PART ONE
Tires screeched in protest as K swerved violently into a parking lot at Tokyo General Hospital. He didn't know why he even bothered to come seeing as his presence probably wasn't welcome. He leaned back and shut his eyes. Somehow, the idea that Seguchi Touma would attempt suicide twice seemed both unnerving and ridiculous at once. And now that he was here. Why was he here, anyway? It wasn't as if Seguchi's committing suicide was any of his business. It was common knowledge that he had been obsessed with Yuki Eiri from the very start. But to commit suicide over him going on a honeymoon with Shuuichi. It would have seemed more like the keyboardist to attempt homicide on Bad Luck's vocalist than to try taking his own life. After all, Seguchi Touma _is_ a manipulative snake in the grass and considering him being the person in question. K didn't think that he would hesitate to try murdering Shuuichi. But suicide. Well, far too late to have considered it a possibility, wasn't it? The American decided to push the thoughts away as he opened the car door and climbed out, slamming it back shut with a jarring force. Locking his car, he proceeded to the elevator and took it to the ground floor. On the ground floor, he approached the reception desk. Seguchi Touma was on the fifteenth floor, apparently. Another ride on the elevator in order, then. It was deathly silent on the fifteenth floor, like a scene from some horror movie he had watched back when he was in New York. The cold blasts of air from the air-conditioning only served to add to the already eerie atmosphere of the long corridor as he made his way towards ward 1521. He paused outside the door, the question from earlier returning to haunt him like a ghost in his mind. Why was he here? What reason did he have to visit the NG president lying in the room beyond? He shrugged and pushed the door open quietly. The keyboardist was lying on his side with the blanket wrapped snugly around him, breathing deep and even in sleep as Bad Luck's manager stepped into the ward. A few locks of his wispy platinum blonde hair obscured his eyes, his slender perfectly manicured fingers curled slightly, fingertips resting lightly on the pillow. Funny how sleep can make even the most ruthless people appear so much more gentle, K observed. There was none of the determined ruthlessness familiar to the NG president's features. The absence of the calculating look made his eyes seem almost gentle while the lack of the familiar cunning manipulative smirk seemed to soften his mouth. As it was, he didn't look thirty-two and the calm serenity made him appear all the more youthful. The absence of the put-upon air of false cheerfulness even made him seem more human. It was a rare sight indeed and the American was happy to indulge. As he continued his observation of his sleeping employer, Touma stirred. His eyes fluttered open. He blinked and sat up slowly.
"Mister K," he acknowledged softly. "Why are you here?"
Why was he here? Good question. Why _was_ he here? What made him decide to come visiting? "Oh, just making sure that I'll be getting my paycheque this month," he replied nonchalantly.
The keyboardist cast him a Look and coldly replied, "Well, as you can see, I'm very much alive, no thanks to you and I assure you that I pay all my employees consistently and on time. Is there anything else?"
"Yes, as a matter of fact, there is. You've been scheduled to see a psychotherapist twice a week every week until you are diagnosed mentally stable and while you are resting and recovering, I'll be taking over the management of the company," the former secret agent announced matter-of- factly.
Touma Looked at him. "I am NOT crazy, Mister K."
"I never said that I was the one making the arrangements. I know you're not crazy; at least not really. Go convince the doctor," K replied calmly.
"Is that all?"
"Pretty much."
"Then leave. To quote _someone_, I need to rest and recover."
K turned and reached for the doorknob and paused, hesitating. "By the way, did anyone ever tell you that you should sleep more?"
Another Look. "No. Whatever for, may I ask?"
"Nothing really. Just that you look much better asleep," he answered easily.
"Unless you haven't noticed, your opinion is utterly insignificant as far as where I am concerned and how I look like to you really doesn't rank among the list of things I'm concerned about."
"And Yuki Eiri does? His opinion regarding everything is significant even if it means being something that you're not?" K retorted without turning around. He couldn't really help himself; the words spilled forth before he could reconsider them.
