Disclaimer: I don't own Gravitation or the characters portrayed within it. I only own this story and a couple of characters in it :D
All typos and grammar errors are my fault because this baka writer went and altered it a bit after having had it beta-ed. Don't kill me!
Glossary of Japanese terms
Itai: literally Japanese phonetic for Ouch (as when you are in pain)
Hai : Yes
Desu: the verb to be, when used at the end of your name it simply acts as an introduction, i.e. I'm, or my name is
Hajimemashiste: Nice to meet you
Tadaima: I'm home, used by Japanese every time they come back home. The people in the house are expected to reply Okaeri (welcome back).
Gomen: Sorry (apology)
Urusai: Shut up (spelt right?)
Baka: Idiot/fool
Ore wa honto ni baka desu: I really am an idiot
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The point of view I part 2
Summer
never was, was always winter only;
Cold and ice and frost
Only, driven by the ice-wind, lonely,
In a world of strangers, in the welter
Of the puddles and the spiteful wind and sleet,
Blinded by
the spitting hailstones, lost
In a bitter unfamiliar street,
I
found a doorway, crouched there for just shelter,
Crouched and fought in vain for breath,
Cursed the cold and wished for death;
Crouched there,
gathered somehow warmth to sleep;
Slept and dreamed there. Summer was the dream.
E.Nesbit
********************************************************************************************************************************************************** Chapter 6 The Laws of Thermodynamics*Shuichi stirred in the bed, feeling the warm sun rays filtering through the window to caress his face. His eyes fluttered slightly, finally opening lazily. He batted his eyelids a few times. They were heavy and sticky; his mouth felt as though he'd just swallowed a shoe: parched and asperous. The first thing that caught his attention was the high ceiling. Averting his eyes from it, he examined the covers on him. They were soft and thick, a plain shade of vivid blue.
'Where am I?' He sat up quickly, taking in the alien surroundings. A flash of pain shot through his brain like a bolt of lighting, causing him to clutch his head and shut his eyes. "Itai."
"I thought you'd sleep forever." An unfamiliar, yet somehow strangely echoing in his memory, voice reached the vocalist's ears. Opening his eyes, hands still clinging to his head, Shuichi looked to the side. His heart skipped a beat.
"You. I. What.?" The young man stammered. Then flashes of the previous night came flooding his mind with confusing images that only served to add to his distress. The concert and the party.. The events of the party were enveloped in some sort of cloudy haze. The last thing he could recall with a faint strand of lucidity was drinking that delicious, and potentially dangerous, cocktail; that and the resolution to get back to Yuki. How he ended where he laid now was a complete, and in fact unnerving, riddle.
"Hangover, huh? I ordered some coffee a while ago. It's still warm. Have some; it'll make you feel better." The blonde walked to the table and started fixing a cup of coffee for his companion and himself.
"I.I don't really drink coffee," whispered the singer, almost inaudibly.
"You probably don't drink much alcohol either and yet you drank yourself silly last night." The photographer finished stirring the coffee and set the wet spoon on the tray. Shuichi opened his mouth to retort but was cut off by Hatori's icy glare.
"Shut up and drink it." His eyes softened. "Here," he added in a more amicable tone as he handed the singer a mug of oozing coffee. Shuichi took it with both his hands and stared at the brown swirling liquid, wondering whether he should trust this not-so-charming stranger. If he had wanted to hurt him, he would have done so by now; unless he was some kind of twisted villain who wanted him to be conscious.He regarded the photographer reluctantly, who in turn frowned. "Drink up," he commanded flatly.
"Ha.hai!" The pink hair complied. It didn't taste as bad as he though it would, but then again the only other time he'd tried coffee was with Yuki, and it had been black and bitter 'Yuki!' His mind screamed, finally coming out of its stupor. The sun was high in the sky and he'd spent the whole night out. He had to get back immediately, lest the novelist do something foolish.
"I have to get home!" he announced suddenly, bolting off the bed.
"Yeah, you said that last night too."
Shuichi was very confused now. 'Last night?' What else had he said? Indeed, what the hell had happened?
The blonde noticed the puzzled look in those bright violet orbs and spoke,
"I'll put you out of your misery." The photographer paused and then continued. "Right after your boss' party finished and most people had gone home, including your friends, I left through the club's back door. There is a dark alley there where I found you with your head buried in a heap of rubbish. Not the most dignifying way to pass out, if you ask me," the blonde said jocosely as he put the cup to his lips.
