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

PLEASE READ: THIS CHAPTER IS R RATED FOR BAD LENGUAGE AND EXPLICIT SEXUAL REFERENCES. NOTHING TOO GRAPHIC (WOULD CALL IT LIME) BUT IF YOU ARE OFFENDED BY THIS KIND OF STUFF THEN PLEASE DON'T READ IT. I TRY TO JUSTIFY THE ACTIONS OF ALL MY CHARACTERS TO THE BEST OF MY ABILITIES AND EVEN THOUGH I UNDESTAND I MAY NOT DO A GREAT JOB OF IT, PLEASE TRY TO BE OPEN MINDED AND ENJOY THE STORY FOR THE SAKE OF IT. HAVING SAID THAT, ENJOY!

THIS CHAPTER IS A BIT SHORTER. THE REASON IT'S COME SO SOON IT'S BECAUSE I'LL BE UPDATING AGAIN BEFORE THE END OF THE WEEK AND THEN THERE WILL BE NO MORE UPDATES FOR OVER A WEEK SINCE I'M GOING AWAY FOR A FEW DAYS. SEE YOU ALL SOON!



What I needed most was to love and to be loved, eager to be caught. Happily I wrapped those painful bonds around me; and sure enough, I would be lashed with the red-hot pokers of jealousy, by suspicions and fear, by bursts of anger and quarrels.

St.Augustine



                         War of Hearts

Chapter 9

In love as in war

Yuki sat on a maroon leather sofa chair, rubbing the bridge of his nose lightly. He let his index finger and thumb run along his fine eyebrows with practiced pressure and then draw a circle against his closed eyelids, causing him to see sparkles momentarily. He was exhausted and could feel a deep slumber wanting to take over him. He'd spent a long night worried about Shuichi; then they'd had an argument, not to mention their activities in the shower after they had made up, and now all this trying not to snap and act happy-go-lucky with the family was draining all his energy. But he *had* made a pact with himself. He felt physically and mentally weary now, not so much as annoyed, just mildly antagonized. He reclined back in the chair and closed his eyes for some much needed peace and quite; right now he just wanted to ignore everyone. He would have left already if it wasn't because he knew he had drunk too much and driving right now wasn't the smartest of ideas.

Shuichi sauntered around the room, his light foot steps lost in the thick carpet as he examined the collection of Nittle Grasper pictures and framed platinum albums that decorated the walls. The photographer limited himself to observing Shuichi. His cottony pink fringe swayed back and forth in front of his face under the small breaths of the singer.

Was it just him or was it hot in the room? He took his black jacket off and laid it on a chair.

Everything had been going so well between them until he'd gone and verbally assaulted his cousin for being a prick. Shuichi had not liked it one bit.

'Don't talk to Yuki like that. You know nothing about him. You have no right to say such things.'

The blonde wondered what Shuichi meant by that. Although to be fair, in Hatori's opinion, such irascibility was never justified. It was all about how people let things get the best of them, and judging by Yuki's actions, he was easily pushed over the edge.

He walked towards Shuichi and stood behind him. "Are you a fan of Nittle Grasper then?" he asked softly. Shuichi jumped slightly; he hadn't heard the photographer sneak up on him.

"Yes. Sakuma Ryuichi is my all time idol. He's my inspiration and the reason I decided to be a singer. I wanted... I want to reach his level. That's why we work so hard," Shuichi replied in a small voice that harbored reverence nonetheless, eyes fixed on a very large picture of the three members of Nittle Grasper on stage.

"You like that picture?" Hatori placed an arm on the wall next to the said picture and turned his head slightly so that he was half facing the singer. His eyes settled on the vocalist's cherry lips.

"It's amazing. It almost looks like you can reach out and touch them." Shuichi stretched his hand and placed nimble fingers on the picture. "Like they are right there in front of you. You can almost hear them."

"Really? I'm glad you like it. I took it. It was the last concert they gave before splitting up, and I tried hard to capture all that was Nittle Grasper. It's not an easy thing to do. They were unique." Hatori's eyes flickered to Shuichi's eyes, which were still transfixed on the image.

"Yeah..."

"Talking about concerts, would you like to see the pictures that I took of Bad Luck?" The blonde rested his head on the wall. Shuichi's head turned in his direction, eyes filled with excitement.

