Disclaimers: Gravitation still doesn't belong to me. Still wish it did, but it doesn't.
Notes: Okay, we're back to Tatsuha and Ryuichi. I think this is the longest chapter I've written so far, minus the ENTIRE chapter 7, but only half of that one is posted.
~*The Bible of Kumagoro—Getting Closer to Your God*~
Living with Ryuichi for those couple of days would have to be the greatest thing to ever happen to me. He was always waiting for me when I woke up, no matter how late it was. He would just sit there on the couch and play with his Kumagoro while they both watched TV and waited for me. I couldn't understand how he could do it, but he did.
At first, we were playing games a lot, and we were almost always out doing something. He was really active, but that was all right with me, I was fairly active myself, and didn't have that much of a problem keeping up with him. After a while, though, things leveled back down and there were times I'd be stuck watching TV with Kumagoro while Ryuichi sat next to me and worked on lyrics. He'd never let me see them, but sometimes he'd ask for my help on figuring out a word or two.
I'd caught a few glimpses of the Ryuichi I had once adored, mostly when he was writing, but I didn't admire him nearly as much now. Ryuichi only looked that way when he was serious, and I didn't like it much. A carefree Ryuichi was almost always more welcome than a serious one. I didn't like the thought of Ryuichi worrying over something, but he didn't seem to worry much, anyway. He told me he was serious when he wrote and sung, because he didn't want to disappoint all of his fans, and because he knew that required being serious. He took me to work with him even, but he was all sunshine and smiles in there, too. Always the Ryuichi that I was slowly learning to love.
I figured out in a couple days that Ryuichi loved to spoil me. We were always going out somewhere and doing something, at least for a little while each day. The people at the restaurant nearby eventually learned my name as well, and were more than a little surprised when I went in there by myself. I supposed they were used to me going with Ryuichi. I knew he could cook, but I supposed he liked going out better, and it wasn't like I was complaining about it. Although, Ryuichi wasn't bad at all when it came to cooking. He and Kumagoro also took me out to see a lot of movies, but I always paid for myself so I wasn't sure if that counted as taking me anywhere.
He was hardly ever without Kumagoro, so I was surprised when one day he completely abandoned him at home when we left. He said Kumagoro was supposed to keep guard over the house, but that was a little bit strange to me. He'd never bothered with having Kumagoro 'keep guard' before.
"Come on! Let's go do something else na no da!" Ryuichi cheered happily as we left our normal restaurant, dragging me along by the arm and smiling happily. I smiled back at him and he blushed a little bit, continuing to drag me along.
"You have something special in mind?" I asked as he continued to drag me down the street, looking over his shoulder every once in a while to make sure he didn't run into anyone. He nodded and continued to pull me along, humming to himself happily.
"Come on na no da! There's a really good movie on in a little bit!" he cheered as we finally arrived at the movie theater, still blushing. I had to wonder about that. Ryuichi had opened up a lot to me in the last few days; he normally wasn't as shy around me as he had first been.
"So, you've seen it before?" I asked as he ran ahead of me inside, following him at my own pace as he practically ran to get his ticket. A few moments later I caught up with him and he smiled brightly, handing me my ticket.
"I saw it when I was in America na no da," he offered, grabbing my hand and dragging me inside before I could say anything else. Great, so this was an American movie. He dragged me all the way to the theater and up the rows to a good pair of seats, sitting us right in the middle of the row. "Kumagoro didn't want to come see it again with me, that's why I left him at home na no da. Big meanie!" I smiled and leaned back in my seat, waiting for the movie to come on. It wasn't that long of a wait before the lights dimmed and the commercials started. There were a couple humorous ones, and Ryuichi laughed during them. He really was too cute, sometimes. I had to wonder if Eiri ever took Shuichi out to see a movie, and if so if he actually bothered to pay attention to Shuichi. Probably not, but I'd have to suggest it. I'm sure he'd enjoy it, if even just a little bit, listening to Shuichi laugh and try and get my brother into things. I could see it now.
The movie was actually fairly interesting. It was about some whore (damn, she was pretty, too) and some writer. Kind of reminded me of Eiri and Shuichi (not saying Shuichi is a whore) but she sang a lot and wanted to be an actress so badly it reminded me of his determination.
It could have been more than a half hour into the movie when I felt something against my hand, but I just ignored it. However, it didn't take me long to realize that it wasn't going to go away. It felt strangely familiar...
