I don't own Gravitation, Murakami Maki-Sensei does. I'm not making any money off of this so please don't sue me.
The first Epilogue to Till Death Do Us Part. This is the events that happen half a year since Yuki passed away. It focuses more on some characters which weren't given much spot light during the actual series, while a little focus on Shuuichi at the end. So with out further interruptions.
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Till Death Do Us Part Epilogue I
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"Today, Bad Luck announced that it would be going on it's first world tour along with Nittle Grasper, the dream pairing that the fans had been waiting for." The news caster's voice said in the T.V. as Ayaka was finishing packing her things.
After Shuuichi had recovered, she returned to her home for awhile, but realized she no longer wanted to stay there. After constant fighting with her parents she decided that she was moving out.
Her mother nearly had a heart attack when she heard that. However Ayaka refused to back down. She already had decided what she was going to do with her life, and being married off to a son of some temple wasn't an option. With Eiri, she loved him so it wasn't bad, but now Ayaka couldn't imagine living with out Nakano Hiroshi.
"And here we have an interview with Shindou Shuuichi and Sakuma Ryuuichi." The newscaster announced joyfully and the scene switched to two boys in front of the camera. Shuuichi had on a black tank top with a navy long jacket over it, while Ryuuichi wore a shirt that was half open with jeans, giving off a more rough image that Shuuichi.
"How do you two feel about the tour?" The news caster asked and both broke out in a grin.
"Excited." Shuuichi replied first. "Nittle Grasper is my idol and my goal, to be touring with them gives me great pleasure."
"While touring I can keep our rivals in check, making sure they know who's superior." Ryuuichi joked.
"is the rumor that Shindou-san will be writing all the songs for Bad Luck true?" The news caster asked eagerly.
"I came up with the concepts and some words but Seguchi-san or Fujisaki are the one's that put them into actual lyrics." Shuuichi explained with a slight blush.
"Shuuichi's really been improving on his writing skills though. I'm proud of him." Ryuuichi commented as well.
"And here's a question for Sakuma-san that's been plaguing the fans for awhile now!!" The newscaster started to get excited.
"What is it?" Ryuuichi asked in a laid back attitude.
"Is it true that you have a girl friend!!??" The newscaster asked as she nearly pushed Ryuuichi over with the microphone. A slow smile appeared on Ryuuichi's face.
"No, I don't have a girl friend." Though his face was filled with love and adoration as he said that.
Ayaka laughed as she sat on her bed. She wondered how the public will take to Sakuma Ryuuichi dating the younger brother of Yuki Eiri. Probably just like what happened with Shuuichi and Eiri. They'll run to get their hands on any information, and not many will condemn them.
Ayaka closed her suit case and looked around her room that was now bare. She would miss her home, but felt it was time to move on. Time to say good bye to the naïve girl, and the part of her that still loved Eiri. She had more to live for than the past.
Ayaka smiled happily. "Ittekimasu." She bowed to her room once before she left.
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"Some times I really can not believe you." Mika muttered as she flipped the page of the book she was reading. She was relaxing in the living room of their home and was complaining at her husband.
"I'm sorry, it's just that this was the perfect opportunity for an international tour." Touma replied apologetically as he poked his head out of their bedroom.
"What kind of husband leaves their wife during her last months of pregnancy?" Mika sent exasperated gazes towards Touma.
"I am really sorry about that Mika-san, if you were up to it I would take you along but.." Touma started to explain but Mika waived her hand, gesturing him to be quiet.
"That's ok, it's just that we haven't even decided on the baby's name yet."
"Oh, it's Eiri." Touma declared with out a second thought and Mika nearly dropped her book.
"E, Eiri?" She asked.
"Yes, isn't it a perfect name?"
"You want me to name my baby after my brother?" Mika asked as she felt a head ache beginning. She knew how attached Touma was to her brother but to name his own son after him. She didn't know that.
"Isn't it a good name?" Touma asked with a smile plastered on his face. Mika formed her lips into a small smile in agreement. She herself still missed her brother and maybe it was fitting that Eiri be the name sake of the child, for he had meant a great deal to both the child's parents.
"So if it's a boy it's Eiri, that's fine. What if the baby's a girl?" Maybe Ayumi might be good, no Naomi was also a favorite of hers.
"Her name's Eiri." Touma stated matter of factly and Mika's face came into contact with the couch. She was fairly sure her husband was a bisexual who had feelings for her brother, but didn't think he would go so far to name a girl after him.
"…………..with the same Kanji as my brother?" Mika asked cautiously.
"Of course." Touma replied with a smile.
"You do realize it is a name for a boy, don't you." Mika eyed him suspiciously, maybe he was more affected by Eiri's death than she thought and was just excellent at covering it up. Come to think of it she did spend more time with Tatsuha than she did with Touma at the time.
"The age is that of equality between men and women." Touma smiled wit victory in his eyes. The thought of his sweet blond daughter looking up at him saying 'Papa, Eiri-chan's going to marry Papa when she get's older.' Bought a smile to his face.
