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.
This is Chapter 3 of the Till Death Do Us Part: Gravitation. And it's definitely going to be longer than 3 chapters, I haven't even gotten to the part I want to write yet. In this chapter I focus more on Shuuichi and Tatsuha's condition after the accident. Also Ryuuichi is coherent here, I couldn't figure out how to make him not for the scene he had to be in. I know how this series is going to end, I just need to get through a couple of steps.
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Till Death Do Us Part III
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The door bell rang and Mrs. Shindou rushed to get it, although she pretty much wanted to stop answering the door. Ever since the accident their phone was ringing off the hook and they never ceased visitors.
"Hello?" The woman answered the door and smiled at who she saw. Long brown hair that reached a little past his shoulders, brown eyes that showed deep concern. Since the funeral of Yuki Eiri, there wasn't a day Nakano Hiroshi didn't visit his best friend.
"Good afternoon, Mrs. Shindou." Hiro greeted politely.
"Good afternoon Nakano-kun." Mrs. Shindou was always glad to see how dedicated Hiroshi was to his friendship with Shuuichi, and he had also been a great help to the family during the ordeal. "Shuuichi is in his room as usual."
"I assumed so." Hiro replied as a dark look crossed his face but he got rid of it almost as soon as it appeared. "I bought some Strawberry Pocky on the way over, I'll just go drop it off in his room." Hiroshi took off his shoes and stepped into the house.
"Thank you Nakano-kun."
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Hiro walked up the stairs that led to Shuuichi's room, on the way up there he passed Maiko.
"Hey." Hiro greeted.
"Hello." Maiko greeted.
"Where are you off to?" Hiro asked when he noticed the purse Maiko swung over her shoulder.
"A walk, need to clear my mind." Maiko replied.
"See you around then."
"Good bye Nakano-san." Maiko bowed her head lightly and then continued down the stairs. Hiro on the other hand walked up the stairs towards Shuuichi's room. He remembered the bags under Maiko's eyes and knew she wasn't sleeping. Actually he didn't have to see the bags to know. He'd known Maiko almost as long as he'd known Shuuichi and knew how much she cared for her brother.
As Hiro knocked on Shuuichi's door, even though he didn't expect an answer, courtesy was necessary even for close friends. After a few minutes and no answer, Hiro just let himself in.
On the edge of his bed, in the same position as yesterday, Shuuichi sat. His clothes were changed and he assumed Shuuichi's mother or father changed him. Shuuichi's dark eyes looked out the window in his room, towards the green leaves and blue sky. It was a very serene picture and Hiro felt disgusted at the thought. Shuuichi and Serene weren't meant to be in the same sentence.
"Hey Shuuichi, I bought you some Strawberry Pocky's, want some?" Hiro asked and showed him the plastic bag from the near by convinience store but Shuuichi didn't respond. "Ayaka-chan wanted to come today but was called by Seguchi-san, she said she'll try to come tomorrow. Fujisaki and Sakano said to say hi." Even though they knew you wouldn't hear. Hiro thought bitterly to himself.
Shuuichi still didn't respond. Hiro was scared that he was getting more and more accustomed to Shuuichi being quiet. It had been two weeks since the accident, and now Shuuichi was being given the nutrition he needed through IV's.
What if they all got used to Shuuichi like this? Hiro thought with fear. People had a tendency to get accustomed to things no matter how unpleasant they were…and if Shuuichi continued like this…
Hiro shook his head violently, erasing that thought. Shuuichi will get better, Hiro wasn't going to stop until he did! Hiro pulled the office chair that was in front of the desk to in front of Shuichi and sat down in it, studying the face of his best friend.
Shuuichi had lost weight considerably, he could almost see the skull through the thin layer of skin, his eyes didn't show any sign of life and the mouth that was usually constantly moving was set in a straight line. His red cheeks had lost the color and looked ghostly blue. There were circles under his eyes to show that he hadn't slept either.
"Why can't you sleep Shuuichi?" Hiro asked even as he knew Shuuichi would remain silent.
"Yuki…….where are you." Shuuichi muttered the only question he could actually form now. Those four words were all Shuuichi's vocabulary consisted of. Hiro placed his head in his hands as he heard Shuuichi's longing in the voice.
He knew Shuuichi most of his life (over half of it), was his best friend, vowed to kill anyone who made him cry, and now, he couldn't do anything. Nothing, there was nothing Hiro, or anyone could do that would snap Shuuichi out of his state of denial or shock. Only Yuki Eiri could.