Glancing over slightly I caught sight of Ryuichi, blushing and keeping his eyes straight on the screen as his fingers brushed against the back of my hand, glancing quickly and shortly over every few seconds. I smiled and took a deep breath. Either Ryuichi would hate me forever, or this could very well be the first step towards something better.
Before Ryuichi could react I moved my hand and grabbed his, sliding my fingers between his own. I saw and felt him jump before he looked over at me, blushing immediately and looking away again, almost before I could see his reaction. I was willing to bet that THAT was the reason he'd left Kumagoro at home today. Not because Kumagoro didn't want to see the movie.
I felt his tiny fingers (he was fairly small compared to me) tighten around my hand near the end. I think he was a little bit afraid of watching a romance movie with me. It had started off comedy, and he hadn't been all too nervous about it. He'd been laughing and squeezing my hand a little bit when he wanted me to pay attention. Now, though, it was all about the two character's relationship, and I could have sworn I felt him shaking a little bit.
It was a pretty sad ending, and I heard a lot of the girls in the theater crying, but it was to be expected. All in all, it wasn't a bad movie. The ending was definitely more for the girls, but the rest of it was good enough for me.
As the credits rolled I almost immediately found Ryuichi sitting on my lap, burying his face into my chest and clinging to my shirt. He was shaking, and I could have sworn he was crying, so I wrapped my arms around him and held him as the rest of the theater left.
"What's wrong?" I asked after everyone had left and the lights had come back on. Ryuichi shook his head and tried to burry his face deeper into my shirt. It was a good five minutes later when he sat up and wiped his eyes, smiling at me.
"Do you like me na no ka?" I blinked a couple times and nodded. What was this all about? He should have known that I liked him by now. "LIKE like me?" I nodded again. Hadn't I made that obvious enough already? His smile grew and he hugged me tightly. "No one's ever liked me like that before na no da." I smiled a little to myself as well, hugging him back in return. Sure, I was a little sorry for him that no one'd ever liked him before, but I was glad that he liked me in return, as well.
He hoped off my lap after a while and skipped down and out, earning a strange glance from the person cleaning up. I just followed him slowly, wincing as I neared the door and heard Ryuichi's excited scream.
"Shu-chan!" Opening the door I was surprised to find Ryuichi sitting on top of Shuichi and smiling down at him happily like he'd done when we'd first met. "Shu-chan, Shu-chan! You'll never guess what na no da!" he cheered happily, and I yelped in surprise as someone pulled on my hair, turning around to glare at them. I was surprised to find my brother standing there, looking just as pissed as ever.
"Whatever it was, I didn't do it, I swear," I offered, raising my hands in front of me as a sign of peace. Eiri sighed and ignored me, walking over to where Shuichi was still stuck on the ground.
"You're making a scene, idiot." Ryuichi blinked a couple times before getting up and taking a couple steps back, leaving Shuichi room to get back up by himself, which he did.
"So what're Shu-chan and Yuki-san doing here na no ka?" Ryuichi asked after Shuichi had removed himself from the floor. Shuichi blinked and looked up at him, stopping in his task of brushing dirt off of himself.
"He followed you inside," Eiri answered for him, pointing to Shuichi to emphasize the point that it hadn't been HIS idea. Shuichi nodded before standing up straight again and smiling brightly at the both of us.
"So, what's up? It's been a while!" he cheered happily, and Ryuichi nodded. It had only been around two days, but I guess for the two of them that was a while. "Huh? Where's Kumagoro? Did you forget him in the theater or something?" I should have known that one was coming. Of COURSE Shuichi would notice the absence of Ryuichi's little bunny friend.
"No. I…um…left him at home na no da," Ryuichi managed softly, looking like he wanted to run and hide behind the nearest pillar. He was starting to turn the shade of Kumagoro again. I loved it when he blushed like that. He was too cute. Shuichi smiled and latched onto my brother's arm, staring up at him happily.
"Yuki Yuki! Ryuichi and Tatsuha are on a date! Aren't you happy for them?" He cheered happily, glancing over at the two of us for a second before checking to see the reaction on my brother's face. He didn't do anything, as was to be expected. Ryuichi, however, was a different story. He blushed as red as the carpet we were standing on and hid his face in his hands almost immediately.
"That's not it na no da!" he screamed, muted by his hands, which were still covering his face. I smiled evilly to myself and pulled a hand away from his face, sliding my fingers between his again.