"You have them already?" he asked.

Hatori smiled small. "Yeah, I developed them today. They are pretty good, if I may say so myself." Shuichi realized how close they were standing to each other and felt a bit flustered; he only ever stood this close to family, friends or Yuki. He looked at the floor and felt bad for slapping the tall man earlier.  In all truth he hadn't deserved it.

"I'm sorry about earlier, I..."

"I said forget it, didn't I?"

"But..."

"No buts. It's fine, really. I won't meddle in your matters anymore. It's your business. I just felt it was unfair, that's all."

"You're very kind Hatori-san.  Thank you very much."

"You give me too much credit. You wouldn't say that if you knew me well." The photographer let out a quite laughter.

"That's not what Mika-san says." Shuichi looked up smiling.

"Is it not? What does she say then?" Hatori asked arching his eyebrows, glad that the singer was back to his old self.

"Not telling," the pink haired replied playfully, sticking his tongue out like a child.

Hatori's smile faded and he locked his eyes back in Shuichi's mouth. The need to assault those luscious lips was greater than ever; he could almost feel himself shaking and bending forward. Almost. He quickly walked away and towards the table, where a manila envelope rested.

"They are here. Come sit down. Let's look at them together." The blonde sat on a large sofa and started opening the envelope. Shuichi's heart raced within his chest. Had he just imagined the look on the blonde's eyes?  The longing, the intensity in those jade irises? He shook his head and chided at himself for thinking such thoughts. He cast a look at Yuki and smiled fondly. His lover was trying really hard to please him tonight. 'We'll go home right after some coffee.  He really needs to rest, but he also needs the coffee,' added Shuichi to himself as an afterthought. The singer went and sat by the other blonde.

At that moment Yuki opened his eyes and saw Shuichi and Hatori sitting next to each other on the sofa adjacent to him. A bit too close for his liking. They seemed to be looking at something. The conversation between them was hushed, and they both smiled. Something within Yuki stirred, an uncomfortable feeling flared up in the pit of his stomach, sending him in full alert.

"Wow! I never knew we looked like this. We look like professionals. It's almost as if it isn't us," Shuichi said as he looked over at the first few pictures of Bad Luck entering the stage.

"What do you mean you look like professionals? You are professionals!"

"I know. That... that's not what I meant. What I meant is that we look really good.  I don't know how to explain it.  I..."

"Don't worry, silly. I was just kidding. I know what you meant." Hatori ruffled Shuichi's hair in a natural gesture of affection.

Yuki observed the whole scene, getting a bit fidgety. It was not like he never saw Shuichi with other men. There was the baka's best friend whom he knew he still shared a bed with sometimes, and that idiotic idol of his, who was all over him every time they saw each other. He scratched the palm of his hand, which was staring to get a bit itchy. Maybe it was because his cousin looked so much like himself; it was almost like seeing what they may look like in the eyes of other people. Except that it wasn't. Yuki never showed his affection in public, well, not too much anyway. There was nothing to worry about, he told himself. Why were thoughts of Shuichi with someone else affecting him like this tonight? It was silly.

Shuichi's cheeks were flushed red hot. He'd seen pictures of himself clad in slinky clothes before, but not quite this up close, and he never looked at them in the company of strangers. So as to not loose the order of the pictures, Shuichi was leaving them face down on the table as he finished looking over each one.

"This one is my personal favorite. I suggested to Tohma that we make it into a poster," Hatori said as he handed him another picture. Was there a roguish quality to the tone of the blonde?

Shuichi took the picture and gasped at the sight on the glossy paper. He could feel his ears burning, and he wondered if they looked as red as they felt. He hoped not. He put it down on the table, along with the others.

Yuki needed to do something to stop his fiddling. He figured he'd look at what the other two were so intently observing. His curiosity had been pricked. He stretched his hand and picked up the bundle of pictures from the table, feigning boredom. Yuki started looking through the pictures. They were pretty good; he gave his cousin that much credit.

There were quite a few close ups of Shuichi and a few of his eyes only. His deep violet pools, glinting with excitement and the wisdom he seemed to acquire on stage.

Shuichi blushing. He briefly wondered why Shuichi would blush on stage.

Shuichi winking at the audience. He couldn't help but smile lightly at this.

