I don't own Gravitation or any of it's characters, Murakami Maki-sensei does, I'm not making any money off of this either so don't sue me.
Note: This is the second of an on-going series I have of various manga/anime couples titled 'Till Death Do Us Part'. The first is a YYH YuusukexKeiko story that can be found on my page: inverselina.tripod.com
A major character dies in this series, and has lots of depressed people in it. This ended up being the first of three chapters, possibly 4, no longer than 5.
So with out further warnings…
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Till Death Do Us Part II
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Mika dabbed her eyes with her handkerchief as she watched the last guest leave the temple. Eiri's funeral had just finished, and a lot of people showed up. Mika was secretly happy, maybe her brother didn't lead such a gloomy life after all. No, most of the people here got to know Eiri through Shindou Shuuichi, he helped her brother out. Even the spirited young boy though now was…..
"Are you ok?" Touma asked his wife worriedly. Touma knew better than anyone else how important Eiri was to Mika. Their mother had died at a young age and Mika helped raise both her younger brothers. Eiri was also very important to Touma, Touma loved him like a brother, like a friend, and like a son.
Mika tried a smile but than shook her head. "I guess not. It's a hard thing to recover from."
"You're handling it great Mika-san." Touma patted her head and Mika rested her head on the shorter man's shoulder.
"Thank you Touma." She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. "How is Tatsuha?"
"He refuses to come out, would not talk to even Ryuichi-san."
"This is bad." Mika sighed.
"Yes, it is….Tatsuha-san never was withdrawn, and would always jump at the chance to be with Ryuichi-san….now….." Touma shook his head.
"And you?" Mika asked and Touma managed a weak smile.
"I haven't gone crazy yet so I guess that's a plus." He joked and then sighed. "I do have to return to work tomorrow though."
"I understand." Mika nodded her head. "You're busy and you can't stay here forever."
"Mika-san…."
"I'm going to stay here awhile longer. I can't leave Tatsuha like this, and father probably needs some help too." Mika looked at her husband in the eye. "Take care."
"I should be saying that to you…" Touma touched Mika's stomach that was starting to show and his eyes got a little watery. "Please, please take care of yourself, if I lost you and the baby now I would.."
"Touma!!" Mika cut him off. "Don't talk like that, please Touma…"
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"Is this ok Ayaka-chan?" Hiroshi asked as he took his helmet off and stepped off his motorcycle.
"Yes…" The girl looked down, her eyes red from crying. Hiroshi couldn't bring himself to look at his girlfriend. Uesugi/Yuki Eiri had affected both of their lives strongly.
"Ayaka!" A woman dressed in a black mourning kimono rushed to her daughter. "are you ok, sweet heart?"
"I'm doing ok mother." Ayaka replied.
"Come on in, you need your rest." The woman dragged the girl with her. Ayaka looked at Hiroshi and mouthed his name and 'his.'
"She's coming to Tokyo." Hiro declared before he even thought.
"What are you talking about!! My daughter is depressed, the man she loved just died and you mean to drag her to Tokyo on top of this!! Ayaka is not strong enough to endure such hardships."
"Mrs. Usami, with all do respects, you have a couple of mistakes in that argument. First off, I'm the one Ayaka-chan loves, second, your daughter is stronger than you could ever imagine." Hiro replied as he grabbed his girl friend and placed her on his motorcycle again.
"What are you talking about!! Ayaka, I order you to come here this instant!!" Ayaka looked at her mother, than at her love. Ayaka loved her mother, her mother was there for her, she reared her, but, could she abandon Hiroshi? Ayaka knew the answer.
"I'm sorry mother, but I am going with Nakano-san."
"Ayaka!!"
"I'm sorry, but Nakano-san needs me right now, and I need him as well. Besides, I need to see for my own eyes, how Shuuichi-san is doing." Ayaka kept her voice steady through all this.
"You do not need to have any concern for that boy slut!!"
"He is not a boy slut!!" Ayaka shot back at her mother. "He is probably the most hurt by this whole thing, he couldn't even come to the funeral!!"
