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
Gomennasai: Formal apology
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Love is a fire. But whether it is going to warm your hearth or burn down your house, you can never tell.
Joan Crawford 1904-1977, American Actress
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I have added little comments, like the one above, before each previous chapter. Each to do with the topic of each chapter, please do go back and check them out if you want ^_^
I also noticed that lots of my reviews are long and so nice, you guys are the BEST!! I love you all! Lol
Enjoy this chappie.
War of Hearts
Chapter 8
Over Dinner
Hatori pretended to be passionately captivated by Tohma's CD collection, when in fact all he could think about was why Shuichi was here and why he'd come with his cousin.
'How do they know each other?'
'Are they really good friends?'
He didn't know Yuki to be friendly in the least, and Shuichi was so jaunty and easy going. 'How can those two get along well?'
'They must do though, because otherwise they wouldn't have come together to a family gathering, right?'
'But Tohma wasn't that friendly towards Shuichi from what I've seen,' the photographer frowned.
The blonde was getting a bit nervous; Shuichi looked drop-dead gorgeous and he didn't know if he could hold himself back from telling him so. He took a long drag from his cigarette. God, this was so ridiculous! He felt like a stupid teenager in love! Not that he would know what that felt like since he'd never been all that interested in girls back at school, but he guessed it must be similar to what he was experiencing right now. Who would have thought it? The great player, the one who never committed to anyone... actually falling for someone?
'It can't be! It is... it is... well, it's just ludicrous, dammit! Bloody preposterous! Dammit, dammit, dammit!'
He continued his musings without realizing that he was nervously shifting the CDs and Yuki was stealing small irritated glances at him.
'And for a *boy*! A bloody snotty kid!' He couldn't make his mind up. When the boy was away it was easy to pretend everything was normal again. But his presence turned everything on its head! Like this morning... he looked at his two fingers and smiled.
'What is wrong with me?' His shaking hand caused a little pile of CDs to fall on the floor.
Yuki, for his part, also happened to be unusually interested in the embroidered pattern of the rug below his feet.
'Why am I still here? And with this goddamn idiot to boot!'
Yuki recalled the last time they'd met. Until about four years ago, they hadn't seen each other since they were little, way before he went to New York with Tohma. At the time, they had gotten along well, they were kids after all, and had shared a passion for being mischievous and annoying their elders. Since they looked so similar, and Hatori was barely a year older than he was, they used to confuse their poor old grandmother. They actually thought they were pulling the veil over her eyes, but now that he was an adult, he realized she had just been playing along with their prank.
That was when they were children though. They were children no longer. Eiri went to New York, and when he came back he was a different person; he was Yuki. His cousin's parents had a fall out with the family and cut all ties loose. Not that Yuki cared; he didn't care for anything anymore. Then time went by, he started writing and despite his youth, no one could deny he had an innate talent for story telling. He was soon singled out as a promising best-seller. His first novel was widely acclaimed and things took off from there. Then, four years ago and exactly three years after he had gotten back from New York, he'd had to go to a photo shoot for the back cover of his latest novel and some magazine article about romance novelists.
"Hello, Yuki-san. Please sit yourself down. Your photographer will be finished shortly. Would you like a drink?"
"Sure. I'll have some coffee," he replied as he lit a cigarette. The lady looked nervous for a moment and stammered, struggling to make out some words. Yuki's skin wrinkled in an irritated frown.
"She's trying to tell you that you can't smoke here," a deep voice behind him spoke. Yuki turned around to meet a grinning blonde that was unnervingly similar-looking to himself. He had a camera hanging from his neck. Yuki turned, ignoring the man completely and the lady made herself scarce.
"Is it possible you have forgotten about me? And here when I heard they needed a photographer for the great Yuki Eiri I offered so that I could meet you again! Do you not remember your cousin? We used to drive grandmother nuts during the summer holidays impersonating each other. The name Hatori ring any bells?" The photographer asked hopefully.
