Disclaimers: Gravitation still doesn't belong to me.

Notes: Told from Mika's point of view.

I'm sort of surprised I didn't get killed for adding Michael into chapter 14…

Anyone else notice I start a lot of my chapters off with people sighing O.o

I guess it's just a writing flaw of mine…

~*The Bible of Kumagoro—Getting Closer to Your God*~

            I sighed as I sat down in the living room. Tatsuha and his friends were out at dinner, and I'd been stuck eating dinner alone with my father. I'd been hoping they would stay over for dinner, but somehow Tatsuha had ended up owing Aiko money, so they went out without me. It never even occurred to Tatsuha that I might have wanted to go, too, or maybe they just wanted some time to themselves. Either way, dinner hadn't been very pleasant.

            Father didn't like the idea that I was siding with Eiri now, or with Tatsuha either. Originally he'd had Tohma and me on his side in trying to break Shuichi and him up, but now both of us were on their side. Why couldn't he see how much good this was doing him? I was seriously starting to doubt that he cared about our happiness at all. He'd also taken to insulting Tohma over dinner. I don't know what he was trying to achieve there, he used to like Tohma. I suppose he didn't like either one of us anymore.

            "I'm home!" Tatsuha cheered brightly, and I heard the door close behind him. "Hey Mika!" He practically sang, peering inside the doorway and smiling happily. He was always in such a good mood; I envied him for his ability to deal with this sort of thing so easily. He was willing to follow his heart no matter what anyone else told him to do. It was a very admirable trait, and it kept him from having to regret many of his decisions.

            "Welcome back. Your friends go home?" I asked from where I was sitting, not feeling the need to get up and greet him. He nodded and walked over to sit across from me. "So, what's up with Michael-kun? He didn't seem…well. He barely spoke at all." Tatsuha sighed and ran fingers through his hair, tilting his head back to stare at the ceiling.

            "I wish I knew. He normally doesn't talk much." I nodded and Tatsuha tilted his head back down so he could see me. "Do you think there might be something wrong with him? He was really fidgety today. He's not normally like that." I smiled, Tatsuha wasn't as observant as I'd thought. I would have figured with his people skills he would have figured it out by now. I was thinking maybe he just didn't like talking around me, but Tatsuha made it obvious that he didn't talk much to him, either.

            "Maybe he just wasn't comfortable being here." I could see that Michael liked him, but it wasn't my place to tell him that. Michael would have to tell him by himself, when he was ready.

            "I guess so. So, how was your day?" he asked after a short while, changing the subject on me.

            "Decent, I guess. Talking with father wasn't much fun." He smiled nervously and brushed a bang back from his face.

            "Sorry I didn't take you with us to go out to eat, but I was hoping Michael might tell me what was wrong if it was just the three of us. I want to know what's bugging him. I don't like watching my friends suffer like that. I thought maybe it was because he was far away from home…but he said he didn't mind it." Standing up I crossed over to the couch where Tatsuha was sitting, wrapping my arms around his shoulders and holding him gently.

            "Don't worry about it. He'll tell you when he feels like it. I'm sure he doesn't like making you worry, either." Tatsuha nodded slightly against my shoulder, and we sat like that for a while. Tatsuha and I were close siblings; we weren't bothered by 'displays' such as this. Eiri probably would have shoved me off and told me to stop babying him already, but Tatsuha understood that I wasn't trying to baby him. I was just trying to help him, and comfort him. I hated watching my friends and family suffer just as much as Tatsuha did.

            "I can't wait to go back to Tokyo again," he stated after a long while, and I let him go. He sat up slowly and leaned back against the couch. "I know it's only been a day, but I want to see them all again. Almost all my friends live in Tokyo. Aiko, Michael, Shuichi, Ryuichi, Eiri…I'm even starting to miss Tohma," he finished with a little smile. "Wish dad didn't make me come back over breaks, even for a little bit. I hardly ever get to see him either way." I sighed and listened as he ranted. I knew this was Tatsuha's way of getting things out of his system. Eiri wrote, Shuichi cried, I slept; he just listed off his problems and how he felt on them.

            "Don't worry about it. It's only a week Tatsuha, you'll live. Careful, though, father's not happy about your meeting with Ryuichi-san." He sighed and closed his eyes. He was way too mature for someone his age at times, it seemed. He was still my little baby brother, to me, but he handled his own problems so well, so easily. I envied him for that. I was stuck handling both Eiri's AND my problems. At times he was more mature than Eiri, even. His eyes opened again as he spoke.

            "I know. He doesn't like the fact that Eiri and I like guys, but we can't help it. I'd like Ryuichi whether he was a girl, boy, whatever. I can't help it. Why can't he understand that? Wouldn't he have liked mom no matter what, either? Or did he just marry her for her looks?" I could see the tears building in the corner of his eyes as he spoke to me, but he wouldn't let them fall. His pride wouldn't let him.