The singer took in the words, slowly. 'So that's where the door led to!' He remembered spotting it from the table, but that was about it.
"Why am I here?" Shuichi inquired in a challenging tone.
"My, oh my! Aren't you an ungrateful little punk? What would you have had me do? I find a famous pop singer in a pathetic state, lend him my help, being the good Samaritan that I am, and that's what I get?! Remind me not to help you out next time you are in dire straits!" The blonde set his cup on the tray, between the spoon and the cream jug.
"Is.is that it?" The singer asked, something aching to relief tinting his voice.
Hatori knitted his eyebrows together, but he soon understood what the other man may have been implying and his lips curled in a wicked grin.
"No." The photographer stated simply, now with a straight, unreadable, expression in his refined features.
"."
"You told me just how much you loved me and we fucked like two crazed beasts in heat." The blonde spoke lasciviously, his imperturbable semblance not faltering once.
Shuichi's large eyes doubled in size and his jaw dropped a good ten centimeters. Hatori held his gaze evenly, but when he couldn't hold in the contortions in his stomach any longer, he burst out laughing.
"Of course that was it, baka! What the hell were you expecting to hear?" He said as he continued to crack up, pelting the table with one hand and holding his stomach with the other.
The singer's startled expression turned into one simmering with rage. He clenched both teeth and fists at his sides and stared back at the blonde defiantly, eyes burning with outrage. Taking a big breath, he readied himself to give that jerk a piece of his mind when Hatori ceased laughing and took a couple of quick, confident steps, shortening the distance between them in a split second. Shuichi gasped at having his lips sealed with two long, ivory fingers.
"Tut, tut," the tall man chortled. "Don't even think about it. Not only did I save you from catching pneumonia, or God knows what other disease, but I brought you back to MY room, allowed you to sleep on MY bed and took care of you. I didn't sleep a wink last night because of it all. You owe me big mister."
The blonde's green gaze bore into Shuichi's own, burning his retina with its intensity. He felt as though he could drown in the deep oceans that were the eyes of this arrogant man. On the other hand, the pretentious man did have a point.
"Let's start over." Hatori's words were followed by a cheerful smile and without removing his fingers from the youth's mouth added, "My name is Katsu Hatori, nice to meet you."
His raised hand backed off the singer's face slowly and stood still in mid air half way between them. Shuichi couldn't help but feel at ease with the smiling blonde, there was something reassuring and warm about him beyond that peremptory façade.
The singer smiled widely and replied, "Shindou Shuichi desu, hajimemashiste."
~*~*~*~
Hatori stared at the door after it closed. Right after their amended introduction, the pink haired singer had courteously let him know that he was grateful for having been taken care of. He sounded regretful of his conduct and assured him that he didn't make drinking and collapsing from alcohol overload his past time. Hatori had said that he didn't think that to be the case, or else he wouldn't have acted the way he did. Shuichi had then stated the importance of him going back home and quickly saw himself out after thanking his rescuer once more.
Now the photographer had been standing by the door for a good two minutes. The blonde turned and flopped down onto the bed. The bed where Shuichi had laid all night. He could still smell the nectarous fragrance lingering in the sheets. Bringing one hand up in front of his face he stared at it intently. It was morning and things had far from gotten back to normal. His whole world had been flipped upside down.
He hadn't been able to sleep; the presence of the younger man in the room feeling him with queasiness. He'd thought hard and long about this new enthralling feeling that had swept over him uninvited. Come sunrise, it had only served to confirm his suspicions: he was definitely attracted to that damned beautiful boy. The photographer had never been one to act with prejudice and so he accepted his predicament after some pondering.
Once he'd accepted it, however, it had taken all of his composure and strength to restrain himself from taking him in his arms and claiming him. Unfortunately, that would have most likely not gone down very well. And there was Tohma to think about. He couldn't have Shuichi denouncing to his boss that the photographer had made moves on him. So he had opted for his presumptuous self when addressing the singer although he could feel the loose reins held over his resolution beginning to crumble.
