his breakdown in peace and to also attempt to clear his head. It looked like they were at a dead end with both singers missing and no clues to be found. With his furry reaching its peak, Hiro slammed his fist into the wall, not just once, but several times until he was sure his knuckles would shatter.

No, that was reserved for Sakuma. When he next saw the man, his knuckles would definitely shatter, but so would Sakuma's face...

Shuichi continued to stare at the ceiling above him out of sheer boredom. Since his awakening, there had been no sign of his supposed brother and the likelihood of being discharged soon were almost non-existant.

Sighing and hitting the back of his head against the pillow, which did little but cause himself a bit of pain, he went over the details of his current situation. Deciding to start at the beginning, Shuichi mulled over what he did know, although he felt as though he was one of those amnesia inflicted saps he always saw on the television, even though he was not. Trying to think out his current situation, Shuichi found himself wishing Hiro was there.

'Hiro's always good at this sort of thing…' he thought.

"Ready to go?" Hiro spun on his heel to face the owner of the now raspy voice and in doing so nearly collided with Eiri Yuki's chest. Now instead of looking like a kid who just lost his puppy, the author looked angry, no, genuinely pissed.

With the rage only a boyfriend can possess, Yuki brushed past his lover's band mate and towards his car. He wasn't sure where he was going, but he did know he was going to find his Shuichi and the damned Sakuma and once he did one would come home and the other wouldn't be found for a very long time.

TO BE CONTINUED