Silent Air

静か風

Disclaimer: These characters belong to Murakami Maki © or Sony Entertainment ©. The fanfiction belongs to me.

Warning: Gravitation is a Yaoi anime, but I'm gonna warn you again. If you've got anything against Yaoi or even against my favorite artist/writer Murakami Maki-sama you're done for na no da but if you have the autograph oh give it to me ooh oh I wanna! I wanna!

Plot Cockroach: I've noticed a few complaints about people generally leaving Fujisaki Suguru out of most stories… and the more I look at it the more I think it's true… I'm not really a fan of Suguru-kun but I think I can do something na no da! The plot… there's no plot except that Suguru-kun thinks of Ryuichi and… gives him something! The English title and Japanese title are somewhat different; actually I got Silent Air off Gravitation's soundtrack. It's really wispy. ^__^ It's really nice.

Italics are spoken in English.

Pairing: Suguru x Ryuichi (for fans na no da please smile more now!)

Note: The characters look like that from the manga. The plot though, is a mixture of OAV, manga and anime. Whatever I screw up, I mix in. That hurts Takatori's feelings na no da! ^__^ Windy's so proud! …It stumps me that I have more Bad Luck songs than Nittle Grasper… that thought alone makes me sad. Why don't they produce more NG songs? Why?? WHY?? If they're out of singers they can always hire Mama-chan to sing as Noriko, because I believe Mama-chan's got a really pretty voice na no da!!

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"Wonderful! Everyone did great today!"

Hiroshi crashed into the couch and stretched lazily, his back making those popping noises as they finally relaxed after a stiff day. Shuichi was still standing on the stage, smiling as Sakano and K praised him for his efforts… now that he was done Shuichi sounded a little squeaky. The longhaired brunet stifled a laugh at Shuichi's attempted string of words that now seemed a little like…

Nah. Best friends don't make fun of each other.

Their keyboardist half-smirked at them as he leaned tiredly against the wall. They still had to pack everything up before they left. The last thing they wanted to do, however, was that. All Suguru wanted at that moment was a cold drink, and a soft bed to go with it. They'd been recording at a marathon pace for four days, with only short breaks and non-stop prepping-ups by a furious K and an edgy Sakano.

Yes, things like packing up could wait.

"HELLO EVERYBUDDY NA NO DA!!"

The cast of Bad Luck spun round to face the doorway, where a bouncing young man stood with a great grin on his face. Obviously, somebody shouting English greetings weren't common in Japan, but the last three syllables gave him away. He rushed into the room and tackled Shuichi to the ground. "OHH Shu-chan you're finally off work Kumagorou and I are so happy how about having dinner with us all of you Tohma said I could invite you please oh please oh please na no ka???"

"Hello, Ryuichi," K managed sheepishly in English. He continued speaking in that language to prevent any other members to understand their conversation. "I do believe Shuichi's really busy… well, you know what he has to do at home with his 'fiancé' and all, don't you?"

"Yeah, I do na no da, but…" even his accent was perfect. Ryuichi, though he hardly knew it, had a flare for languages. He was the pride and joy of Nittle Grasper. Tohma hadn't said as much, but his smiles sometimes implied it. "K-san! I'd really like that! Can't I have everyone out tonight? Just for a little while? Please? I promise I won't stall Shu-chan out too late na no da!"

"Hey, hey! Will you guys please stop talking in English? I can't understand a thing…" Shuichi whined. He so did want to know what K and Ryuichi were conversing about. It seemed interesting, well, at least to him. Hiroshi snickered.

"They're talking about you and Yuki Eiri making out for the night and not wanting to join Sakuma-san for dinner."

Sakano and Suguru turned beet red. K and Ryuichi stared at Hiroshi, bug-eyed.

"What?" Hiroshi looked terribly innocent at that moment. So, his slang was there, but it was all still good and believable. Hiroshi had been an honor student in his school years, after all. Even Suguru was a little surprised. For a best friend of a guy who sang Japanese songs with a smattering of broken English, this was… surprising.

"You didn't tell me you could understand English that well, Hiro-kun!" Ryuichi smiled shyly.

"Yeah, well, it's not good to flaunt," Hiroshi grinned awkwardly. Ryuichi was certainly something to look at! Especially if he looked that bashful and virginal… It was no wonder he had so many stalkers and fans!

