Chasing After Me
A Gravitation Fanfiction
Author's Notes: Thanks to Anomay for being my very faithful beta-reader and all of my reviewers for all of your encouragement. All comments and criticisms are welcome!
Thoughts: Thoughts
Warnings: Will contain some spoilers, shounen ai (duh! Its gravi!)
Disclaimer: All rights to Gravitation belong to Maki Murakami-sama, SPE Visual Works, Sony, and WOWOW. All rights to the lyrics of "Heart of the Sword" belongs to TM Revolution and their respective producers - thanks for making such a great song, Bri-chan just is not a lyricist. ^____^;;
Part 8: The Concert
*~*~*~*~*~*
The night of the much anticipated Bad Luck concert dawned clear and cool. The whisper of winter was obvious in the chilly wind that blew past young girls waiting to be let into the auditorium. Judging by the crowd that was already clamoring in their best club outfits, the concert was a sure sell out. While Zepp Tokyo was definitely ready for the Bad Luck concert, Bad Luck was not quite prepared.
Currently, Fujisaki Suguru and K were mumbling to each other in one of the dressing rooms. Anyone who passed them would have been surprised by the camaraderie that had popped up between the two. Given Suguru's cold personality, and K's excessive love for things loud and shiny, in particular guns, they were thought to be the last two people who would get along. Though, if they had known what the two were talking about, they would have been even more surprised.
"Suguru-kun!" K exclaimed as he dragged the keyboardist into one of the empty dressing rooms.
"How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?" Suguru shook his head with frustration.
"At least I haven't called you Su-chan." K scratched his head for a moment. "Would you like me to call you Su-chan instead?"
"No!" The thundercloud hovering over Suguru's head was growing larger and more threatening by the minute. "K-san, do you have something really important to talk to me about? You know, the concert is in half an hour."
"Hai, hai!" K looked extremely proud of himself as he pulled Suguru closer, whispering as if telling a huge secret. "Considering that you're my partner in crime, thought you might like to know that Yuki Eiri has a flight out tonight."
"He's leaving?!" Suguru yelped. He gave a pained but resigned sigh as all that he had worked for seemed to be tumbling down.
"Maa, maa Su-chan." K winked, "I also know that Yuki Eiri's plane is not heading anywhere tonight. You know engine error can be very dangerous and will take a lot of time to fix."
"You didn't!"
K only grinned smugly, "Let's just say our young writer is not going anywhere anytime soon."
Suguru only shook his head in shock, he was just glad that he didn't have K as an enemy. Who knew what the man can and will do? "Er. Sounds good K-san." He inched away from the blonde nervously.
"Break a leg Suguru-kun!" K-san exclaimed as he slapped Suguru hard on the back. "I'll be making sure that the first place our little lead singer will be headed to after the concert is the airport." His eyes glinted as he pulled out a deadly looking silver magnum.
Suguru was now frantic to get out of the dressing room as he watched K stroke the weapon lovingly. But despite the dangerous looking weapon and any leftover reserve he still had towards the manager, he put a hand gently over the gun. "K-san. Thank you."
K only smiled as he aimed the gun toward the mirror on the dresser in the room. "Good Luck."
*~*~*~*~*~*
While K was giving Suguru an update to what was going on, Maiko was watching Shuichi pace around his dressing room quickly becoming a pool of nerves.
"Onii-chan! Onii-chan!" Maiko rolled her eyes as she called his name out for the fifth time.
"Wha?" Shuichi looked at Maiko startled, only the last shout having gotten through to his brain.
"Onii-chan, the sound check is over, both Fujisaki-san and Hiro has been waiting outside for you." She stated crossing her arms. Although Shuichi was known to be nervous before a concert, he was never this nervous. "Are you okay, Onii-chan?"
"Yes, yes." Shuichi waved a hand as he made final adjustments on his outfit. Which composed of a pair of excessively silly but cute cat ears, black mesh shirt, his usual long orange jacket, and a pair of skin tight black vinyl pants. Even as he assured his sister that he was just fine, Shuichi felt the butterflies fighting within his stomach as he gulped loudly.