Yuki just kept smoking his cigarette.
"I don't know what you are talking about," he lied. He wasn't in the mood for happy family reunions.
"I see... Well, I sure remember you! It's so great to see you again. I'd say we look more similar now than we did all those years ago! Isn't that incredible?" He ran his fingers through his mane of blonde hair.
"If you are ready then we can get on with the shooting. I'd like to finish this as soon as possible." Yuki stood and stared at the blonde. Hatori's smile was wiped off his face immediately. He stared back into Yuki's eyes and spoke.
"Well, in that case, I advise you put your cigarette out. It's against the rules, and I'm not taking any pictures until you do so." Yuki did as he was told. It was nearly finished anyway, and he was being rude. He was just in a bad mood; he hated this photo session bullshit.
"If you'd like to follow me, please." Hatori's tone was formal, and he turned around and walked along the corridor. The photographer didn't believe about Yuki not recognizing him; he'd seen the glint of recognition glow faintly in the writer's eyes when he'd turned around. His trained eye never failed him, and he was good at reading body language; he had to be in this profession. Eiri was lying and didn't change his statement when probed a bit further.
The photo session went smoothly. Hatori tried to crack a few jokes with the writer but Yuki had none of it. He was dead serious and straight to the point. He just wanted to get the hell out of there and have another cigarette. Where was that coffee? Dammit!
In the end, Hatori tried one more time.
"You really don't remember me? I am seeing a lot of Tohma recently. I am Nittle Grasper's photographer. That's how I learned that he married Mika, and that you went by the pen name of Yuki Eiri."
'Click' the photographer took a picture of Yuki crossing his legs and looking to the side slightly.
"I've arranged to meet her next week actually. Has she said anything to you? Ever since my parents fell out with the rest of the Uesugi clan, they banned me from keeping in touch with anyone. I would have liked to do something about it earlier, but I've been busy trying to improve my photographing skills," he said and waved the camera in the air for accentuation.
"I am going abroad in a few months. I got a job with National Geographic and I'm going to report on the African Guerrillas. I'm a bit scared actually, but I'm also looking forward to seeing the wide world. If all goes well, I'll get other jobs." The blonde smiled.
The haughty writer was proving to be a hard bone to chew. All he had said up to now were a bunch of disinterested aah's and eeh's.
In the end, Hatori's patience cracked. Here he'd been rambling on like an idiot for a good half hour, and Yuki hadn't even had the decency to respond or acknowledge that he at least knew him.
"Okay, we are done. You may leave now." Yuki made to get up.
"If the almighty Yuki Eiri ever feels like catching up on some good times, then just talk to Tohma or Mika. Unless you have barricaded them from your life, too. Maybe the mega popular romance novelist is suddenly too important to interact with lesser beings. Well, I'm sorry I have wasted your time, oh omnipotent one!" Hatori chuckled but it was a bitter laughter. He had really been looking forward to seeing his cousin again. He had gone out of his way and offered to do the job, even if it wasn't his field, and Eiri had paid him the same attention he'd pay an insignificant splattered ant lying helplessly in the middle of the road.
And again he got no answer from the other blonde. It was like talking to a damn brick wall. Yuki put on his coat, lit a cigarette and left without sparing him a glance.
'Stuck up idiot,' thought Hatori.
That was the last time they met. Over the next few months prior to Hatori's departure, he'd deepened the relationship with Mika and Tohma, Tohma especially since they saw each other a lot more often. What the hell had crawled up his ass anyway? Big headed writer, acting all phlegmatic.
In the kitchen, Mika was preparing to take all the meat and vegetables that would be cooked at the table. She was hoping those two were social and didn't ruin the evening for everyone. She had been surprised Yuki accepted to come along when she called him late in the afternoon, and was not fully convinced he had just accepted to get her off his back. It was a last minute decision and now that she'd accepted Shuichi, she wanted to spend sometime with both; it'd be good for the family.