"Because he doesn't care for Eiri-san the way a woman could." Her mother replied.
"He couldn't make it because his family would not allow it." Hiroshi replied softly. "I'm sorry Mrs. Usami, but Ayaka is coming with me and that's final." Hiroshi glared at the lady once before he bowed and got on his motorcycle and headed for the high way.
------Flash back-------
When Hiroshi first got the news on the phone he rushed to the hospital. It was a miracle that he didn't encounter any police officers and get a ticket. Once there, he rushed to the waiting area outside the emergency rooms and found Shuuichi sitting there. Shuuichi was just sitting there, doing nothing. Hiroshi ran to him and grabbed him and shook him to see if he would get any response, but there was nothing.
Shuuichi wasn't crying, he wasn't screaming hysterically or anything, and that scared Hiroshi. If Shuuichi at least appeared to be going insane than Hiroshi knew how to deal with that. What he didn't know was how to deal with Shuuichi being so quiet. Shuuichi was never quiet, and now…
"Shuuichi, talk to me, please!!" Hiroshi begged but that got no response from him.
"Nakano-san!!!" Fujisaki came running up to him and stopped, his breathing heavy. "How is, how's…."
"I'm sorry, I just got here too." Hiroshi replied, his hand resting on Shuuichi's shoulder even as he spoke.
"How is Shindou-san?" Fujisaki asked.
"Not good." Hiroshi replied. "He's so damn quiet it scares me." Just as Hiroshi said that two figures came into viewing.
"Tatsuha-san…." Hiroshi whispered as the man that walked slumped into a ball against the wall and started to cry softly. Mika who was with her brother took a look at the members of Bad Luck, nodded empathetically once as she sat down next to her youngest brother and stroked his hair.
"Um, excuse me.." A nurse came up to the group apologetically. "I need to ask for some verification of the family members and…"
"I can take care of that." Touma, who had rushed from the N-G building the moment he got the news, took the clipboard the nurse held. Sakano was rushing full speed behind him but stopped when he saw Mika and Tatsuha. Instead he walked towards Shuuichi.
"Is…" Sakano couldn't say anything as he just pointed at Shuuichi and looked flustered. Hiroshi could just shake his head.
"How is Eiri-san?" Touma asked the nurse as he finished filling out the forms.
"He is in a very dangerous condition. It was a head-on collision with the car, and the car was going fairly fast." The nurse replied in a more business matter. "We are doing our best though."
"Please." Touma said, refraining himself from saying 'you better.' A group of people rushed in after that. Hiroshi told Rage to get a hold of Shuuichi's family. When his younger sister, Maiko came, Shuuichi showed some emotion as his hands ghostly touched her eyes to wipe the tears that were there away. Maiko shook his hand off and hugged him again.
"Yuki, where are you?" Shuuichi mutters and Makiko hugs him stronger, as though trying to warm his cold soul.
Just then the doctor comes out and told them the grieve news.
------Flash Back End-----
"You can stay here for now Ayaka-chan." Hiro said as he ushered her into the guest bedroom of his apartment. As he gave a brief tour of his apartment he noticed Ayaka looking at him intently.
"Nakano-san, are you alright?" She asked as she reached a tentative hand out to Hiro. Hiro sighed as he cupped her hand in his and shook his head.
"I just don't know what's going to happen from now on…" Hiro muttered as he finally allowed himself to loosen the tension that was building up in him since he first got the news.
"Relax for now, you and I can deal with this more tomorrow. You rode up to Kyoto and back in one day, you must be exhausted." Ayaka stood on her tip toes to stroke Hiro's long dark brown hair.
Hiro looked down at the sincere smile of hers before he couldn't hold it in any longer. He collapsed on her.
"Nakano-san?" Ayaka asked as Hiro hugged her tightly.
"….I…..I just can't believe it….." Hiro muttered in a choked voice. "This…it just…all, all seems like a bad dream…that I'd wake up tomorrow morning and….but…." Hiro didn't continue and Ayaka didn't force him too. She just sat there and hugged him.