Maiko shook her head as she smacked her brother on the side of his head. "Baka. You'll be fine." She had a feeling that Shuichi's nerves wasn't just about this live concert, and if she was right about why he was so nervous, she would be doing a victory dance not too soon in the future. Things were going to be okay, as long as the stupid author doesn't mess up again.
She waved happily as Shuichi walked out of the dressing room with Hiro and Suguru.
"What's she so happy about?" Hiro whispered to Shuichi as he gave Maiko a narrowed stare.
Shuichi only shrugged, too caught up in his own nerves than to analyze his sister's suspicious behavior.
"Never mind." Hiro put an arm around Shuichi shoulder, noting the complete lack of attention that the singer was giving him. "You'll be fine, Shuichi. He'll be here tonight."
Shuichi whipped his head to stare up at Hiro, who was doing his best sly grin. "How did you-?"
"I'm not your best friend for nothing." Hiro laughed loudly, before returning to a much more serious tone. "Shuichi, good luck tonight, give him your best."
"Mm!" Shuichi nodded in agreement. He was definitely going to give it his best, Yuki was not going to get out of this one without Shuichi giving him a piece of his mind.
Throwing his arms around Hiro and Suguru, Shuichi led them in a run as they broke through the side of the stage into the center. Cheers and squealing resounded through the auditorium as fans went wild at the sight of the band. The lead singer however was looking for only one fan in particular.
*~*~*~*~*~*
"Hi Everyone! Thanks so much for coming tonight!" Shuichi shouted as he waved to the crowd. His eyes scanned the throngs of people for one person in particular. But no sign of the author was present as Hiro began strumming the introduction.
"Tonight, I'd like to begin with a brand new single-" Shuichi's voice faltered as a door in the back crept open, revealing a familiar blonde.
Both Hiro and Suguru looked up at Shuichi and noted the direction at which the singer was looking.
"Shuichi! The intro is over!" Hiro reminded him with a wink. Suguru only gave Shuichi a thumbs up, before turning to mouth something to the manager.
"Hai hai!" Shuichi was suddenly energized as the stage seemed to crackled with excitement. "Minna! I'd like to introduce Bad Luck's new single, 'Darkness of Dawn'!"
As the music started up, Shuichi looked through the crowd once more before fixing his gaze on the lone figure leaning against the back door. He sang. For him.
Hitori de wa, tooi ashita wo
Yoake no mama de, koesou de
When I'm alone, tomorrow feels far away.
And I must still go over into the darkness of dawn.
Butsukatteikya kokeru omoi yo
Konya mo mata, sure chigai
If I try to play it straight, it will no doubt fail,
And tonight it won't go well between us again.
Sanzan sugite doryoku no ato mo
Naku naru kekka, only no tsuna watari
You can't see all my hard efforts, because it's only result
Is that it makes no sense. It really is a "tightrope".
Yaru dake son suru yona, mainichi wa
Sha ni kamaeteta hou koso, raku ni naru
More effort, more damage--this is my daily life.
Taking a cynical attitude may give me some comfort...
Atsukute, tsurai jibun wo kakushite, mijikai toki wo ikiteru
Hiding myself, heated and irritated; living only a short time.
Hitori de wa, tooi ashita wo
Yoake no mama de, koesou de
When I'm alone, tomorrow feels far away.
And I must still go over into the darkness of dawn.
Hottokeba, hashiru omoi yo
Yume mo mata, sure chigai
If I let my emotions free,
My dreams will once again not go well.
Kanpeki to chau, jinsei no shuushi
Puramai zero da nanteba honto ka na?
I think the balance sheet of my life is imperfect.
If I add up the plusses and minuses, will it really equal zero?
Shinu made ni tsukaikiru, un no kazu
Semete, jibun de dashiire wo sasete
I want to control all my luck
That may be used up before my life is ended.
Wakacchainai, kimi nara dou ni demo, rikutsu wo kaete ii noni
You don't know--you can change logic at your will.
Nando kimi ni, ketsu mazuitemo
Modottekichau, aijou ni
I hurt myself because of you, over and over;
But my love didn't go away--it kept coming back.
Shinjikaneru, utaretsuyosa yo
Konya mo, soutou nemurenai
Your toughness gained from my damage is unbelievable.