"Damn you Yuki-san…" Hiro muttered the curse as an image of the blond man flashed through his mind. "If you were going to die, why, why didn't you just take Shuuichi with you and spare him the grief of having to live with out you…" Hiro really didn't know which was better, seeing Shuuichi like this or knowing that he was dead.
Hiro's gaze turned to the computer and electric piano that were moved back into this room. Dust was starting to gather on it, Hiro noted absently as he stood from the chair and walked towards it. He turned the computer on and called up the music files Shuuichi had saved on there. There was every song Bad Luck ever published, both amatuer and professional. Hiro quickly opened one of their older songs, back when Bad Luck was only the two of them.
The upbeat of the song filled the room. It seemed extremely out of place. Shuuichi's body jerked a little at the sound. Hiro sang to the chorus, as Shuuichi's voice, even if it was over the computer, filled the room. If Hiro closed his eyes he could easily see Shuuichi singing the song on stage.
Hiro turned around and saw the door opened, as Shuuichi's mother stood in the door way with tears in her eyes.
"Sorry, I just…" Hiro apologized.
"Don't worry Nakano-kun. I wanted to play his songs as well but couldn't bring myself to touch even his CD's." The lady smiled through her tears as she watched her son. "Maybe this will help, he always loved music."
"Not as much as he did Yuki-san." Hiro whispered as the song neared it's ending.
"Can you play another one please?" Mrs. Shindou asked and Hiro scanned the list of their songs. He chose a more recent one, Spicy Marmalade.
Shuuichi's energetic voice and upbeat music filled the room again. Such a contrast the real thing that sat on bed his head tilted towards the computer.
Hiro stopped a minute on the thought and back tracked a little. Last time he checked, Shuuichi's head was facing straight out the window, not tilted towards the computer. Hiro then paid closer attention to his mouth as it moved in synchronized motion with the lyrics. Hiro turned the music down a little and rushed to Shuuichi's side.
His voice was raspy and lacked the energy to really go well with the music, but he was singing.
'Kanari mo umaijanai, Kyoei ni sae kizukenai
Spicy marmalde, Jibunn no mamade, sabita kusari nara hazuse'
Shuuichi's mother stood there as her tears came quicker this time. It could be that he had sung this song over and over again that it was a reflex to the music, but still, he was doing something other than stare out the window.
Hiro felt tears on the verge of overflowing as Shuuichi's eyes showed some recognition to the song and flashed with pain. It was enough to know that Shuuichi wasn't dead, he just didn't know how to grieve for the too big of a loss. Shuuichi's eyes flashed with acknowledgement of Hiro as his best friend. Though they disappeared as soon as it arrived.
Hiro smiled but he couldn't stop the tears anymore. "Shuuichi…..you're still alive in there, aren't you."
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Tatsuha attempted to eat the lunch Mika had placed inside in his room. Actually she stormed in here, placed the tray down on the table and ordered him to eat. She probably would've stayed and watched him if she didn't have to go to her doctor's appointment.
Tatsuha tried but he just couldn't bring himself to eat it, even the usually delicious smell of Okonomoyaki was nauseating. He could still remember the day as clearly as ever. He had spaced out for a second, as he watched his brother and Shuuichi, it was really just a little he allowed to think and smile how his brother had changed for the better because of Shuuichi. It could've been any time, only he had to space out when a drunk driver was coming full force at him, and costing his brother's life.
Eiri and him had always been viewed as a set, almost as though Tatsuha was a replacement for Eiri and Eiri was a replacement for Tatsuha. Even for their own father. There were very few that viewed as two distinctively separate people. Their sister, Mika was probably the least judgemental of them, she always looked after them. Seguchi was another, and Shuuichi and Ryuuichi probably too. Most woman didn't care if it was Eiri or Tatsuha they were with as long as it had that beautiful face, but Shuuichi refused Tatsuha full force.
As easy going Shuuichi was until Tatsuha tried anything, the moment he did, Shuuichi was ruthless in his insults, getting better at it as he spent time with Eiri. Shuuichi's refusal was refreshining and nice to Tatsuha, he probably teased Shuuichi just for that sake. Ryuuichi didn't see people on the outside, but saw the difference of Tatsuha and Eiri. Though Ryuuichi really didn't have much contact with Eiri.