There was a long pause. Finally, Touma replied in a voice that clearly told K of his waning self-control, "I'm tired. Leave me. I'm going back to sleep."
"So sleep. It might help with avoiding the truth to some extent. Just remember that you can run from it but you can never hide. Denial isn't going to help."
"Shut up, K," he snapped, dropping the honorific in his frustration. "Just shut up. Shut up and leave me alone."
Touma asked him to shut up. Really, he must be feeling rather out of sorts today to actually settle for such a crude phrase. Or it was more likely to be the tension the subject was creating. "Right, alone. Truly alone. Go on denying it. Keep on running." He paused. "Rest well, Seguchi. Goodbye." He opened the door and stepped out. "Only you can save yourself," he added after a moment's consideration and pulls the door shut behind him.
The NG president was left alone in the ward that suddenly seemed so empty, staring at the white wall opposite him. 'His opinion regarding everything is significant even if it means being something that you're not?' he repeated mentally. Something that he wasn't. Then, what was he? His vision blurred. 'Alone. Truly alone.' He hated to admit it; K was right. He was alone, so alone. A teardrop slowly made it's way down his cheek. Alone. He burst into tears and lay back down, suddenly feeling completely exhausted. He was all alone. Touma buried his face in his pillow and cried himself back to sleep.
* * *
Another dumb psychotherapy session. No matter what he said, they simply would not believe that he was perfectly sane. Touma sighed, stepping into his office. One more day of staying at home and 'resting' and he'd probably really go mad and try to kill himself again. He paused in thought as he sat down wearily on his chair. Suicide. Did he really have the strength to try it a third time? He gazed at the scar on his left wrist. It was still red. He leaned back and closed his eyes. Eiri. Before he could even continue along that depressing train of thought, the door burst open and K walked in briskly. He didn't seem particularly pleased. Touma leaned forward and rested his chin on the back of his hands, giving Bad Luck's manager an amused look.
"Yes, Mister K?" he asked brightly.
"You are supposed to be recuperating, Seguchi," K replied sternly, leaning forward to grip the edge of the table.
He stood up. "I'm fine, Mister K. As you can see, I am perfectly sane no matter what the doctor says and I am coming to work whether you like it or not," he said with a cheery smile.
"And suicide is considered sane? Right. Perhaps it is. In the asylum, that is."
Anger quickly replaced amusement and Touma circled the table slowly, fist clenched and trembling with fury to stand directly in front of K. "Shut up. It's none of your business what I do with my life."
"Your life isn't yours to take," the American replied calmly.
"Just shut up."
The former secret agent shoved a struggling Touma against the wall and held him still. He leaned closer. Touma picked up the faint scent of his cologne and it made him feel light-headed. "And if I refuse?" K asked, a sinister tone lacing his voice.
"Then I might just have to sue you for the infringement and violation of human rights, Mister K." He relaxed and stopped struggling.
K raised an eyebrow. "Human rights? Why, that's new. I never knew they existed in your dictionary, Seguchi." He released Touma.
Touma adjusted his clothes. "Well, that's not surprising. You don't really know me at all." He turned away.
"Oh? Well, let's see. You're obsessively in love with your brother-in-law, or soon to be ex-brother-in-law. You are ruthless in your ways of keeping him to yourself. You are manipulative, cunning, and determined. You'd do anything to get what you or Yuki Eiri wants." K began, counting off his points on his fingers.
Touma could feel his blood temperature rising.
".You are jealous of Shuuichi because Yuki Eiri loves him like he will never love you and hence you go out of your way to make his life a living hell." the American continued.
Touma clenched his fists. K had no right, no right to be saying this. ~Shut up, K; just shut up.~
".It depresses you greatly that they are going on a honeymoon together."
~Shut up! I don't want to hear it! You have no right to tell me about myself! You don't know me that well!~
".And so you commit suicide because it has dashed your last hope of pulling Yuki Eiri to your side."