"Shuichi," she started seriously. "I wanted to apologize for discouraging you to have a relationship with my brother. Being with you has obviously had a good effect on him. The proof is that he came here tonight with you and is still sitting at the table."
Shuichi was caught completely by surprise. Mika was actually apologizing to him and saying that him being together with Yuki was a good thing? Could the day get any weirder? Shuichi pinched himself hard in the arm. 'Must make sure this isn't a dream.' His eyes glimmered and wobbled, he was practically drooling and hunched forward to glomp Mika, but she was expecting something similar. Fortunately for her, Ryuichi had provided her with plenty of training, and she placed a large tray in front of her, causing Shuichi to bang his face against it.
"I hope I haven't misjudged you. If you prove me wrong, I'll make sure the rest of your career as a singer is swept under the carpet and buried away in the deepest swamp along with the rest of Bad Luck. Do I make myself clear?" Now that was more like something Shuichi would expect Mika to say. He nodded frantically and turned serious.
"I won't disappoint you. I love Yuki more than anything in the world and nothing can change that," he said stubbornly.
"For your own benefit, I hope it's the truth," she finished cheerfully. Mika could be really scary...
"Mika-san..." Shuichi begun. "Why is that guy here? How does he know Yuki?"
Mika turned to face him. "Why do you ask?"
Shuichi frowned. "I don't like the way he spoke to Yuki," he said with a pout. As expected, Shuichi always defended Yuki, even if the writer was in the wrong. It was kind of reassuring in a way though. Mika was glad.
"Hatori is our cousin. I don't know all the details, but they had some sort of encounter in the past, and they haven't got along since. They are just very obstinate and set in their ways. They clash." She sighed. "They are both good men though, and I believe if they gave each other a chance they would get along well. They used to you know?" A snippet of nostalgia clang to her voice. "Cut him some slack will you? He's not as obnoxious as he lets out. He is a provoker that's all. You mustn't pay him much heed. Half the time you can't tell whether he's being serious or whether he's just trying to coax a reaction from you. He's that kind of person." She washed her hands in the sink and handed Shuichi a tray to carry. "Come on. Help me take the soup bowl to the table. It's getting cold."
Tohma came back in a pair of dark jeans and a dark green turtle neck jumper. The two blondes seemed to be lost in a world of their own; things were cruising so far. They hadn't touched the wine. Tohma went and poured everybody a glass. Mika and Shuichi came in from the kitchen. Mika started serving the soup and Shuichi sat next to Yuki. Since Tohma and Mika headed the table on either side, the only place left for Hatori to sit was either in front of Shuichi or Yuki, he didn't even considered it twice and sat in front of the singer.
"Shuichi, I don't think you two have been formally introduced yet," Tohma said in his singsong voice, looking at Shuichi and then turning his gaze to Hatori.
"Actually we—"
"We haven't. You are right." Shuichi quickly cut Hatori off. He didn't know why, but considering the cousins didn't like each other all that much, he thought it best not to tell about their chance meeting. With too many things to explain, there was no need to complicate matters further. Besides, a white lie never hurt anyone.
Hatori gave Shuichi an amused look. Shuichi responded with pleading eyes and a light kick under the table. The photographer grinned. "That's right, we haven't been introduced formally, I guess." Tohma's eyes narrowed for a moment and Yuki just looked out the window, willing for the dinner to be over as soon as possible. He could feel a headache coming on already.
Tohma introduced the two and proposed a toast to help ease the atmosphere. Yuki slid the glass of wine away from Shuichi and poured him a glass of water instead. Shuichi looked embarrassed and centred his vision on the roses at the table.
"You've done a nice job, Mika-san. It's all very stylish. I've never dined at a classier table," Shuichi said nicely.
"Baka, I knew you'd like it," Yuki said before realizing all eyes laid on him. He cleared his throat and resumed to staring into nothing after setting the jug of water down.
"Don't you like wine Shindou-san?" asked the photographer, somewhat confused.