"Hidoii!" Shuichi pouted. "Even my best friend's against me!"

"Who asked you to break my sad, sad little heart in the first place, baby?" the brunet laughed. He didn't know where he got that phrase from, honest!

"I don't understand you!"

Sakano laughed, as did Suguru, despite their worn out condition. It was good to have things settled. Ryuichi turned to face them, smiling as he always did. "So, are you guys coming along na no ka?"

"Yes, Sakuma-san," Sakano bowed deeply. Ryuichi puffed his cheeks out.

"Hey! I thought we knew each other long enough for you to call me Ryu-chan na no da!" Ryuichi did a roundabout turn to Suguru, who was still leaning against the wall. "That goes for you too, although we haven't talked much yet!"

"All right, Sakuma-san," Suguru replied in a polite tone.

"Good that you got the message – Hey!"

"Ha, ha!" K chortled. "Anyway, Ryuichi, we'd better go now or Shuichi would be late. Yuki-san hasn't seen him in days and who knows how… hungry he might be?"

Shuichi didn't need to know English well to understand what 'hungry' meant. His face took up an interesting shade of magenta. "K-san!"

"Why don't we ask Yuki-san over na no ka?" Ryuichi cheered at his sudden good thought. However, Shuichi looked a little crestfallen at that.

"…Um, I don't think he'd wanna come."

"Saa, why not na no ka?" Ryuichi prodded the pink-haired singer. "Why don't you try asking him?"

Shuichi smiled as he picked up his cell phone to make a quick call back to Yuki's. His call was answered almost immediately; Eiri was hungry after all. "Yuki? Ryuichi asked us out for dinner and… well, he wants you to come along too; with all of us… yeah; Seguchi-san will be here too… Mika-san… yes… yes… oh, I see… uh huh… yeah…"

There was a pause. Shuichi smiled, this time a melting gaze in his eyes. "…I love you too, Yuki."

He ended the call and sighed happily, phone on his chest. The other continued staring at him.

"So, what did he say?" K was curious.

"Hmm…?" Shuichi was still floating on cloud nine. He jumped, startled when his friends came into view again from his world. "Oh! I'm sorry! I… well, eh heh… Yuki says he's busy with the dateline nearing… it's about a week from now and Yuki wants to finish it quickly."

"Okay…" K didn't buy it, but well, there wasn't much to comment on anyway. "Let's go!"

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Dinner was a scrappy affair so much with Hiroshi, Shuichi and K getting drunk and singing English songs on the karaoke, Sakano getting nervous that this would bring them bad publicity and trying his best to look prim and proper in front of Tohma, Mika gossiping with Noriko and Ryuichi chatting animatedly with Kumagorou and anyone who happened to be sitting or standing within one foot radius from him. Sometimes he stemmed his flow of chatter to clap at the trio performing at the front, or when a really good song came up and he sang along with them.

Throughout this event Suguru sneaked glances at Ryuichi. That singer was, as stated before, a sight to behold, whether he was on stage, or just a fellow artist walking down their same lane. He truly shone – it never seemed to fail him, that light enveloping him constantly as an ambience of pure liquid fire and ice. Ryuichi had a smile that could melt the hardest hearts, or make the strongest willed man on earth cry. At the same time, too, Ryuichi had the eyes to drive the weakest willed to achieve the impossible and reach the stars, for the timid to eat a man…

Suguru blushed when Ryuichi noticed his stare, grinned at him and began talking animatedly to him about everything in particular. It was as if he hadn't noticed… but well, that was fine with him. Suguru did like his cousin's band mates. Noriko was hot and outgoing in her mother hen-like ways, while Ryuichi was funny, witty, and cheerful.

"Nee, Suguru-kun! Are you upset na no ka?"

"Eh… um! No! Of course not!" Suguru jumped as he felt Kumagorou poke him in the ribs. "Ah, well, it's just kind of noisy, so I'm distracted… sorry!"

"That's okay," Ryuichi beamed. "Hey, we can go outside for a while, for a little breather na no da! I'm sure they won't mind it!"

Without waiting for an answer, Ryuichi dragged the boy out of the restaurant with him, leaning to tell Tohma a few words of where they were headed. At the blond's nod, they set off into the lighted streets. It was quite late at that time, seeing that they had busied themselves with more than just food.

"Are you alright now, na no ka?"