"SHUT UP!!!" Touma reached up to slap K before he knew what he was doing but the American easily grabbed his hand and gripped his wrist tightly. "Hanase!" he shouted, struggling to wrench his hand free of K's iron grip. The other man obediently released his hand and he let it fall to his side. The keyboardist lifted his other hand to point a slender finger at the former secret agent who merely raised an eyebrow. "You! You have no right to tell me about myself!"
"May I remind you in case you've forgotten; you were the one that launched into the topic," K put in easily.
If the NG president noticed the other man's statement, he chose to ignore it. "You don't know me well enough!! Who are you to tell me why I do what I do?! What gives you the audacity to think that you know me more than even that redundant psychotherapist at the hospital?!! YOU DON'T KNOW ME!!! Hell, you probably don't even know what my favourite wine is!!"
"Merlot, German Merlot. You like German wines because they're sweeter than most other wines."[1]
Touma chose to disregard K's calm statement although it was absolutely correct. "Who do you think you are, interfering with my life?! Get out!! Get out!! Get." he paused in midsentence. The room seemed to tilt and spin. He squeezed his eyes shut and pressed his fingertips to his forehead. He vaguely heard K asking if he was alright, but it seemed to come from a great distance away. A floating sensation followed as he seemed to lose all sense of equilibrium and he fell forward, losing consciousness, into the American's waiting arms, the other man having stepped forward to catch him.
* * *
Touma awoke staring into large bright blue eyes. The familiar scent of the mattress and pillow told him that it was his room he was in. He blinked slowly, his observer blinked twice.
"Touma?" a familiar voice asked.
"Ryuuichi-san," was all he could come up with.
Tears filled the singer's eyes and he leapt on to the blonde, knocking the air out of his lungs. "Tou-chan!" he exclaimed. "Yokatta." Nittle Grasper's vocalist hugged the other man tightly, almost choking him in the process. "Tou-chan mezameta'n da."
"Boku wa heiki desu yo. Daijoubu desu ne," he reassured the childish brunette. [2]
"Kumagorou mo shinpai shite no ni." Ryuuichi replied, holding up his pink bunny. "Hontou ni daijoubu?
"Hai... Hontou yo."
"Okay..." He pauses. "Ah, sou da! K-san told Ryuuichi to tell Tou-chan what the doctor told K-san."
"Mister K?" ~Doctor? What happened?~ the keyboardist wondered.
"Mm!"
"So, what did he say?" ~Oh, right. I passed out. K probably sent me home and called the doctor before getting Ryuuichi to keep an eye on me,~ he thought, wondering why the American was suddenly being so nice. ~Probably feeling guilty for making me scream.~ he mused.
"Doctor said that Tou-chan's body is still weak. No stress for Tou-chan. Tou-chan must rest at home for the rest of the week." The singer looked up at Touma. "Yakusoku suru?" He sticks out little finger.
~Is he psychic or what?~ Touma wondered, already dreading the idea of spending an entire week alone at home. On the other hand. It was better than an hour of Ryuuichi's whining. He wagged the other man's little finger with his own. "Hai, yakusoku suru yo..." he sighed resignedly.
The brunette grinned. "You fainted from low blood pressure. There's some iron pills on the table outside."
The keyboardist nodded.
"Sore ja! Ryuuichi's got to go. Tatsuha-kun's been bugging me to autograph his CD for an entire month. He'll shriek if I don't turn up." He jumped off the bed. "Bye-bye!!!" He skipped out the door, leaving Touma alone in the empty room.
END PART ONE
[1] I made this up. Touma likes wine, that's true and it's also true that German wines tend to be sweeter than their foreign counterparts. However, what kind Touma likes is anybody's guess. The only thing I know without a doubt is that he likes Yuki Eiri to a unique degree. (Winks) ^_
[2] For all fans of Ryuuichi, this was meant to be a complimentary statement. Don't take it the wrong way.