Whilst the boy behaved bashfully at times, he could also be extremely stubborn, so full of passion and untamed spirit; looking at Shuichi made him think of an indomitable, yet gentle, wild mythical creature. Hatori lowered his hand, bringing the two still tingling fingers he'd silenced Shuichi with to his own lips. He kissed them softly. The blonde closed his eyes and caressed the blue covers with his other hand, a frustrated moan escaped him.
"Shuichi." He let the name roll from his lips. It sounded so.perfect. Then he smiled against his fingers and threw his eyes open.
"I'll make you mine."
~*~*~*~
Shuichi stepped out of the lobby and into the bustling streets of Tokyo, the sun blinding him momentarily. He was slightly dizzy and felt as though hundreds of little elves armed with picks and axes were mercilessly picking at his brain with their little tools. They were building some sort of settlement now, of that much he was sure; otherwise he wouldn't feel as though a thick layer of concrete permeated his thinking organ. He laughed inwardly at his antics. Right now, he truly felt like a blockhead, in the most literate sense of the word. Walking up to the nearest bus stop, he looked at a map and figured a plan to get home. Taking his mobile phone out, he checked the time, 12:19 pm. He dialed Yuki's number but the line was still disconnected, as it had been last night.
When he finally got home it was nearly one thirty.
He stood by the apartment's entrance, hand outstretched, holding the key in front of the lock. He had never before stayed the whole night out, well, never without telling the novelist before hand or storming out after an argument, in which case anyone could have guessed he'd be at Hiro's place. Now he wasn't sure how Yuki would react. Would he be mad? Had he worried? Did he notice his absence in the first place? And if indeed he had, did he even care?
Shuichi hated this ambiguity in the writer. One day he'd be sweet and caring (in Shuichi's 'unbiased' opinion) and others he would act like he didn't give a toss about him. Which one was the real Yuki Eiri? Of course Shuichi knew the answer, he wasn't that stupid. Even so, he considered himself foolish for falling for someone who caused him so much pain and anxiety.
He opened the door and strained his ears, trying to pick up any sounds coming from the flat, but only silence greeted him. Stepping in timidly, Shuichi closed the door with a soft click and took off his shoes. He peered in along the corridor that led to Yuki's office, the bathroom and the dormitory; all three doors were closed. The blonde would most likely be sleeping or working on his book. The silence was unnerving.
Shuichi decided to pad towards the kitchen and get himself some aspirin; those mischievous little elves were doing a fine job of conquering the poor singer's brain. Just as he expected, the scarcely decorated lounge was empty and in perfect order. Opening the tap, he let a feeble stream of water pour into the glass painfully slowly, so as not make any sound. He took the glass and the box of aspirins with him and stepped into the lounge, ready to settle himself on the sofa. Once he was out of the kitchen, however, he felt a gentle afternoon breeze sweep past him and he turned to see the door to the balcony opened slightly, making the soft-textured curtain ripple in the wind and exposing the back of his lover intermittently. He stood behind him and neither of them spoke. Even though both knew that the other was aware of their presence, those uncertain seconds when they could just pretend not to have noticed were precious.
"Tadaima," Shuichi spoke softly. He waited for a moment but upon receiving no answer he went and stood by the tall blonde. It was then that he noticed the writer was wearing the same clothes he'd been wearing the last time he saw him, albeit all crinkled up now. Yuki just stood there looking out into the city, a cigarette dangling from his lips. The singer tilted his head up and studied the impassive expression on the novelist's face. He had bags under his eyes and his eyes were blood-shot. He wanted to take that cancer stick away from his lips but decided against it.
"Yuki, you know it is not good for your health when you stay up all night working on your novel." Shuichi's tone exuded genuine concern, and he fidgeted with the box in his hand. "Have some water. I bet all you have drunk is that horrible beer you keep in the fridge." The young man offered him his glass with a smile, but it quickly faded when the blonde shot him a deathly glare.
"Gomen." Shuichi started.
"What I do or not do with my time and body has nothing to do with you. Same as what you do with yours."
"Gomen Yuki, I. Tohma threw a party after the concert and Ryuichi was so sad that I wasn't coming, and then Hiro said he'd take me home, and then I realized I don't know what he liked to drink and him and Ayaka were holding hands, and then people asked for my autograph, and that cocktail Ryuichi got me was so nice, and everyone was dancing, but I didn't dance, I wanted to get back and I." He was blabbering again.