Shuichi singing. That was a very provocative outfit Shuichi was wearing on that night; had he been that risqué when they had met?

He was nearly done, and let the truth be told, seeing pictures of Shuichi dressed like that was inciting torrid thoughts to enter his mind. He didn't like that other people saw Shuichi in that light, but nothing prepared him for the picture that lay at the bottom of the pile. His eyes bulged out of his sockets, and he failed to hold back the sound of him chocking. Shuichi had taken that red coat off and was standing straight, in those small hot pants and see-through shirt. He was touching the exposed flesh of his stomach, legs spread, head tilted backwards. His eyes were half lidded and his delicate mouth was opened slightly, lips brushing against the rounded metal of the microphone. His smooth skin glistened with sweat and a few tresses of pink hair clung to his face disorderly. The only other time Shuichi looked like this was when... when... 

"Eiri-san, are you okay?" Hatori knew which picture the other blonde was gaping at, and he was amused to no end. Yuki had heard the comment about the poster.

"Over my dead body," Yuki blurted out as he stood up forthwith, louder than he expected.

He saw everything before his eyes go white for an instant and snatched the rest of the pictures from his cousin's hands. They were definitely leaving this time. No more Mr. Nice guy. He grabbed Shuichi and yanked him from the sofa and from Hatori's side, jaw clamped firmly, trying not to look as possessive as he felt at that very moment. As he dragged the disconcerted singer towards the corridor, his sister emerged from the door carrying a tray full of cups and saucers. Tohma trailed behind her, carrying the coffee pot. Yuki bashed into her accidentally, causing the tray and its contents to fly up and fall on the floor, smashing into several large sharp pieces. One of them bounced off the carpet and sliced through Mika's thin tights and skin. It wasn't a deep cut, but deep enough to draw out a thin thread of blood. Yuki just kept walking and banged the front door shut after him and Shuichi. 

"Mika! Are you okay?" Tohma settled the coffee quickly on the table and bent down to examine his wife's wound. Hatori was looking at her worriedly too. After a few seconds she spoke.

"Yeah, I'm okay." She then glared up at the photographer. "What the hell did you say this time?" she asked angrily.

"What? Why do *I* have to be the bad guy? I didn't say anything to him at all! Geez! The guy's sanity suddenly snaps and *I* get the blame? It's not my fault he's a goddamn ticking bomb! And, he didn't even apologize. Seriously, that guy just has a way of crawling under my skin. I will not stand for his carelessness. I have *had* it with him." Hatori declared as he briskly picked up his jacket and strode after the disappeared blonde and his companion.

"What the hell is wrong with that bastard?" he mumbled to himself as he hastily put on his black jacket. 'He's going to hear it from me this time. I'm fed up of all this spoiling towards that ungrateful jerk!'

Yuki dragged a very confused Shuichi towards their car, whilst his other hand crumpled the pictures in his hand.

"Yuki! What is wrong with you? Why—" His questioning was stopped by a pair of hot lips upon his own. The writer grabbed his other wrist and tossed Shuichi against the Black Mercedes as he feasted on the vocalist's juicy lips, hungrily. He still had a tight grip over his wrists; it was almost painful. Yuki parted the singer's lips forcefully and shoved his raspy tongue in the other's mouth aggressively. The writer tasted of the acid tannins of red wine and his tongue intertwined with his own frantically, possessively. The novelist let go of his arms and grabbed the singer by the waist, hoisting him up and slamming him down on the cold bonnet. He broke the fierce kiss, allowing the vocalist to catch his breath back as he thirstily nipped at Shuichi's neck, pulling it to his own craving mouth, aided by the strong pull of his fingers on the singer's head.

"Yuki... aah," Shuichi gasped, all questions forgotten and replaced by sheer lust and unadulterated yearning. He buried his dainty fingers in his lover's blonde locks and wrapped his lean legs around the other's hips tautly, relishing the feeling of their growing arousals pressed against each other through the harsh fabric of their trousers. Yuki untangled his hands from Shuichi's bangs and ripped open the white shirt Shuichi was wearing, causing the buttons to fly off into the night. He trailed his tongue avidly over the creamy chest before him, pausing at a hardened nipple to bite at it gently and tearing a broken moan from Shuichi's throat.  The blonde kept traveling south and dipped his tongue into Shuichi's slitted navel. The singer pressed his petite body eagerly onto the novelist's, throwing his head back and whimpering in pure ecstasy. 

