note: gravitation rights: still not ours. we weep. ;_;

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            Yuki looked after Tohma for only a moment before walking out into the rain again, carefully balancing his burden. It was a long, slow walk back to the hospital, but once there, a few euros in the right places convinced the staff that the earlier incident had never occurred. Having smoothed things out (without, it may be noted, putting Sakuma-san down even once), Yuki carried the boy back into the doctor's office; this time, he was determined to see things set to rights.

            The singer's body tensed as his nostrils caught the scent of the hospital—death, decay, hopelessness, and pain. It reminded him of silence. Terrible, horrible silence. No music at all. Music was his saviour—the angel that drove out his thoughts and voices and made him feel, if only for a little while, that he was totally together... totally collected. But now—now all he could hear was silence. He twisted his body obtusely in Eiri's arms and glanced about the room before another sharp pain drove him back to cling to his K-chan and the blonde-haired novelist.

            "Shhh... it's all right, Sakuma-san. We will be finished soon." Eiri lowered his voice and instructed the doctor. "Be as quick as you can." The doctor took a cursory scan of the young boy, nodded curtly, and motioned towards a table in the office. "Would you please leave the room?' Ryuichi's eyes widened and he shook his head profusely, clinging closer to Eiri. The novelist glanced down at the agitated Ryuichi. "I don't think that would be a good idea."

            "Right, then." The doctor breathed the last word out in an exasperated sigh. He directed the singer down to the bed and carefully lifted his shirt. The right side of his chest was covered in an ugly mess of black, green, and blue, dissolving into a patchwork quilt of bruises and cuts from the bushes. Absentmindedly, the doctor raised a questioning eyebrow at Eiri, but decided against his intended query when his eyes met the writer's cold stare. Eiri's expression very clearly said, Don't ask. Just fix it. Emotion flickered behind his eyes, but to someone who did not know him well, it would be impossible to determine what he is thinking… and, after all, who did know Yuki well....?

            Closing his mouth with a snap, the doctor began to clean the cuts. Ryuichi locked eyes with Eiri, trying to distort his clear vision of pain by looking at someone other than the doctor tending his wounds. Eiri, for his part, met the boy's gaze. He knew that he must, but found it a strain nonetheless. It was seldom that he met anyone's eyes, but for some reason, this one was harder than most.

            It seemed an eternity before the doctor finished, but as soon as he was through, Eiri scooped Ryuichi back up into his arms again. With a few short words and the exchange of a bit of money, he satisfied the hospital staff and carried the now-bandaged singer out into London once more. "Can you walk?" was the first thing he said that was directed solely at Ryuichi.

            "Ano..." Ryuichi glanced down at the ground, then back up at Eiri, as if he were deciding which place was better—on his feet, or in Eiri's arms. He stepped timidly to the ground, swallowing his Adam's apple down into his stomach, and pressed his feet to the pavement. He took a moment to steady himself against Eiri's shoulders and grinned, pleased with his ability to stay upright.

            Unfortunately, the glee didn't last for long—once he let go, Ryuichi's legs seemed to crumple up like wet paper below him, and he slid downward. His grin disintegrated into a sudden expression of, 'hey, legs aren't supposed to do that...' as he fell. Eiri caught the boy as he slumped, gathering him carefully up into his arms again. "Guess not."

            Once Ryuichi was settled again, Eiri began to walk, neither knowing or caring which direction he was headed. His voice was soft and low, but there was a sense of urgency underneath. "Sakuma-san... you must tell me. I need to know how to find Shuichi." He hesitated slightly, then added, "I think that it will help you, too."

            The vocalist took in a breath of the foggy London air and stared up into the sky—almost disturbingly like the time he snapped—and sighed. His eyes faded away into a sort of enveloping lassitude covering his face and body. "Okay."

            Somehow, Yuki found his way to a small park set in the middle of the city. The streetlamps flickered above them as they moved. The sky was just beginning to darken when Yuki found a bench to sit Ryuichi down on. Once the injured man was settled, he sat down himself, staring out at the fog as he lit a much-needed cigarette. Smoke wreathed about him in silence as he waited for Ryuichi's story—hopefully this time, it would be something that was at least approaching the truth. The singer took a deep breath, then slowly began to speak.

            "I can't..." He paused, then added, "We can't remember everything that happened. Someone told me that Shuichi had been moved to a hospital in Europe—I can't even remember which one—but somehow, I figured he'd keep the tour dates the same, even with what had happened. His music means everything to him, na no da. Well..." He tore a glance at Eiri. "Everything and you..."

            "He was supposed to play here? In London, at that concert hall...?"

            "Mmm hmm."

            "But he wasn't there, was he." It was not a question.