"Urusai!" Yuki growled and Shuichi stopped talking and fixed his eyes on the floor. "You aren't making any sense. Did I give you the impression that I cared about what you did last night?" Yuki smirked. "Don't regard yourself so highly, brat. I was just making it clear that you can do whatever you want. I couldn't care less." Yuki finished his cigarette and flicked the spent butt over the balcony.
"Yuki." Hot tears came to Shuichi's purple eyes, blurring his vision of the novelist as he left the balcony. If it hadn't been for those spilled droplets, he may have noticed the affliction that flickered over the writer's countenance as he turned away from him. He heard him fumble with something, the jingling of keys followed and finally the door shut as Yuki left the apartment.
Shuichi slumped against the wall and his whole body shuddered. He felt as though a terrible gust of artic wind had gripped his heart and was freezing it all over, causing a horrible stinging sensation as it did so. The chilling feeling in his chest increased, and he mewled softly before sliding down the wall to sit on the floor, his glass of water and box of aspirin long forgotten at his side. Against all common sense, the basics laws of thermodynamics had been violated and Yuki's coldness was sieving into his candid soul, instead of the other way around.
Yuki came back after a few hours, the sun had nearly set and all the lights in the apartment were off. He'd been driving around aimlessly all that time, cursing under his breath for being such an idiot. Actually worrying sick about Shuichi and then trying to mask his concern by throwing harsh words at him; he was the baka. The writer parked the black Mercedes and just sat there, his head resting heavily against the wheel as he thought of the phone call he'd received a little while ago on his mobile phone.
It was true he'd been up all night, but he hadn't been working on his novel, he'd stopped doing that after realizing the singer hadn't come back. The vocalist had probably decided to actually celebrate with his friends for once; good for him, but he could have at least called. Well, he wasn't about to throw a tantrum because his lover decided to go and enjoy himself. He'd be damned if he was going to admit he wanted that troublesome ball of energy by his side. Why was it so damn hard to open up to that idiot? In fact, why did he feel the need to open up to him at all? Why couldn't he just ignore the annoying dimwit? Why had so much changed since he met that stubborn boy?
"Ore wa honto ni baka desu," he muttered.
It just so happened that in the afternoon he'd realized that he'd disconnected the land line the previous evening after repetitive calls from his editor and that his mobile phone was out of battery; bloody typical. Shuichi probably had tried to call but hadn't been able to get through to him, and Yuki, in his haste to show indifference, had gone and screwed things up. Yes, he really was a baka and he needed to make amends with the singer.
Shuichi felt a light touch shaking him and he opened his eyes, lifting his head from the crook of his arms. He stared up at the familiar silhouette trimmed against the dying sunset.
'He actually fell asleep on the balcony,' thought Yuki, astonished by the foolishness of his lover. Shuichi offered him a jittery and slightly tremulous look, before turning his eyes away from the offender to stare curiously at the box of aspirins beside him.
Yuki felt as though he'd just been slapped, hard.
"Get up and get changed," he said softly as he eased Shuichi gently from the floor by his arm. "We are going out."
tbc
* Most people probably know this already but I'll say it anyway. Contrary to popular belief, the saying "Close the door you are letting the cold air in" is actually wrong. Heat flows from hot to cold (2nd Law of Thermodynamics) so you are in fact letting the warm air out, thereby cooling the room down. So in an analogy, Shuichi's warmth should flow into Yuki (which it has!), but in this instance Yuki's coldness sieves into Shu-chan, hence the title.
You thought I was one of those writers that depict Yuki as being plain evil to get away with introducing a rival for love. no such thing! Unfortunately real life is not that simple. You see my friends, in the complex world of romance, not everything is white or black and the grey tones pervade the vast canvas.
What will happen next? Are you itching to know or just plain bored with it?
Till next time!
Warning: Story nowhere near finished, we are just getting warmed up! I'm so evil!
Promise loads of things to come, my muses are teasing me to no end.
Thank you all once again for your encouraging reviews.
I have read a handful of delightful fanfics recently and I felt so tempted to drop this. But I won't! I still haven't got to what I wanted to. I'm hoping the real fun begins soon, and I'll try to move quicker, I'm just a sucker for detail, gomenasai!!
Stick with me?