Tires screeched in protest as K swerved violently into a parking lot at Tokyo General Hospital. He didn't know why he even bothered to come seeing as his presence probably wasn't welcome. He leaned back and shut his eyes. Somehow, the idea that Seguchi Touma would attempt suicide twice seemed both unnerving and ridiculous at once. And now that he was here. Why was he here, anyway? It wasn't as if Seguchi's committing suicide was any of his business. It was common knowledge that he had been obsessed with Yuki Eiri from the very start. But to commit suicide over him going on a honeymoon with Shuuichi. It would have seemed more like the keyboardist to attempt homicide on Bad Luck's vocalist than to try taking his own life. After all, Seguchi Touma _is_ a manipulative snake in the grass and considering him being the person in question. K didn't think that he would hesitate to try murdering Shuuichi. But suicide. Well, far too late to have considered it a possibility, wasn't it? The American decided to push the thoughts away as he opened the car door and climbed out, slamming it back shut with a jarring force. Locking his car, he proceeded to the elevator and took it to the ground floor. On the ground floor, he approached the reception desk. Seguchi Touma was on the fifteenth floor, apparently. Another ride on the elevator in order, then. It was deathly silent on the fifteenth floor, like a scene from some horror movie he had watched back when he was in New York. The cold blasts of air from the air-conditioning only served to add to the already eerie atmosphere of the long corridor as he made his way towards ward 1521. He paused outside the door, the question from earlier returning to haunt him like a ghost in his mind. Why was he here? What reason did he have to visit the NG president lying in the room beyond? He shrugged and pushed the door open quietly. The keyboardist was lying on his side with the blanket wrapped snugly around him, breathing deep and even in sleep as Bad Luck's manager stepped into the ward. A few locks of his wispy platinum blonde hair obscured his eyes, his slender perfectly manicured fingers curled slightly, fingertips resting lightly on the pillow. Funny how sleep can make even the most ruthless people appear so much more gentle, K observed. There was none of the determined ruthlessness familiar to the NG president's features. The absence of the calculating look made his eyes seem almost gentle while the lack of the familiar cunning manipulative smirk seemed to soften his mouth. As it was, he didn't look thirty-two and the calm serenity made him appear all the more youthful. The absence of the put-upon air of false cheerfulness even made him seem more human. It was a rare sight indeed and the American was happy to indulge. As he continued his observation of his sleeping employer, Touma stirred. His eyes fluttered open. He blinked and sat up slowly.
"Mister K," he acknowledged softly. "Why are you here?"
Why was he here? Good question. Why _was_ he here? What made him decide to come visiting? "Oh, just making sure that I'll be getting my paycheque this month," he replied nonchalantly.
The keyboardist cast him a Look and coldly replied, "Well, as you can see, I'm very much alive, no thanks to you and I assure you that I pay all my employees consistently and on time. Is there anything else?"
"Yes, as a matter of fact, there is. You've been scheduled to see a psychotherapist twice a week every week until you are diagnosed mentally stable and while you are resting and recovering, I'll be taking over the management of the company," the former secret agent announced matter-of- factly.
Touma Looked at him. "I am NOT crazy, Mister K."
"I never said that I was the one making the arrangements. I know you're not crazy; at least not really. Go convince the doctor," K replied calmly.
"Is that all?"
"Pretty much."
"Then leave. To quote _someone_, I need to rest and recover."
K turned and reached for the doorknob and paused, hesitating. "By the way, did anyone ever tell you that you should sleep more?"
Another Look. "No. Whatever for, may I ask?"
"Nothing really. Just that you look much better asleep," he answered easily.
"Unless you haven't noticed, your opinion is utterly insignificant as far as where I am concerned and how I look like to you really doesn't rank among the list of things I'm concerned about."
"And Yuki Eiri does? His opinion regarding everything is significant even if it means being something that you're not?" K retorted without turning around. He couldn't really help himself; the words spilled forth before he could reconsider them.