I won't be able to sleep at all tonight either.
Nando nankai, kurikaeshitemo
Modottekichau, ai dakara
However many times it's repeated,.
It revives again and again--because it's love.
Butsukatteiku, kesunu omoi wo
Semeru hou ga, suji chigai
You can't blame my emotion,
Because you should know it will never fade away.
Hitori de wa, tooi ashita wo
Yoake no mama de koeteyuku
When I'm alone, tomorrow feels far away.
And even though I'm in the darkness of dawn, I have to go.
Aishou yori mo, fukai futari wa
Sure chigatte kamawanai
I don't care about "bad affinity".
Even if our love is not doing well,
Nevertheless we are deeply tied.
The crowd was unexpectedly silent as the band struck the last chord. Several moments later, ear deafening cheers resounded through the audience. Bad Luck's new single was sure to become a number one hit. The rest of the concert went as a blur for Shuichi, Hiro, and Suguru as they performed the singles from their previous CD.
In the audience, several people were watching with pride as the band performed what could have been called their best ever. When Bad Luck finished their last song, a few of those eyes were even a little wet as they clapped and cheered along with the rest of the fans.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Mika looked towards her husband who was clapping politely as Bad Luck bowed to the fans. She smiled happily as she glimpsed from the corner of her eye that Yuki was standing a few feet away. "Ne, Tohma, Eiri came!" She held out her right hand, palm up, with a smug look on her face. "Pay up."
Tohma gave her a pained look as he dug out his wallet from the pocket of his jacket. Slapping a few bills into her open palm, he sniffed lightly.
"Maa, maa Tohma, You're such a sore loser." Mika smiled as she stuffed the money into her purse and threw an arm around her annoyed husband. "You know, you should have been happy that Eiri came tonight, or else I would have had you be the get away driver when I 'escort' him from the airport."
Tohma shot her a look full of irritation as he shrugged, making the point known that he would never have stooped down to use kidnapping as a ploy. But he couldn't resist an upward tilt of his lips as he entwined their fingers together. "You know, I still think it would have been the best if Eiri-san left the country."
"Oh Tohma, you never give up do you?" Mika rolled her eyes as she faced the stage once more. "You would have lost both a great band and someone you love in the process. Shuichi has changed Eiri in ways we never could."
Tohma only answered with silence as they watched the crowd begin to make a exit from the building. "I suppose. You may be right." He mumbled almost to softly to be heard.
Mika smiled as her proud husband conceded to probably his only defeat. "Lets go home."
"There's still a lot of work I have to get done tonight."
She raised an eyebrow at him and proceeded to drag him towards the exit. Life will definitely be more interesting from here on. Tohma thought as he acknowledged the second concession of his life.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Maiko watched with a tearful smile as her brother finished the last song. But when she tried to walk towards the stage, she was startled to bump into a dark haired young man blocking her way. Turning to apologize, her mouth gaped as she stared at another Yuki Eiri. "You! You dyed your hair!" She accused with a pointed finger.
The young man looked pained as he put his arm around the girl and gave her a lecherous smile. "Don't confuse me with my baka brother, Uesugi Tatsuha at your service, pretty lady." He was startled as she gave out a peal of laughter.
"Oh please." She gasped between giggles. "You better remove your arm, or that man over there might try to use his stuffed bunny to take off my head." She warned with a wink. Shuichi had mentioned Tatsuha many times before, and of course his horrible crush on the lead singer of Nittle Grasper. Maiko was further amused as Tatsuha spun around and transformed from a suave seducer into a happy little puppy in seconds, just as Shuichi had predicted.
"Sakuma-san! You came tonight!" He cried, rushing over to the man's side.
Maiko's cheeks flushed warmly as she spied the teenager successful try to grope his idol. She would have attempted to escape the awkward moment when a bright pink bunny popped into her line of vision.
"Maiko-chan!" The stuffed animal wagged its head at her.
Maiko shook her head. Singers were a strange breed. Very strange. "Hai?" She could hardly believe that she was talking to a stuffed animal.
"Look over there!" The bunny pointed towards one of the side doors of the auditorium.