"It wasn't?" Ryuichi jumped and tried to hide again, pressing his face against my arm and shielding himself from Eiri and Shuichi's view with his free hand. He made no move to free his other hand. "Come on, Ryuichi. It's okay. We're not picking fun at you," I offered, placing my free hand on the top of his head. He shook his head but peered over at Shuichi from a crack between his fingers.
"Yeah. I'm really happy for you, Ryuichi," Shuichi answered sweetly, smiling. Eiri just sighed, shook his head, and turned to leave. Ryuichi seemed satisfied with that and dropped his hand down to his side, turning his head to face Shuichi. He was still leaning against my arm, though.
"Hey! Does Shu-chan and Yuki-san want to go get dessert with us na no ka! Me and Tatsuha know a really good place, right?" Ryuichi asked happily, looking up at me and I nodded. He was talking about the same place we'd been going to every other day this week. Sometimes we went back and had dessert when we were bored, since it wasn't that long of a walk down there.
"Umm…I want to go, but I don't know if Yuki would want to." Shuichi looked over his shoulder to accent his point. Eiri was waiting outside the glass doors, arms crossed and glaring at us all. I stuck my tongue out at him and he flipped me off. I guess I should have been expecting that from him. "Umm…I think Yuki's mad at me."
"Nope. He's flipping me off," I reassured him, smiling and waving at my brother from where I was standing. He just went back to glaring at me and lit a cigarette. Ryuichi tried his hardest not to laugh, but I caught a few giggles. "Let's go ask him, shall we?" Shuichi nodded slowly to himself and Ryuichi and me started towards the door, both of us practically pushing Shuichi ahead of us.
"Took you long enough, brat," Eiri greeted once we were all outside and Shuichi smiled anyway, latching himself to his arm again.
"Yuki! Can we go out to get some dessert with Ryuichi and Tatsuha, PLEASE?" Eiri sighed and dropped the cigarette he'd been working on, smashing it beneath his shoe.
"Fine." Shuichi smiled even brighter and hugged my brother tightly.
"Thank you Yuki!" Eiri sighed and rested a hand on top of his head.
"Who said I was doing this for you?"
"I did!" Shuichi cheered, pulling away and staring up at Eiri. Ryuichi covered his eyes as they kissed. I just ignored it, I was used to the two of them already.
"So, my darling big brother, could you possibly give me and Ryuichi, who've been walking all day, mind you, a ride there? Since you have a car and my motorc…"
"We walked, too," Shuichi and Yuki both interrupted at the same time, and Shuichi giggled happily. Oh well, I didn't care. I just didn't feel like walking if I didn't have to.
"That's fine with me." Ryuichi nodded as well.
"Yeah! It gives us more time to talk na no da!" He cheered happily.
"In that case, I'm going back home to get the car," Eiri offered and Shuichi punched him lightly in the arm. "Fine, fine, I'll walk behind you." Shuichi pouted a little bit but gave up, hopping over to Ryuichi and me.
"Okay then! Let's get going!" he cheered brightly, latching onto Ryuichi's free hand. "Yuki can't spoil things, right?" Ryuichi nodded happily and let go of my hand, skipping off and leading Shuichi. I walked behind them with my brother.
"Are you mad at me?" I asked after a while of walking, listening to the two chat in front of us. He didn't answer for a while but I waited. He tended to do that to people, answer them after a while of silence. I think he's waiting to see if they'll drop the subject before he answers. Or maybe he's trying to figure out what to say, but I doubt that one. He writes for a living, after all.
"You forgot something at my house when you left." So was he mad at me or not? I HATED it when he did that. Besides, what could I have left behind? I hadn't brought anything there, had I?
"Really? I got my clothes from Shuichi first time I saw him after that."
"Your picture." I had to stop and think about that one for a little bit. Did I bring that with me to Eiri's? I probably did, I took it just about everywhere with me. And to think I'd had Mika looking around for it at her place.
"Oh. Sorry. Guess you're mad about that, huh?" I should have known I'd done something to piss him off. Oh well, it wasn't like it was something rare. I hadn't done anything TOO embarrassing to him.
"Can I keep it?" I stopped. Eiri wanted…to keep it? I certainly hadn't been expecting that. He turned to look at me, sort of. He was more staring at the ground and facing me. It was kind of funny. My brother was said to be the biggest asshole in the world, but he was too scared to ask for a picture from me.