"I...I..." Shuichi didn't know what to say. He seldom drank wine, but he didn't dislike it as such. Yuki chuckled. "Shuichi and alcohol don't go hand in hand," the writer said flatly as he started on his soup.
"I didn't ask you, Eiri-san. I think Shindou-san could have answered my question on his own. I think he's old enough to decide whether he'd rather drink water or wine." Hatori was still wondering about the relationship between the singer and his cousin.
"You can call me Shuichi, Hatori-san, and don't worry, Yuki is right. I don't like wine all that much." Shuichi smiled brightly. Hatori's eyes lit up at that smile and his heart beat quickened. 'Not again.' Yuki glared at Hatori, but the photographer was too involved looking at Shuichi to even notice.
"In that case you can call me Hatori." The photographer raised his glass. "Cheers."
Everyone else raised their glass, except for Yuki, and Tohma said, "Welcome back to Japan, Hatori, and congratulations on an outstanding performance, Shuichi." Everyone took a sip from their glass aside form the novelist, who just kept supping his soup.
At first, silence dominated and all that could be heard was the sound of chopsticks against plates and bowls and the odd "could you please pass me the soy sauce?" along with the sizzling of the food being cooked at the table. After a couple of glasses of wine however, dinner went by swiftly with Hatori dominating the conversation with funny anecdotes that everyone was sure were half made up.
"It's the truth, I swear. I really did think that lion was just going to circle the tree until I either died from de-hydration or decided to make a mad rush for it." Shuichi couldn't stop laughing at the images his brain was concocting.
"I spent thirty six hours hanging for dear life on that sorry excuse for a branch until someone noticed my absence and sent a group of locals in my search." Shuichi laughed out loud again and wiped a tear from his violet eye.
'It's useless. I give up. He's just lovely,' Hatori finally conceded in his mind. He barely knew him and he was of the same sex, but there was just something about him he couldn't escape.
"It sounds like you've done many fun things, Hatori-san. Life in Japan is boring in comparison," the singer said, still giggling.
"It wasn't fun is the slightest at the time. I promise. I have a framed picture of the lion somewhere. I'll never forget it. It was a rather beautiful specimen."
Yuki was twirling a fray that had come loose from a corner of the table cloth. He had a terrible headache, had probably drunk too much wine, and if that wasn't enough, the fact that he hadn't slept the previous night made him a more fractious writer than usual. What the hell was so funny anyway? Shuichi found amusement in the silliest of things. He could be so feeble minded sometimes. He rubbed his temples lightly; Shuichi's high pitched laughter was not helping any.
"Will you just SHUT UP?" He snapped finally. "You are giving me a headache."
Everyone fell silent at the sudden explosion, and Shuichi's happy expression changed to a despondent one.
"Sorry Yuki. I didn't mean to annoy you. I'll be quiet," the pink haired man said with a small voice. Hatori's heart sank. He didn't like that grimace on the singer's beautiful face; it didn't suit him.
"What the hell is your problem, asshole?" Hatori banged his fist on the table and stoop up sharply, glaring at Yuki. Mika and Tohma didn't seem all that surprised; the novelist had, against all expectations, behaved rather well, if a bit languorously, and such an outburst was long overdue.
"You are my goddamn problem. All of you! I'm sick of this! I don't have to put up with this idiocy." He got up and made for the door.
"You are just a sour, egocentric bastard who thinks the world revolves around you. Well, I have some news for you, Yuki Eiri is not the centre of the universe and—" Shuichi suddenly stood up from his chair and slapped Hatori hard in the cheek, eyes burning with indignation.
"Don't talk to Yuki like that! You know nothing about him. You have no right to say such things." Tears were streaming down his face, and he was glaring at the photographer.
Hatori held a hand to his burning cheek, even if that wasn't the part of his body that hurt the most at the moment. He was astounded to say the least. This was the wild side of Shuichi he'd only had a glance of till now.