Maiko's gaze landed on a tall, blonde figure and she smiled broadly. Grabbing the bunny, she gave it a big kiss. It definitely looked like Shuichi won't be needing a ride from her to get home tonight. Giving Ryuichi a wink, she blew him a kiss as well. "Don't let that seducer get you alone." She teased, pointing an accusing finger at Tatsuha.
"Why you little!" Tatsuha looked like he was about to burst a vein as Shuichi's sister skipped away, losing herself into the crowd leaving the building. His only deterrent from chasing her down and throttling her skinny neck was Ryuichi's hold on his waist.
"Calm down, Tatsuha-san." The singer soothed. "Besides, Kumagorou and I wanted to know what you were doing later."
Tatsuha's eyes went all round and shiny as he looked down at the smiling man and stuffed animal. "Nothing. Nothing at all, Sakuma-san!"
"Good, in that case, I know of a great club that I've wanted to check out."
Tatsuha thought he had died and gone to heaven as he stared dreamily into his God's eyes. "Sounds good, Sakuma-san." He replied.
Ryuichi grinned impishly as he pulled the teenager along with him. Kumagorou, Tatsuha, and him were going to have tons of fun!
*~*~*~*~*~*
Suguru and Hiro were busy accepting congratulations from the Sakano, K, and the rest of the staff as they finally were able to return to the back stage area. Both of them noted with delight at the very obvious absence of their other band member. Things were definitely looking up for Bad Luck and their lead singer. Hopefully, a resolution will be made tonight.
"Hiro!" Ayaka rushed in quite out of breath, tripping on several electrical cords before landing in the guitarist arms. "I'm so sorry I missed the concert!" She apologized, "There was quite a fuss at the airport, something about a faulty plane. It affected all of the flights tonight." Hiro helped her to her feet as he gave the rest of the people surrounding them a wave.
"I hope you won't mind if I took off a little early."
"Of course not!" K boomed out, "As long as you promise to show up on time to work tomorrow."
Hiro sputtered. "But, K-san! We just finished a concert, don't we even get a day off?"
"No." The manager lifted his gun out of his pocket to enforce his words.
Hiro shuddered as he ushered Ayaka quickly out of the door. "I swear that man is as crazy as they come." He told her quite loudly.
Suguru had to grab K's shoulder holster to prevent him from hunting down Hiro. "Its already your fault that Ayaka-san wasn't able to make it to the concert." He stated as K turned on him.
"Oh yeah." K patted the back of his head and laughed sheepishly. "I guess Nakano-kun is saved. This time."
Suguru only shook his head at the sheer immaturity of the man. "K-san, it looks like we won't need your plan after all." He stated crossing his arms across his chest coolly.
"Mission completed." K returned his gun back to its holster, before extending a hand towards Suguru. "Good working with you."
Reluctantly, Suguru returned the handshake, when he thought about it, K wasn't so bad after all.
"Now, Suguru-kun, no, wait! Su-chan, its time to party!" K laughed evilly, dragging Suguru behind him. "I have a special drink I made just for you Su-chan! Its called 'K's special Party Mix'!"
Head drooping, Suguru took his words back, K was that bad.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Shuichi looked miserably up at Yuki as they stood at one of the stage entrances of Zepp Tokyo. All of his brash thoughts seemed to have fled when he was finally face to face with the man that had make life both wonderful and unbearable.
"Yuki." Shuichi began, only to falter when Yuki pinned him with a piercing look. Shuichi shrank back intuitively expecting a harsh retort or cruel insult.
Yuki noted the fear in Shuichi's eyes with a sinking feeling in his heart and disgust at himself. He forcibly softened his features and spoke calmly. "I'm here. Shuichi. I won't run away again."
Shuichi smiled startled by the change in the man standing in front of him. The Yuki he used to know would never have replied so.
"Let's take a walk." Shuichi suggested, stepping into the cool night air. Satisfied with the sound of footsteps following behind him, Shuichi walked on and braced himself, for he was about to throw open a door that he had never even dared to peek through before.
-TBC
Unedited
Completed 12.27.2002
A/N: Weeeee! One more part left! Thanks again for your support!