Suguru jumped. Again. He literally felt like smacking himself for being so edgy around Sakuma Ryuichi, who was well known to Bad Luck, and who had just asked him out for a respite from that entire din that was in the restaurant… or bar. Or lounge. Suguru didn't know what to make of that place. But back to the present now! Where was he?

"Oh, yes, thank you, Sakuma-san… err, I mean; Ryu-chan."

"I'm glad of that," Ryuichi twirled Kumagorou in the air. "Being unwell is a nasty, nasty thing, na no da, it makes us crabby and sad. I don't like my friends feeling sad."

"Thank you," Suguru managed, going red in the face rapidly. He was actually considered Ryuichi's friend! If that wasn't flattery, Suguru didn't know what it was. "…Well, ah, I like giving my friends things."

"Ooh, do you na no ka?" Ryuichi bounced excitedly. "Now why didn't Ryu-chan think of that before? He's such a big silly na no da!"

"Kumagorou-san should be the one to have thought of that, shouldn't he?" Suguru laughed; it was easy to smile and express amusement around the energetic singer.

"That's right! Kuma-chan! Why didn't you think of it na no ka??" Ryuichi then paused. "Kuma-chan thinks you're really smart."

"Thanks, Kuma-chan!" Suguru stopped short. "But oh! I said I liked giving friends things…" the keyboardist paused to fumble around for something he'd kept in one of his pockets. He smirked slightly as he produced a small box, wrapped up in sunflower-patterned paper, and tied with a yellow bow. Suguru handed it to Ryuichi, who stood grinning.

"For me na no ka?? Thanks!!"

Ryuichi undid the bow and unwrapped the gift carefully because he was sure that Suguru had taken a lot of time and effort to wrap it up nicely for his friends, and as he opened it, his eyes sparkled. "Oh!! It's a bell-chain-thingy!"

"Yes, it's like a bracelet that brings luck," the raven-haired youth nodded. "I thought it'd fit you. They call it a lucky charm."

"I think it's great na no da!!" Ryuichi excitedly slipped it on; his hands were small that they slipped it in well enough, though it wasn't loose enough to slip off once he got it on. He shook his arm, laughing when the bell jangled and made silvery clinking noises. "…It's silver isn't it?"

"Yes."

"Thanks!! Ryu-chan loves silver stuff! It's not as expensive as gold but I love it more than gold because it's just as shiny and looks like stars na no da!"

"You're welcome," Suguru turned away, going red in the face. It was nice to have Ryuichi speak so… normally to him when everyone else acted as if he weren't normal, or being simply formal.

"Oh! I almost forgot! Ryu-chan has to return a gift!"

"It's okay, there's no need…"

"Yes there is and I wanna na no da!" Ryuichi wouldn't allow Suguru to finish his sentence. "Hmm, I guess I have to think of what to give Suguru-kun! I can't give Kumagorou-chan… I don't think you'd like my earrings… um… oh!! I know! I know!!"

"What…?" Suguru was still a little dazed by Ryuichi's quick speech and thoughts. The singer's eyes sparkled brightly in the night.

"I'll give you a happy friend's kiss na no da! Isn't that a great idea?"

"Well, err—"

"It is! Yay! Now close your eyes na no da you shouldn't be peeking!"

Suguru couldn't do anything else but follow as Ryuichi instructed. He closed his eyes, waiting patiently, his heart pounding so hard against his ribcage that he thought it would be fractured. Distantly he could smell the scent of oranges washed in sunlight, pouring into the silent air of that starry night. The bells jingled softly; their melody carried away by the breeze as Suguru felt Ryuichi lean in closer… closer… closer…

And kissed him lightly on the cheek.

Suguru opened his eyes into those sparkling ones of the singer. He couldn't help feeling anything but peace… happiness of that shared by a friend and comrade… or perhaps something more? From Ryuichi's faint smile it was hard to tell.

This air will forever be silent; never telling of their secret, but always will remember it.

~*~ ~*~

Notes: Ah, finally I finished this! Whew, it was harder than I thought! I'm sorry I left Suguru out in the first place… oh, okay! I'm sorry if you found out that it was supposed to be a Hiro x Ryuichi piece but I managed to navigate through and shift the events please I'm sorry! ;_; *Is beaten by angry fans* I… I'll never live to see daylight again! ;_;