Everyone in the room was shocked, even Yuki. His boyfriend was the most unpredictable being to have set foot on the face of the Earth. The novelist didn't deserve the unconditional support he was graced with. Yuki had just lashed out at him, and the singer had still sided with him. Yuki didn't understand; he didn't understand at all. To top it all off, Hatori had defended Shuichi and got a slap in return. And yet there was an impious irony left in it all. The world did indeed seem to revolve around Yuki Eiri after all.
"Shuichi, I'm... I shouldn't have spoken to you like that. I... I'm just... tired. I don't know what came over me," the usually stoic writer apologized for a second time that day, in a room full of people, which counted a stranger who happened to be his cousin. Sure enough hell could freeze over now and no one would be surprised in the least.
Shuichi's eyes widened and the notion that maybe he should apologize too dawned on him.
"I'm sorry, too, Hatori-san. You've been nothing but kind to me. Gomennasai." Shuichi bowed low over the table, cheeks burning with embarrassment.
Hatori's pride still hurt, but that damn boy had a way of melting away any traces of animosity that may surface in those around him. Now he was sure Yuki and Shuichi had some kind of special relationship, and that Shuichi obviously cared for the writer very much. Shuichi was the kind of person to be offended by that done to the ones he loved more than what was done to himself and that just made him all the more special. The photographer laid both arms on Shuichi's shoulders and forced the boy to stand up straight.
"It's okay. Forget it. You hit like a girl anyway," he said cheerfully. Somehow that seemed to break the hostility in the room.
"Who wants some coffee? I have Brazilian coffee a friend got for me. Why don't you all go the lounge and make yourselves comfortable?" Mika rescued the room from impending doom once again, and people did as they were told. Tohma followed her into the kitchen.
"I'll help you."
tbc
So, I bet you were expecting Yuki to snap on this one, weren't you? It's little wild Shu who looses it here, like he did with Hiro over the addition of a third member to Bad Luck, he's just so unpredictable sometimes. So you probably ask why I stopped there... there is a reason! Next chapter is R rated for reasons I'm not mentioning now ;), so I hope most of my readers are of age to read the next installment. Till then!
Ok, big thanks to my most precious beta reader Animegirl9. She convinced me that it was ok to have Shu snapping and slapping the poor photographer, she said it was intense! Great, I don't know what I'd do without her opinions and suggestions, you are the best *glomps you* Love you! Update The Opposite of Gravity soon, people are dying to know more about it! And that K-fic you are writing is going to take the fandom world by a storm, keep it up!
Mirai Aria: Can I say that I love you and hate you at the same time? That Valentines fic was so sad and yet so awesome! You know how much your writing affects me, I hope you didn't find this chapter too boring, my fic centers around emotions and scenes rather than big mysteries *sigh*, only you can do that as well as you do. Please finish Yuki 13 soon, I'm DYING to read it!! Hugs and kisses ^_^
Phoenix 3:16 : I received your email about you having reviewed before finishing reading, don't worry. Now they know each other, but they knew each other before!
Nickle : Over Dinner... that's what happened, but the best is yet to come... R rated though O.o If you can't read then skip next update, thanks for loving my story! I don't deserve it, lol.
dark-kagome2 :Tension, tension indeed! I know who Shu ends up with but there is along and ardous road till we get there, keep reading!
Joan Mistress of Magic : I love love triangles too! Especially if they are evenly matched and you can't decide between them. This is your fave gravi story? *Faints in happiness* I never expected such a great welcome from everyone, wow! Look forward more soon!
punky girl : Thunder to strike on me? You wouldn't wanna kill me would you? *hides behind monitor after receiving deathly glare and growl* I'll update soon, ja!
Mel : You go like a house on fire, great! Not everyone did you know? The wonders of languages... Nope, Yuki isn't a bastard in my eyes, neither is Hatori though, it's too easy otherwise! Shuichi is in for one hell of a ride...