There was a long pause. Finally, Touma replied in a voice that clearly told K of his waning self-control, "I'm tired. Leave me. I'm going back to sleep."
"So sleep. It might help with avoiding the truth to some extent. Just remember that you can run from it but you can never hide. Denial isn't going to help."
"Shut up, K," he snapped, dropping the honorific in his frustration. "Just shut up. Shut up and leave me alone."
Touma asked him to shut up. Really, he must be feeling rather out of sorts today to actually settle for such a crude phrase. Or it was more likely to be the tension the subject was creating. "Right, alone. Truly alone. Go on denying it. Keep on running." He paused. "Rest well, Seguchi. Goodbye." He opened the door and stepped out. "Only you can save yourself," he added after a moment's consideration and pulls the door shut behind him.
The NG president was left alone in the ward that suddenly seemed so empty, staring at the white wall opposite him. 'His opinion regarding everything is significant even if it means being something that you're not?' he repeated mentally. Something that he wasn't. Then, what was he? His vision blurred. 'Alone. Truly alone.' He hated to admit it; K was right. He was alone, so alone. A teardrop slowly made it's way down his cheek. Alone. He burst into tears and lay back down, suddenly feeling completely exhausted. He was all alone. Touma buried his face in his pillow and cried himself back to sleep.
* * *
Another dumb psychotherapy session. No matter what he said, they simply would not believe that he was perfectly sane. Touma sighed, stepping into his office. One more day of staying at home and 'resting' and he'd probably really go mad and try to kill himself again. He paused in thought as he sat down wearily on his chair. Suicide. Did he really have the strength to try it a third time? He gazed at the scar on his left wrist. It was still red. He leaned back and closed his eyes. Eiri. Before he could even continue along that depressing train of thought, the door burst open and K walked in briskly. He didn't seem particularly pleased. Touma leaned forward and rested his chin on the back of his hands, giving Bad Luck's manager an amused look.
"Yes, Mister K?" he asked brightly.
"You are supposed to be recuperating, Seguchi," K replied sternly, leaning forward to grip the edge of the table.
He stood up. "I'm fine, Mister K. As you can see, I am perfectly sane no matter what the doctor says and I am coming to work whether you like it or not," he said with a cheery smile.
"And suicide is considered sane? Right. Perhaps it is. In the asylum, that is."
Anger quickly replaced amusement and Touma circled the table slowly, fist clenched and trembling with fury to stand directly in front of K. "Shut up. It's none of your business what I do with my life."
"Your life isn't yours to take," the American replied calmly.
"Just shut up."
The former secret agent shoved a struggling Touma against the wall and held him still. He leaned closer. Touma picked up the faint scent of his cologne and it made him feel light-headed. "And if I refuse?" K asked, a sinister tone lacing his voice.
"Then I might just have to sue you for the infringement and violation of human rights, Mister K." He relaxed and stopped struggling.
K raised an eyebrow. "Human rights? Why, that's new. I never knew they existed in your dictionary, Seguchi." He released Touma.
Touma adjusted his clothes. "Well, that's not surprising. You don't really know me at all." He turned away.
"Oh? Well, let's see. You're obsessively in love with your brother-in-law, or soon to be ex-brother-in-law. You are ruthless in your ways of keeping him to yourself. You are manipulative, cunning, and determined. You'd do anything to get what you or Yuki Eiri wants." K began, counting off his points on his fingers.
Touma could feel his blood temperature rising.
".You are jealous of Shuuichi because Yuki Eiri loves him like he will never love you and hence you go out of your way to make his life a living hell." the American continued.
Touma clenched his fists. K had no right, no right to be saying this. ~Shut up, K; just shut up.~
".It depresses you greatly that they are going on a honeymoon together."
~Shut up! I don't want to hear it! You have no right to tell me about myself! You don't know me that well!~
".And so you commit suicide because it has dashed your last hope of pulling Yuki Eiri to your side."