"I'm not naming my daughter after Eiri." Mika shuddered at the thought of her daughter turning out exactly like her late younger brother. Dear Kami it would be a nightmare raising another. She wasn't going to do it again. Of course, there was the possibility that her daughter would turn out nothing like her brother, still, it was a very freaky thought.
"But I already had things custom made for Eiri-chan." Touma pouted. Only he would Mika thought.
"If it's a girl, and by Kami if we do name her Eiri, we're definitely switching the Kanji." Mika gave in a little, she was not going to give her child such a masculine Kanji. Yes, she liked the meaning Eiri's kanji had, intellectual reason, but the Kanji was just too masculine for a girl.
"We are~?" Touma whined in response and Mika felt a head ache coming full blast.
"Lord, tell me why I decided to marry this man in the first place?" She thought to herself. He was a bisexual that was in love with her brother and had a man in love with him. Dear Kami why did she love him when she could've had any man.
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Tatsuha put on his suit as he was getting ready to go to Fukuoka on a business trip to perform a funeral. He really didn't enjoy doing this job, but it was expected of him to follow in the family business and become a monk.
Tatsuha was lucky he wasn't forced to shave his head bald. It was quite a struggle with his father but Tatsuha refused to give in and was proud of it.
"So the rumors of your love life are all untrue?" The newscaster in the T.V. asked and Tatsuha smirked. All of them weren't untrue, Ryuuichi did have a love, and was dating, it just that it happened to be a 'he' instead of a 'she'.
"Let's just leave it a mystery for now." Ryuuichi smiled a smile that looked like Touma's.
"Sakuma-san…" Tatsuha whispered in a state of ecstasy. Half a year since the death of his brother and through it Ryuuichi had helped Tatsuha recover tremendously. And in the process they finally got together.
Tatusha laughed as he remembered Shuuichi crying and screaming that he was tired of hearing Tatsuha brag about his relationship. Shuuichi was doing well, he practically threw himself into his career but still laughed and enjoyed himself. Though his concepts for songs were much more deeper and weren't just fun and energetic as they were before.
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K looked at the map and then at the schedule book in his hand. Sakano was writing down things at an insane speed and K sighed.
"Calm down Sakano, I'm sure Touma would want a say in the schedule." K commented, silently wondering what possessed Touma to allow the joint tour of Nittle Grasper and Bad Luck when he was the electric piano player of Nittle Grasper and president of N-G.
"I must have a near completed schedule before Seguchi-san comes though!!" Sakano shot back and K sighed as he studied the map again.
"Where should they go in Europe?" Sakano asked.
"England, France, some Italy probably." K responded. "We don't have don't long of a time period allotted for this tour."
"……..do you think Shindou-san is up to it?" Sakano asked and K nodded, not taking his gaze off the map. "I'm serious K-san, don't you think it's a little too rushed for all this, it's only been half a year since Yuki-Sensei's accident and already he has to leave Japan? Shouldn't he have more time to recover?"
"You seem to be forgetting how ecstatic Shuuichi was about this tour." K replied.
"It could've all been a show." Sakano responded and K placed the map and schedule book down.
"How long have you known Shuuichi? He can't cover up his emotions like that." K pointed out.
"True, but he is just a boy."
"A twenty year old is legally an adult in Japan." K replied and picked the map again.
"He's not twenty yet."
"Will be in a few months." K responded.
"But."
"Sakano, Shuuichi needs this." K explained. "Here in Japan he is constantly haunted by the memory of Yuki-san, he can't relax and it ties him to the past."
"But half a year and after he loved Yuki-sensei so much.." Sakano was still a little weary.
"Shuuichi came to me, telling me he wanted to do this." K said as his mind remembered the scene.
Shuuichi stood in front of him, his eyes intent and focused, like he became when he was singing. Shuuichi asked K if he could be a part of the decision making from now on. Up till this point K and Sakano were the one's responsible for scheduling Bad Luck's Live preformances but Shuuichi didn't want it like that any more. He wanted to be a part of the team that decided what happened with his band.
'I'm not going to be satisfied with Japan, I want the world.' Shuuichi declared with out a doubt in his mind.
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"Sakuma-san…." The newscaster looked crest fallen at his answer but turned to a new subject. "And Shindou-san, it has been half-a-year since Yuki-sensei's death, are you willing to talk about it?"
Suguru Fujisaki sighed at the question. Didn't these reporters know there were questions that were just meant to not be asked.
Shuuichi had kept silent about what had happened to him following immediately after Yuki Eiri's death and all the mass media were eager to get their hands on the first piece of information.
"No, I'm not." Shuuichi in the T.V. replied with a smile. "It's a very personal matter, and as much as I love my friends and am grateful for them, this is something I don't think I'll ever discuss in public."
Since the accident Shuuichi had gotten better at crisis management, he was much more relaxed and calm. He was still reckless, spontanious and energetic, just not as much. Suguru shook his head though and turned to face his synthesizer. He had to get some practice in before the tour.
He was good, Suguru knew that, but he wanted to be able to accent Shuuichi's voice as good as Hiro did. He didn't expect to be able to share the special bond Hiro and Shuuichi had, just to be able to perform as a respectable member of Bad Luck, and hopefully one day thought of more than just a band member but a close friend of the two.