Black Dios : Thanks for reviewing once again, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, were they they kind of sparks you were expecting? I hope I managed to amuse you, lol.
quest4nreal : Thank you very much for your review. Don't worry about your English, it's not a problem! It's nice to know many people are following this and I really appreciate that you took some of your time and efforts to let me know you are enjoying it, thank you VERY much!
CPV-Phantoms-CTFA : A kite in the sky!!!! That's one of the most original things I've read! Lmao, that was hilarious, I've been going on about it all week. Anyway did you guys like it? Are you of age to read the next chapter? *bites nails*, if not, you can always skip, I'll write more or less what happened in the installment after that so that people don't loose track of the story. Love you all!! Please don't worry about getting your sanity back, I like you just as crazy as you guys come!
Sukura : Well I update weekly now, was it up to your expectations?
saku~ya : You have been reading! I'm glad and you can see what is happening so clearly, so can I! Lol, could you see Shuichi laughing cutely at the table? And Yuki loosing patience? Could you *hear* the slap across Hatori's face and the hurt look in his eyes? I hope so!! Wait till the next one!
Reika : Reika!! I have read your fics so many times already *sigh* They don't loose their power though. I have even gone as far as started reading your Fake fic. It's a manga I want to read and I don't read fics without reading manga first, but I was so tempted to read more of your stuff! And I wasn't disappointed, I have only read two chapters or so and it's great! I will review for it, I do know some background info on characters and it makes a great read ^_^ I hope you liked this chapter and look forward seeing the next one? Thanks for reviewing!
Anna Sartin: Yes, that explains the similar temperament and looks, but there is more depth to their characters than just those. I hope I'm keeping your interest!
Creepy Science Genius Washu: Nope, no such things as two Yuki's unfortunately, but it's fun if they are different enough to bring different emotions and perspectives to the same circumstances, ne? It's all about the way you see things, and this is going to get a bit complicated ....
panatlantic: Lol, you are Australian! Great that they say 'like a house on fire' too over there. AS you can see Shu and Hatori and not getting along like a house on fire themselves... but that just adds emotion to it, they've only just met after all, things will improve. I hope I had a couple of new words for you there, maybe? I love learning new words myself, it's a hobby, I'm weird I know...
Bloaty Kitsune: I do have a bit of an accent I guess, but nothing too British I'm afraid. I hope you enjoyed the update, let me know!
Risukii-chan: Risukii chan, you are the best, as always! I laughed a lot when reading your review, have you forgiven me? I hope so! * latches onto your leg with big puppy eyes*. And about the Valentine's thing, I'm writing one, I don't know if I'll post it or not, but if I do, I'll dedicate to you! Thanks for not malleting Yuki in the head, it would have made a bit of a mess in Mika's lounge and I would feel sorry for her. Can't kill poor Yuki-san, he's part of my master plan... I hope you enjoyed!
Am1-13th: I'm so glad you like it! And you've added me to faves *author sees stars*. Wow! I hope latest developments didn't disappoint! Let me know!
imayb1: I'm posting this and then I'm going to read your lemon! Lol, my next chapter is a bit sultry too... hope you read it and enjoy it. Of course I can't write dialogues and characters as well as you, but maybe it's amusing enough to keep you interested? I have trouble not jumping all over Eiri and declaring how wonderful he is, but that would ruin the point! Why do I torture myself like this, why??
firedraygon97: More twists coming soon, stay tuned! Two cousins and one common interest, need I say more?
StarryEyedChick: Yeah, I have given the characters some characteristics... most I think of them that way, but some things have been said to fit purpose of plot Bwuaa haaa haaa *cough, cough* Thanks for finally giving it a try after two weeks, I'm glad you did and reviewed. I love your Hiro*Shu fic, please update soon!!!
AISH a.k.a. Kitty in the Box: Hi Kitty kitty! Wah! Three blondes and a pink hair ball indeed, a damn fierce one at times too! thanks for reviewing!