            Ryuichi tilted his head to the side, as if confirming what Eiri had said. "I thought that... since this was his last concert before arriving back in Japan..." The words trailed off, vanishing into the foggy air.

            For a moment, it seemed as if Eiri would simply refuse to answer. He stared out into the distance, smoke wreathing around his head, cigarette held loosely in his lips—but he said not a word. As the silence lengthened, a strange glitter appeared in his eyes, sparkling dully in the pale moonlight.

            Like the feather of a fallen angel, the cigarette slipped from Eiri's lips and drifted to the ground. As if following it down, the novelist slumped on the bench and put his head in his hands, looking utterly spent.

            "Eiri... san?" Ryuichi carefully placed an arm around his shoulder, praying that Eiri wouldn't hit him away as he had Tohma. Though he did not answer, neither did Eiri shrink away from the touch. His shoulders shook, ever-so-slightly, but the movement was gone so quickly that it was difficult to register.

            Slowly, he sat up again, face somehow blank and distant at the same time. "We should return to the concert hall. It is the only link we have. Perhaps without Tohma's interference..." He trailed off, then suddenly looked over at the singer. "How did Tohma know you were coming to London, Sakuma-san?"

            "That..." he breathed out the words calmly, "I do not know, either. I had just come into the concert hall when he caught me."

            "Hnh." Yuki eyed his companion measuringly for a moment, then stood and scooped him up without ceremony. Carrying Sakuma-san, he headed in the direction of the theater once again. It seems inane… but I have to do something. I can't just sit here. Maybe we will be able to find some sort of clue.

            Ryuichi eyed the road in front of him curiously, half-listening as his voices began to babble aimlessly in his head. |What did Shuu-chan say in that text message a while back?| *Pffh, you should know, you have the best memory out of all of us...* ~Na, minna-san... Shuu-chan's not in the concert hall...~  |What?| (Ano...where is he...?) ~Himitsuuuuu! It's a secret.~ Ryuichi made an irritated noise, trying to get some information from his voices who obviously knew more about the situation than he did.

            Yuki looked down. "What's wrong?" He spoke almost grudgingly, though the reason was impossible to fathom. Maybe he was annoyed at some inner train of thought. Maybe Ryuichi's noise had interrupted something he was musing about. Then again, maybe the stress was getting to him... or he could just be his normal, stand-offish self.

            "They—them, they're not telling me something." The singer fumbled with his words as he listened on to the broken conversation between voices. |Ryuichi-kun. You might as well tell Sakuma-san. He's going to find out sooner or later, and then tell Eiri-san.| ~ But if he doesn't know, we can stay with Eiri-san!~ (...what...what are you implying?! Can't you see he's suffering?) ~I love Eiri-san.~ |WHAT?!| *Nani??* (...oh no...)

            Oblivious to the internal revelation, Eiri stopped, peering down at Sakuma-san with concern. "What is it...? Is it about Shuichi?"

            "Ohh no..." Ryuichi clasped his hands to his face. "This is... was... unexpected."

            Yuki frowned, confused. "Are you all right...?"

            "Yes...yes, I'm fine." *Seeing that a part of you is in frickin' love with him makes things fine, huh?!* |That and, this lovestruck baka won't tell us what he knows about Shuu-chan... | ~ Kiiiireeii desuu....Eiri's just so pretty!! Ryuichi, kiss him for meeee!!~ The physical Ryuichi clapped another hand to his face. "Uuughhh."

            "Hnh." Eiri looked up and began walking again, still headed for the concert hall. Off-handedly, he added, "Don't lose consciousness. Dead weight is annoying to carry."

            ~ WAAAAHHH! ~ (oh...for the love of...) |Jesus Christ.... Tatsuha's going to be pissed when he hears this one...| (Stop talking, and start giving me some answers! What did the text message say?) ~ I L-O-V-E E-I-R-I--- ~ *Somebody, please, kill him.* 

            Without another reason to speak, Eiri continued on, eventually reaching the concert hall. By this time the sun had set, and the place looked a great deal different than it had in the light of day. Carefully disengaging one arm from Sakuma-san, Yuki pushed open the door and stepped inside.

            "Wa-wait." Ryuichi stopped him before he could push the door open fully. "He's not in there." Yuki stopped short and glared down at his burden. "Oh, he isn't, is he? All right. That's it." With a low growl, he plopped Ryuichi down on the floor, backing the boy up against a wall. "No. More. Lies." His eyes sparkled and burned like frozen fire, catching and holding anything in their path. "If you know where Shuichi is, tell me now. No more games. Someone's life is on the line here."