Tatsuha was happy that Eiri and Shuuichi found each other. His brother's cold heart slowly melted under Shuuichi's passionate one, his brother found emotion again. And Tatsuha was the one that ruined it.
"Oniichan…." Tatsuha muttered as tears flowed again. Tatsuha and Eiri were both deprived of their parents love, even Mika couldn't make up for it. Eiri lost his father when he moved to the United States, and Tatsuha was considered the model son, even though his father only cared how Tatsuha did his work, not really caring about Tatsuha himself. As much as Mika tried to be a mother to them, it wasn't the same, she had her own life to live, especially after she was married. The two brothers found refuge in each other.
It didn't surprise Tatsuha that Eiri had saved him from the car, if their positions were reversed Tatsuha knew he would've done the same thing. That didn't stop the guilt from killing him inside.
There was a knock on the door. "Go Away!!" Tatsuha barked, sure it was his father. Mika had stopped knocking, she just barged in and yelled at Tatsuha to do something productive.
"…….Tatsuha-kun, it's me." Tatsuha's mind went completely blank for the first time since the accident. He knew that voice, he was obsessed with the owner of it, but it couldn't be, he was supposed to be in Tokyo. "Tatsuha-kun?"
"Can't you at least let the poor boy in Tatsuha, he came all this way just to see you." Tatsuha heard his father's voice but ignored it. Was Ryuuichi really here? Tatsuha knew Ryuuichi had been trying to call him, but had been turning the calls down.
"Tatsuha-kun?" Ryuuichi asked again. He sighed and hugged Kumagorou tighter for moral support. Maybe he should've put his ear phones in and switched into his singer personality for this...but he felt that his singer personality couldn't convey the sincerity of his words and…
"Kumagorou came to say hi. Kumagorou likes Tatsuha-kun." Ryuuichi smiled his childish smile as he came up with words. "I like Kumagorou too." Ryuuichi hugged his stuffed animal strongly as he continued to speak. "To-ma came to see his wife, and he took me along since Kumagorou asked."
Tatsuha kept quiet through the whole thing. His love was there, trying to reach out to him.
"Tatsuha-kun, I, I like Kumagorou a lot. Kumagorou has always been with me, before I even met To-ma." (I don't know if he has, I'm just thinking he has). Ryuuichi looked at his best friend and favorite food before looking at the door that lead to Tatsuha's room. "Kumagorou helped me through a lot…so." Ryuuichi managed a smile, this is for Tatsuha. "Kumagorou likes Tatsuha-kun so….Kumagorou stays with Tatsuha-kun until Tatsuha-kun feels better." Even if Tatsuha couldn't see, Ryuuichi wanted to always be smiling when he was Tatsuha. Tatsuha always made him smile so…
Ryuuichi placed Kumagorou on the floor and ran off to look for To-ma.
"Tatsuha, is that…" his father asked silently but Tatsuha didn't respond as he twisted the door knob to open the door.
Tatsuha gingerly picked up the pink stuffed rabbit. And pressed the soft fabric to his eyes. He could just imagine Ryuuichi's smiling, angelic face, but was replaced with the dark, dead eyes of Shuuichi's staring emptily at Tatsuha. Accusing Tatsuha and blaming him for what happened.
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It was dark outside as Maiko sat in the chair across from the sleeping face of her brother. It had become routinely for someone to watch over as Shuuichi slept, although he hardly slept, and it couldn't be called restless at all. He woke up every ten minutes, and moved to sit up and stare out the window again. Every time, some one had to pull him down and place him on the bed again and wait for his tired to body to win over the mind for a few minutes to sleep.
The job was mostly left up to Maiko or her mother, since their father had to work and Maiko was off for summer vacation. Summer, it was summer. Maiko had to remind herself. As surreal as it was to have her brother lying in bed in the middle of summer instead of out scheduling live performances, writing or singing music. A small smile graced Maiko's face at the thought.
He sang today, he showed some emotion. That news was enough to give Maiko the hope she needed badly. Shuuichi's song was playing quietly in the background, constantly on now.
Maiko could feel her eye lids getting heavier, and tried to resist the sleep. I need some more coke or tea, or maybe I'll have coffee if it would help at all. She thought absent mindedly as she stroked her brother's hair out of his face. At the touch Shuuichi grabbed her hand and his eyes opened wide in fear before a hoarse, heart breaking scream escaped his lips. The name of his dead lover.
TBC
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Sorry to leave it at such a cliff hanger, I didn't mean to but couldn't find a better place to cut it.