Suguru stretched before he scanned the notes for their new song and started to play.
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"Niichan, are you SURE you're going to be ok on your own?" Hiro asked his brother as he waived the spatula he was using to make omlettes. Yuuji looked a little hurt.
"I can take care of myself Hiroshi, if you're that worried about me, try convincing the president of your company to hire me as an actor." Yuuji replied.
"Ayaka-chan might stop by to make sure the apartment hasn't burnt, also I made some meals you can just reheat so."
"Hiroshi, I'm the older brother here." Yuuji stopped his brother from rambling on.
"One who got kicked out of his parents house." Hiro replied and tears started to form in Yuuji's eyes and Hiro sighed. "You are just like Shuuichi like that."
"Talking about Shuuichi-kun, how is he?" Yuuji asked as he sipped his beer.
"Ok, he's pushing himself a little though." Hiro replied as he flipped the eggs.
"how so?" Yuuji asked as his stomach started to growl. Hiro looked at the food he was cooking.
"Shuu's been, it's like he's trying to keep himself from stopping, like if he stops he's going to revert back to his state of shock." Hiro explained.
"You're just being paranoid Otouto." Yuuji contemplated. "Shuuichi-kun knows himself better than any one of us do."
"I'm just worried, I was so scared during those two weeks than I was in my whole entire life." Hiro smiled a little. "I can't deny it, Shuu's just really important to me. I want him to be smiling and happy, do you think it's weird?"
"Nah, I think you're a good friend and Shuuichi-kun's lucky to have you as one. Does he know that?" Yuuji asked and Hiro smiled as he remembered Shuuichi standing on the platform and looking into Hiro's eyes.
'You're the best best friend anyone could ever have.' Shuuichi had told him. "he knows." Hiro whispered. "And he's the best best friend I could ever have. Hey if it weren't for him I wouldn't have met Ayaka-chan or even be involved in Bad Luck."
"Then let's celebrate. Your guys first international tour and to your future success Hiroshi." Yuuji smiled and Hiro smiled back.
"And hopefully to your future luck." Hiro added and Yuuji face faulted and Hiro laughed.
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Shuuichi looked around their –his– house. After Yuki's death, Mika and Tatsuha had agreed to let Shuuichi continue living in Yuki's house. At first it was very hard and Shuuichi had spent more time at his family's or Hiro's but as time passed he started to like the memory the house had. Every corner of the house reminded him of Yuki.
The bedroom, where they would make love or talk, well Shuuichi did more of the talking, till day light at times, take comfort in each other. The kitchen, which Shuuichi had several failed attempts of cooking dinner and Yuki always stepping in and cooking for him. The living room, where Shuuichi and Yuki would watch movies or Shuuichi would bother Yuki to play Play Station with him. Lastly….
Shuuichi faced the door the led to Yuki's study. It was Shuuichi's sanctuary now, he would just go in, sit and take in all the memories of Yuki the place offered. This room probably reminded him the most of Yuki, and on nights where he was so lonely, he would sleep in this room.
Yuki would always yell at him to leave this room and not bother him. It was after Shuuichi became the official owner of this house that he found out this room had a lock that could be locked from the inside. Yuki never once locked him out and that bought a smile to Shuuichi's face.
He clasped his cell phone that was covered with stickers of him and Yuki. He no longer used the cell phone, it was used as a picture frame more than anything, something he could look and remember that he wasn't hallucinating his time with Yuki.
Shuuichi finished his tour of the house and plopped down on the couch and switched the T.V. on. On one of the stations they were playing the interview he and Sakuma had the other day.
Shuuichi had a shiver run down his spine and hugged himself. He was looking forward to the tour, but at the same time was afraid. Suguru was just at good as Seguchi, and Hiro was great at the guitar just like Noriko was with her piano. So any sign of the inferiority of Bad Luck rested on his singing.
"It's ok, I can do this." Shuuichi whispered to himself. It was still scary though, Shuuichi knew just how great of a singer Sakuma Ryuuichi was, and Shuuichi knew his ability was greatly influenced by Yuki. Who was no longer here.
"Yuki, I can do this right, right?" Shuuichi was worried, and he knew it was hopeless to ask but he had to. Even if there was no answer. "Yuki, right?" He looked up at the ceiling and closed his eyes for a second as he recalled the dream that had pulled out of his shock.
Do you know what you have fucking going for you? A whole entire career in the music industry, isn't that what you wanted since you could remember?! Hell, I'm only going to say it once but with your voice you could become an international star!! Don't give this all up just for me, so I can't even rest when I'm dead that I ruined you!!!
Yuki's words echoed in his head. Those words, those words gave him the strength he needed, backed up with the stronger I love you he heard.
"it wasn't just a dream, Yuki does –did– love me, and I can do this." Shuuichi declared to himself. He still had trouble talking about Yuki in past tense, and had to rephrase himself often.
"I can, and am going to do this." Shuuichi whispered with determinations in his eyes. He was going to make sure every performance was better than the previous. "Yuki, please look over me."
TBC