"SHUT UP!!!" Touma reached up to slap K before he knew what he was doing but the American easily grabbed his hand and gripped his wrist tightly. "Hanase!" he shouted, struggling to wrench his hand free of K's iron grip. The other man obediently released his hand and he let it fall to his side. The keyboardist lifted his other hand to point a slender finger at the former secret agent who merely raised an eyebrow. "You! You have no right to tell me about myself!"
"May I remind you in case you've forgotten; you were the one that launched into the topic," K put in easily.
If the NG president noticed the other man's statement, he chose to ignore it. "You don't know me well enough!! Who are you to tell me why I do what I do?! What gives you the audacity to think that you know me more than even that redundant psychotherapist at the hospital?!! YOU DON'T KNOW ME!!! Hell, you probably don't even know what my favourite wine is!!"
"Merlot, German Merlot. You like German wines because they're sweeter than most other wines."[1]
Touma chose to disregard K's calm statement although it was absolutely correct. "Who do you think you are, interfering with my life?! Get out!! Get out!! Get." he paused in midsentence. The room seemed to tilt and spin. He squeezed his eyes shut and pressed his fingertips to his forehead. He vaguely heard K asking if he was alright, but it seemed to come from a great distance away. A floating sensation followed as he seemed to lose all sense of equilibrium and he fell forward, losing consciousness, into the American's waiting arms, the other man having stepped forward to catch him.
* * *
Touma awoke staring into large bright blue eyes. The familiar scent of the mattress and pillow told him that it was his room he was in. He blinked slowly, his observer blinked twice.
"Touma?" a familiar voice asked.
"Ryuuichi-san," was all he could come up with.
Tears filled the singer's eyes and he leapt on to the blonde, knocking the air out of his lungs. "Tou-chan!" he exclaimed. "Yokatta." Nittle Grasper's vocalist hugged the other man tightly, almost choking him in the process. "Tou-chan mezameta'n da."
"Boku wa heiki desu yo. Daijoubu desu ne," he reassured the childish brunette. [2]
"Kumagorou mo shinpai shite no ni." Ryuuichi replied, holding up his pink bunny. "Hontou ni daijoubu?
"Hai... Hontou yo."
"Okay..." He pauses. "Ah, sou da! K-san told Ryuuichi to tell Tou-chan what the doctor told K-san."
"Mister K?" ~Doctor? What happened?~ the keyboardist wondered.
"Mm!"
"So, what did he say?" ~Oh, right. I passed out. K probably sent me home and called the doctor before getting Ryuuichi to keep an eye on me,~ he thought, wondering why the American was suddenly being so nice. ~Probably feeling guilty for making me scream.~ he mused.
"Doctor said that Tou-chan's body is still weak. No stress for Tou-chan. Tou-chan must rest at home for the rest of the week." The singer looked up at Touma. "Yakusoku suru?" He sticks out little finger.
~Is he psychic or what?~ Touma wondered, already dreading the idea of spending an entire week alone at home. On the other hand. It was better than an hour of Ryuuichi's whining. He wagged the other man's little finger with his own. "Hai, yakusoku suru yo..." he sighed resignedly.
The brunette grinned. "You fainted from low blood pressure. There's some iron pills on the table outside."
The keyboardist nodded.
"Sore ja! Ryuuichi's got to go. Tatsuha-kun's been bugging me to autograph his CD for an entire month. He'll shriek if I don't turn up." He jumped off the bed. "Bye-bye!!!" He skipped out the door, leaving Touma alone in the empty room.
END PART ONE
[1] I made this up. Touma likes wine, that's true and it's also true that German wines tend to be sweeter than their foreign counterparts. However, what kind Touma likes is anybody's guess. The only thing I know without a doubt is that he likes Yuki Eiri to a unique degree. (Winks) ^_
[2] For all fans of Ryuuichi, this was meant to be a complimentary statement. Don't take it the wrong way.