            "He just doesn't think about it that way, Tatsuha. I'm sure if he did he wouldn't be so upset about it. I'll try to talk to him about it, okay? That's what I'm here for," I offered as I hugged him again, kissing his forehead.

            "Thanks Mika. I couldn't do what you do…" I blinked and Tatsuha sat up slightly, smiling up at me. "I couldn't leave the person I love behind to help someone else out like you do. I'm selfish like that. You're always here trying to help Eiri and me out; you're barely home with Tohma. I really appreciate your help. I'm sure Eiri does, too." I couldn't help myself as I started crying when he finished, and for once he held me and let me cry. He was one of the few people I let see the weak side of me, the side that needed his comfort. To everyone else I was a natural born bitch, but I was human, too. I got hurt and disheartened like everyone else. There were times it built up enough that even the smallest thing would start me crying. I was under enough pressure to snap, and I was surrounded by so much hate and suffering in just my family. I just couldn't help myself sometimes…

Neither Tatsuha no Eiri had ever offered me a single word of gratitude before. I never even considered how much I really was giving up for them. The sinking realization was enough to make me snap all by itself. I didn't regret it though. The look on Tatsuha's face…I couldn't leave this problem to blow up in his face and hurt him.

            "Thank you. I don't want to be stuck here doing this, it's horrible, but I wouldn't dare leave you to do it yourself, Tatsuha. I…" I hugged him tighter, closing my eyes so I didn't have to look at him. I hadn't cried 'in public' since I was a teenager, it was almost embarrassing, but I couldn't help it. Even someone like me wanted a little bit of gratitude. I wasn't helping them for the praise, but it was nice to know that my efforts weren't completely disregarded. Eiri used to yell at me for trying to help him, but I tried not to let it get to me.

            "I know. Thanks for trying so hard, though. I don't think I'd do it. Eiri and I don't ever do that much for you, do we?" I shook my head slowly. Somehow everything had turned around on me. I was the one that needed the comforting now, and Tatsuha was acting like my older sibling. It was embarrassing, but at the same times not. Even I needed comforting every once in a while. Tatsuha was the only person to offer it to me in a long while. "Okay then. Tomorrow you and I are going to do something! You deserve a break, and I need to stop thinking about Ryuichi! It'll be a family day…sorta. You in?" I sat up and wiped my tears quickly, nodding. Tatsuha was smiling brightly, practically bouncing.

            "I guess that'd be alright…"

            "Yay! We can start off and go to breakfast! Then we can go out shopping, since I know you like to shop. Then we can eat lunch at the mall, and then cruise around there, and be back home for dinner. I'll pay for it all. It can be my way of saying thanks!" I smiled a little in return to Tatsuha, whose smile only got brighter.

            "Thank you." I was regaining my typical self now, after my little cry I was feeling refreshed and much less depressed than I had before. My problems didn't seem so bad anymore.

            "No prob. If only Eiri'd get off his butt and come, we could make it into a real day to remember! But that's okay, you and me haven't hung out in a while!" Tatsuha went on planning what we were going to do tomorrow, and I couldn't help but smile as I listened to him. Every two seconds he would change his mind on where we should eat, or shop, or when we should eat, or when we should get up, ect. It was cute, the way he continued on and on about it.

            "If you're planning on getting up early, don't you think you should go to sleep soon? It's almost 11 and you're planning on being up when, 5:30?" Tatsuha blinked a couple times and checked his watch. He stared at it a while like it was somehow lying to him before blinking a couple more times.

            "Wow. Later than I thought…Guess I should apologize for being out so late then, huh?" I shrugged and pointed a finger to his room.

            "I don't care, and dad doesn't have to know. Now, sleep so you don't end up falling asleep on me tomorrow. A promise is a promise Uesugi Tatsuha." He smiled and got up, pushing my arm back down by my side.

            "I know that, I wasn't planning on it. I'd go even if I didn't go to sleep tonight. I wouldn't break a promise I made to you, Eiri, Shuichi, Tohma, Ryuichi, Michael, Aiko, anyone I cared about. You better sleep, too. You tend to sleep almost as much as I do."

            "That's only because I don't have anything better to do." Tatsuha smiled and made his way out the door, heading towards his room, I suppose. I sighed and got up, making my way towards my own room. Tomorrow should be fun. 'Hanging out' with Tatsuha was always fun.

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Done! Sorry if this chapter isn't that great, I wrote it in a bit of a rush. My mom is demanding I go to bed soon, and I might as well. I've been sick recently. I just wanted to show a bit of family bonding here, and create a sort of closeness between Mika and Tatsuha. Somehow I ended up getting their relationship from my brother's and mine. We get along really well, and always try to help each other out.

PLESE review! I need them as inspiration! They fuel me on to write faster!!! *gets ready to beg…more*