HUMANGOUS thanks to animegirl9 especially, my dedicated beta reader and new found friend who cheers me up on msn every time I feel down. Thank you! I hope you come out of your slump soon and carry on with chapter 9 of The Opposite of Gravity (which I'm hoping people have gone and read!). I can't wait to see what people make of that weird pairing of yours! You kick ass!
Mirai aria: Who also cheers me up! Lol, you are so much fun to talk to and you know how high you rank on my list of authors. I can't wait to see the twelfth installment of Yuki and I loved your one-shot The Last Song, so angsty, you know I nearly cried ;_;
justxme: Thanks for reviewing! Here's the next bit, you like/hate it?
Phoenix 3:16 I'm glad you like Hatori chan ^_^ Otherwise the whole love triangle thing may not work pretty well, we'll have to wait and see!
Lost in a reverie: You are right! You are the only person that's noticed! I was going to put it as a comment on the side, I still will at some point. Hatori from Fruits Basket does have the same voice actor as Yuki (Author melts into big gooey puddle with his voice), and that's actually the reason behind his name!! They are really similar after all. Glad someone took notice!
Princess of Mirror: Well here is what happened when Shu woke up and when he got home, you liked it? Please let me know ^_^
Black Dios: I'm so glad you are enjoying the story so much, at least some people are. That makes me want to continue! Thanks very much for your support.
Dark Kagome2: I hope I didn't make you wait that long, was it worth the wait? I hope so, loads more on the next installment!
Hikaru Itsuko: Thanks for reviewing again, I'm glad to see people keep checking on the developments of this little idea of mine!
Joan Mistress of Magic: You came back and reviewed! Me so happy! Here is more, lol.
AISH a.k.a. kitty in the box: I think I owe you an explanation, lol. All I said was that Hatori had felt spell bound by Shuichi in the concert, he had also felt very sad for him when he sang and had wanted to comfort him. That is not to say he fell in love, well at least he didn't know that's what was happening, you see? He put it down to admiration for his singing skills and people magnetizing power, but things are starting to change towards something. deeper! What is he to do? Well he's now determined to make him his; do realize he doesn't know about Shu's gender preference!
CPV Phantoms CTFA: Hello again crazy bunch! Do you really all sit together and read this? I wish I was there to see it! You read at school? lol. As always your reviews amuse me to no end. I hope I'm keeping your interest in the story, we'll be getting to loads of Yuki-goodness soon, promise!
DarkP, don't be mean to BoogieP! *Glomps BoogieP, snickers looking at DarkP and sticks tongue out* Jealous? lol Thanks for the chocolates, yummy.
Risukii-chan: So glad you liked your award. I always like it when new people review! I know some people think they review for nothing but in my case reviews keep me going, they make me want to improve and work hard. They give me an insight on what people think of my idea, after all it's very easy to over/under criticize your own work! I know I can't please everyone but I hope people enjoy it for the sake of the story, even if it lacks originality and the like. I'm trying hard to improve, soon we'll get to all these ideas I have bottled up in my head, please keep reading!
Anime Earth: Ok, so Yuki didn't find Shu in Hatori's bed but fear not, friction sparks will soon explode between those two *snickers*. Hope you stick with me!
DarkAngstScary: Gomen ne! I try to spell properly but I know I probably make plenty of mistakes, but I love the Japanese bits when I read fics and I hate dubbed anime. I try to implement it in the story to add a tad of realism but I guess I may just be screwing it up. Please report proper spelling and I shall correct it _. Thanks for reviewing! Btw I read your fic and reviewed for it! I can't believe you're dropping it! Please carry on, it had an awesome start!
This week's Award of the Week goes to Psycho Gurl, even though she may not even be reading this! She criticized my work and it was a good kick in the butt! Lol, just what I needed to be more careful with what I write. Of course you don't know where the story is going and I'm probably giving away the wrong vibes sometimes. So I'm going to try to describe Yuki's point of view a lot better and actually explain why Hatori is the way he is. I'll try to keep it lively and don't dwell into too much detail. It's my first fic ever after all and I'm still coming to grasps with my own style and the way I portray everything. I will strive to improve! Thanks for reading chapter 6 in advance; I felt like Shu being told 'you have zero talent, give it up' and you weren't even mean! Suggestions are always welcome. I do listen to what people have to say.