Yuki's mind was possessed, too. 'Mine, mine, mine,' his brain chanted like a mantra as he looked at the excited Shuichi; this sight was meant just for him, for his eyes only. He felt Shuichi's body shudder at the adept ministrations the blonde was more than happy to lavish him with. Shuichi's taste was so addictive it caused his salivary glands to go into working overload.

Hatori walked out of the front door. It took a few seconds for his green, feline eyes to adapt to the contrasting darkness outside. He heard a contained wail coming from his left and he turned towards it, rounding a rose bush.

'If that lunatic has hurt Shuichi in any way I swear I'll...'

'...'

The blonde had a clear view of the pair zesting on each other atop the slick black vehicle. His knees grew weak, and he reeled backwards, hitting the bush behind him. He rushed behind it and covered his mouth with his hand, looking the other way, his knees finally giving way and making him fall on the cool green grass. Alas, the gods had no mercy on his soul and the air was still and quite, transporting the couple's whispers of desire to his ears. His breath caught somewhere between his throat and his lungs, and he closed his eyes, feeling a pain like no other scourge his guts, like a twisting dagger upon a raw gash.

"Yu... aah, Yu-ki, s-stop, someone may see... ah ahh…" He exhaled sharply as Yuki's hand cupped his groin with just the right amount of pressure to make him see stars.

"What? Suddenly you care if other people see you like this? Turned on, sweaty, and dying to be taken?" Yuki teased him with another squeeze, this time his hand had moved inside the singer's pants and was holding Shuichi's glistening shaft. Shuichi retaliated by running his tongue languidly over the pliable cartilage of Yuki's ear and earning a grunt from the reticent novelist. The singer smiled and flicked his tongue inside his ear, causing Yuki to shiver with delight.

Shuichi bucked his hips against his lover's slippery hand and arched his back backwards. The writer took this chance to push Shuichi completely onto the bonnet and climb over him. He captured their lips together in another ardent kiss as he kept stroking his heated angel. Shuichi's body writhed beneath him, which only served to inflate his own flame further. Shuichi groaned inside the novelist's moist mouth and Yuki pulled away and placed his hand over the singer's lips in an attempt to stifle his cries of pleasure. The younger man had other plans though. He seized this chance to open his mouth and take Yuki's fingers inside his humid cavern, closing his lips over them and pumping them in and out of his mouth, dragging his teeth gently over them. Yuki hissed in his ear from the feeling and the connotations of the motion, and he grinded his own length over the vocalist's thigh. Shuichi's pliant body trembled uncontrollably and the writer pulled his fingers out before the singer bit them off as lost in paradise as he was.

"Yuukkiiiiii!!" Shuichi screamed against clenched teeth, panting for air as he came hard, repeatedly spilling the elixir of his climax in the novelist's dexterous hand and all over his stomach, leaving an iridescent string of white pearls lathered against his skin.

Suddenly, everything clicked into place, like the convoluted pieces of an abstract puzzle and reality came crushing down on the photographer like a ton of bricks.

Tohma's words at the restaurant.

'He has someone special now. I'm very happy he has finally found someone who can give him what he needs.'

Eiri's scandalized expression when seeing the picture of Shuichi on stage.

'Over my dead body.'

The casual touches at the dinner table.

'Shuichi and alcohol don't go hand in hand.'

The look in the singer's eyes.

 'I love it when you call me baka.'

'Baka, I knew you'd like it.'

'I knew you cared about me.'

'Why are you so mean? I love you so much and yet, yet…'

'Will you just SHUT UP?' 'You are giving me a headache.'

'Sorry, Yuki.  I didn't mean to annoy you.  I'll be quiet.'

'Doushite? Doushite? Why can't you love me even if just a little? Do you really not care for me at all?'

'I don't know who you take me for, but whoever it is, it's not me.'

'You must hate me, but I can't let you go. I'd die. My—my chest hurts—I…'

'Godammit! It hurts! It hurts! Always…It hurts because I love you so much, I love you…'

Those words, every single one of them, the soft gaze, the uncompromising support, all of it was directed to that ingrate cousin of his. His blood boiled with wrath and desolation.