            Eiri took a step forward, lips tracing a path upwards to form a mirthless smile. "Do you know what a life is, Sakuma-san? Do you really understand? Take a moment to think. A life." He took another step. "Can you feel that life in your hands? Can you feel the heartbeat, the mind, the flow of blood through veins that represents another fragile thread of human existence?" Another step. "You are responsible for that life now." Another. "Can you live with that responsibility, Ryuichi Sakuma? Can you really play your little games when something of that importance is under your control?" His face was mere inches from the singer's. "Can you?" The glittering gold-green eyes suggested that their master knew this subject far more intimately than any simple novelist should.

            "I… I don't..." Ryuichi's eyes glazed over in fear. He pressed his back against the wall, damning his voices ten times over in his head. "I don't know. I DON'T KNOW!!!" He pointed to his head, tears starting to form in his eyes. "THEY do, I DON'T!! How... how am I supposed to get any information from some... thing in my head that is obviously, definitely, and totally IN LOVE WITH YOU?!?!?" He stopped short, breath catching in his throat.

            He… wha? Caught completely off-guard, Eiri stepped back, eyes widening in shock. The glimpse of—whatever-it-was—in his eyes faded as quickly as it had appeared. He blinked, finding that for once, he was completely at a loss for words.

            For a long time, Ryuichi just stared, crystal eyes wide with shock at the words that had just slipped out. Finally, he slumped farther down on the wall, letting out a waterlogged sigh. "I know that Shuichi's in trouble... and I don't want him to be in trouble..."

            "Sakuma-san..." Eiri looked at him with more frankness than, perhaps, ever before. "If that is true, then you must talk to... them. You are the only one who can. I need to know where Shuichi is so that I can help him."

            Ryuichi nodded slightly and pressed his hands to his ears. (No more games! Tell me where Shuichi is, NOW!!) There was a moment of silence, then Ryuichi looked up at Eiri-san, one of his voices beaming through his normal personality. "Uwah, Eiri-san, I'll tell you a riddle, mmkay? If you get it right... you'll find Shuichi~~!"

            Eiri's eyes narrowed—he could recognize a personality shift when he saw one. Guarded again, he replied, "...Tell me."

            "What exists but is not there—where would you go to find such a thing? Lots of people have it, it comes in different shapes and sizes, and only one person here won't give it up~" he quipped in a sing-songy voice, grinning chastely up at Eiri. "Sooo~~, do I get a kiss now?" Eiri rolled his eyes and turned away, pacing and agitated.

            Damn it, I hate riddles. He was starting to sweat again—he could feel it. Annoyed, he wiped his forehead. 'One person here,' huh? I wonder if he means one of the two of us, one person in London, or one person in the whole damn world...? And how the hell is this supposed to lead me to Shuichi?! Ryuichi held his head as he returned to psuedo-normal, thoughts trailing through what had just been said, mind blank....why didn't his voices just tell him directly what was going on?!

            Staring at the cold, uncaring wall, Eiri nearly despaired. Damn it!! Words are my life, my profession... but I can't make these words tell me what I need to know. Shuichi could end up hurt or worse, and it will all be my fault... The novelist's eyes squeezed shut as he tried to force his brain into some sort of understanding. A few tense moments of silence hung over the room... still nothing.

            With a low sound somewhere between a growl and a groan, Eiri sunk to the floor, head in his hands. I can't do it. I've failed again. The familiar tightness attacked his chest, making it hard as hell to breathe as despair threatened to take over. This whole trip had been a nightmare of impotence. The harder he tried, the less it seemed he was able to help Shuichi. Here, at last, he was being forced to give up. Slowly, agonizingly, he began... to let go.

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lookie here, chapter seven! wow, this was a long one… i've actually had this done for a few days, but the lack of reviews was depressing… so i only got around to posting it now, and really only because i've also finished chapter eight and thought it was silly to have two chapters done and neither one posted. ^^;; so please, people, give us feedback! make midori-chan smile!

on a related note… where the heck are my flames?! i know there must be SOME people out there who think this story is crap and that therefore i do not deserve to live, but none of them have told me so as of yet. what gives? the name of the game is criticism, people, and i want all of it. so please, flame me to your heart's content! granted, if you flame midori-chan i'll rip your face off, but anything of mine is fair game (in case you've forgotten, that would be yuki and the editing). if i don't get any flames, i'll just assume that everyone who read the story liked it at least all right… which, while somewhat improbable, would be kinda cool. if you hate it, though, feel free to prove me wrong. ^_________^

and now, since i've already *cough* finished chapter eight, a very definite next-chapter teaser: will eiri pull himself together? does ryuichi's riddle have an answer? where is shuichi, anyway? will they be able to find him before it's too late? yet another gravitation character appears (bearing a plot twist, as usual) and i absolutely guarantee a cliff-hanger. stay tuned! XD

—vethia and midori-chan