"Sure. I have more at home anyway." He finally looked at me and I smiled, starting to walk again before Ryuichi and Shuichi got too far ahead of us. I don't think he realized that I caught the little smile I got in return. The rest of the walk was made in silence.
"What took you guys so long na no ka?" Ryuichi asked as we finally caught up to them. They'd probably only been there a minute or two, but I guess once again that that was a long time for them.
"We walk like the rest of society," Eiri answered coldly but neither of them seemed phased by it. They just grabbed our hands and dragged us inside.
"Ah! Back for more, I see. Who're your friends?" our waitress asked happily as we made our way inside and Ryuichi turned to smile at her. She was the same girl we'd had before the movie. Creepy. Her name was Sakuma Sakura, and she was Ryuichi's favorite. They weren't related, but he called her his little sister anyway. He said he just found it funny that he'd found someone with the same last name as himself.
"This is Shu-chan and his boyfriend Yuki-san na no da! We went to see the same movie today!" He cheered happily as we sat down, and pointed to Shuichi and Eiri.
"Anything to drink?"
"Mountain Dew!" Shuichi cheered happily, bouncing a little in his seat.
"Water." She nodded and smiled.
"Menu's over there, feel free. I'll be back in a bit." And she was gone. Ryuichi kicked his feet happily under the bench and grabbed my hand again, smiling up at me happily.
"Umm…get that!" Shuichi cheered happily, pointing to a picture on the menu. "We can share it, okay?" Eiri glared at him but agreed, sealed to his fate. "So…what'd you think of the movie, Tatsuha?" Shuichi asked happily as Eiri put the menu back. I shrugged.
"It was okay, I guess. It was funny at the beginning." Shuichi smiled and leaned his face in his hands.
"Wasn't it? I was laughing so hard I almost cried! Yuki didn't laugh even ONCE! He's so boring sometimes," he whined, glancing over at Eiri as he said that. He was ignored, though.
"I liked all the pretty songs na no da!" Ryuichi cheered happily. "I have the American DVD somewhere, I think. And the soundtrack na no da!"
"Here you go. Two Mountain Dews, water, and your coffee," Sakura announced triumphantly as she finished up with the drink orders. "You guys decided?"
"We want that!" Shuichi cheered happily, pointing to the picture happily.
"You four are all so boring, I swear. So three chocolate cheesecakes then?" Ryuichi nodded happily. "So, how'd things go?" Sakura asked once we were done ordering, and I blinked a couple times.
"Perfect na no da!" Ryuichi cheered and she smiled brightly.
"I'll tell the others, then. Congrats." What was that about? Eiri and Shuichi looked just as clueless as I felt at that moment. Ryuichi just kept on smiling and sipped at his drink, ignoring us.
There were a couple small conversations in the time spent waiting, but nothing relatively important. "There you go. I'll be back in a bit with the check," Sakura offered again as she gave us each our dessert and left, smiling and waving. There was a mad grab for the little flag on top of Ryuichi's piece, but he got to it first. He smiled happily before licking off the end of it and setting it next to him.
"You're mean," I pouted, taking a piece of his as he refused to let me see the little flag for myself.
"No I'm not! You're the mean one na no da!" he screamed in return as he took a little bit from mine in return. We continued like that for a while until we heard Shuichi laugh and both stopped.
"Congrats," he offered happily, turning the flag to where I could read it. Yep, that's what it said.
"Just trade your damn pieces and get the fight over with," Eiri offered as I snatched the food Ryuichi'd stolen from me off his fork.
"What fun is that?" I asked after I swallowed it, stopping anyway. I didn't want Eiri to get pissed at me. I was having a GOOD day.
"It's lots of fun, especially for me." Ryuichi and Shuichi both frowned at that and went back to eating, stirring up a random conversation from the middle of nowhere. The pros and cons of crayons and colored pencils, I think. Something weird like that. Ryuichi was on the crayon side.
We paid and left without ever breaking Ryuichi and Shuichi's argument, and they were once again outside before Eiri and me. He grabbed my arm and stopped me before we joined them outside, and they were too busy arguing to notice.
"Don't screw this up," he warned me and I smiled. I knew, in some strange Eiri, big-brother way, he was trying to be nice. I just knew these sorts of things.
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WHEE! FINALLY, they're together, but it's not over yet. I just have to worry with figuring out a couple plot elements for the next chapter before I go into the new section of plot. The next section shouldn't last TOO long, though.
Remember, reviews make the authors fonder.
They make me oh so very very happy, and I write faster when I'm happy.