Dear Kami or Dear Hotoke, if you can take pity on us and right this situation, please do. Ayaka prayed silently as she hugged Hiro strongly.
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"Oniichan, come on, you have to eat something." Maiko walked into her brothers room and looked at him. Shuuichi had barely moved ten centimeters on his own since he was brought home. He spent most of his day staring into space, the only words he muttered were 'Where's Yuki?'
"Oniichan, please, please look at me!! Oniichan!!!" Maiko cried again for the millionth time since she found Shuuichi like that at the hospital. Sure, she was a huge fan of Yuki Eiri, and he was her brother's one true love, and his death had an impact on her. But it pained her more to see her brother like this.
"…how is he Maiko?" Her mother asked in a soft voice behind the two siblings and Maiko shook her head no, tears still falling.
"Oniichan's never been like this….mom…what are we going to do…" Maiko asked as she hugged her brother again. "It's scary, he won't hear anyone, he doesn't even respond to Sakuma Ryuuichi or even Nakano-san!!"
"Maiko, don't beat your self up over this. I'm sure Shuuichi will get better in due time." Their father came and put his hand on his daughter's shoulder.
"How can you be an optimist even at times like this!!" Maiko cried. "Oniichan may never come back…Yuki Eiri took him along with him and he's never ever coming back this time."
"Maiko…I trust Shuuichi, he was old enough to choose his career, the man he wanted to spend his life with, I'm sure he's wise enough to see that Yuki-Sensei wouldn't want him to die." Her father comforted her, even though he wasn't as sure as he sounded, he had to for his daughter.
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"Tatsuha, Tatsuha!! EAT!!!" Mika ordered at her brother through the closed doors.
"Go away." Tatsuha responded without even opening the door.
"What do you think you're doing?! Starve yourself to death?" Mika asked with an exasperated sigh. Tatsuha didn't respond to that question. Mika wondered whether she would be grateful that Tatsuha was at least responding to her. The other who had been at the scene of the accident had only a heart beat to prove he was still alive.
While Shuuichi was more or less in a continuing stage of shock or denial (depending on which doctor they took him too) Tatsuha was living with the guilt. And that, was what drove him into a state of rejection of everyone else. Either way, they were both in a very sticky situation.
"Ryuuichi-kun called asking if you were able to talk to him, said he'd call later." Mika told him as she did daily. The genius vocalist of Nittle Grasper called the Uesugi residence everyday, any time he could in his busy schedule. Touma did as well, to check up on her.
"Tell him not to bother." Tatsuha replied and Mika looked at the door before she turned away towards her room.
Once in the sanctuary of her own room, Mika placed a hand on her stomach that was starting to show. This was the only thing that kept her somewhat sane all throughout this ordeal. That she would soon be a mother, and for her child she had to be strong.
Though she wasn't sure how much longer she could last it….she was so close to losing the child once already, she didn't want to risk a second time.
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Shuuichi stared out the window from his room. The scenery was oddly comforting, probably because he saw it everyday of his life until he graduated high school and moved out. Though Shuuichi didn't know why he was there. He had to go back home, where Yuki was. So why wasn't his body moving. It was weird, as though his mind and body were two separate things.
"Yuki…..where are you?"
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Ryuuichi took his earphones out and grabbed Kumagorou, slipping into his more childish personality. He hoped Tatsuha and Shuuichi were ok. He wanted to call but was afraid of being told they couldn't talk, again. Tatsuha and Shuuichi never distanced themselves from him, especially Tatsuha.
"Tatsuha-kun…" Ryuuichi whispered as he pressed his cell phone to his mouth. According to Ryuuichi, Shuuichi was a good friend just like Kumagorou, but Tatsuha was a little different.
A certain sadness and joy pierced through Ryuuichi's body when he thought of Tatsuha, something he'd never felt before. Now though, he couldn't remember Tatsuha's smile or joking eyes that made his body feel warm and tingly, only the dark, cold, tear filled eyes and Tatsuha curled up into a ball.
"Tatsuha-kun…I wanna talk to you."