He was supposed to make Shuichi his, but he... he... he belonged to another already. But, it was another man.  Whatever capacity of thinking he had left in his dazed mind alerted him of this fact. That, at least, meant that Shuichi was interested in other men, right? And Yuki and him were almost carbon copies of each other, weren't they? No, inside they were different. But there was still some hope, and he clung to it desperately as if it were a life line in the middle of a raging storm.

He recalled the old proverb All's fair in love and war.

And just like a war, once love breaks out, it's practically impossible to relinquish.

Yes, there was still hope.

tbc

And so the battle of blondes that benames this fic begins! (About time too...)

                                                       @_@

Hi lovely Animegirl9 or should I say Dai-chan! I left everything as it was originally written... I couldn't help but adding a bit more at the end; I'm terrible I know! Now I've probably screwed all your efforts to correct my punctuation, hopefully I didn't screw it up too much? Your update for The Opposite of Gravitation is taking its time naughty girl! Well all the better, now people will flock to it like bees to honey and then you can update sooner! Look forward WoH 10 and thanks again for your support. Please finish that lemon between our two blondes soon *gasps*. Did I just say that here? Lol, looking forward to reading A Bed of Glass, shall we post? It's incest, *thinks* I dunno... Love you loads!

Mirai Aria: What's possibly delaying Yuki 13 so much? I know you had trouble with that scene... it came out brilliant don't worry! Absolutely cannot wait to read the rest. Thanks for reading this chapter in advance too. A look into Yuki's thoughts next and some more Hat*Shu interaction, till then!

Phoenix 3:16: Always first to review, wow! Well, well Yuki and Shu seem to be doing just fine, if their relationship is not perfect, but then again whose is? So how the hell is Hari going to react? We'll have to see, won't we?

authormichals: Wah, totally on their side? Great, I'm sure Hatori is very glad of your support, whatever will happen next?

driven to insanity : I'm glad you liked the last chapter, did you enjoy a bit of interaction between Yu and Shu? And Hat-chan saw and is now broken hearted, does he stand a chance?

imayb1: Hello! I love how you write Yuki and Shu, you know that. However I've decided to torture them a bit, :P. Yep, photographer definitely wants to get more familiar, but then again who wouldn't??

saku~ya : I hope you read this chapter and enjoyed it. Poor Hatori had to go and see the whole thing, didn't he? It couldn't have been more in his face, poor thing! And what the hell took over Yuki? Well he did drink a bit too much, is tired and got jealous! But will he admit that's what it was? *sigh*

Nickle: Woo! You love my story? That is awesome! It makes me so happy! I hope latest developments didn't disappoint. Poor Hatori now knows about Yuki and Shu, what can he do?

Sukura: Liked it hated it? Thanks for reviewing!

punky girl: Thanks for not praying for thunder! It has hardly rained this week, lol. Thanks for the support and the reviews, I thrive on feedback J Till next time!

AISH a.k.a. Kitty in the Box: You liked the dinner scene *dances* I'm so glad!! Can I glomp you? *glomps* Well more action on this chapter, except a different kind... I hope you are looking forward more! Till then!

kumagorou : Yes Yuki is OOC, I can't help it! I try to justify his actions, I don't know if you mean he's being too nice or too cruel though :/ Everyone has different opinions and I'm trying to explain Eiri's actions as how he is in this story (a few months after anime) and we get a peek into his mind on the next chapter, hope that clarifies things better _

Black Dios:Yo! Well more sparks this time, except of a different kind... What is our broken hearted photographer to do next?

Sannia : I know what you mean by Yuki being cold sometimes,  he's just that kind of person though, he's a troubled soul after all, more on that on the next one. But Hari has his problems too... just because he responds to them differently, does that make him less worthy of Shu's attention? I think not. Keep reading!

Joan Mistress of Magic: I'm glad you can read this chapter and hope you enjoyed it. No violent scenes, I'm not one to make up a lot of violence if not needed, that is not to say something may not happen, I just don't have a thirst for blood. More on War of Hearts very soon!

CPV-Phantoms-CTFA: What a fantastic review from you guys as always, if a bit disturbing... *sweat drop* take off the baby costumes and that way I won't be so disturbed, lol. You can't convince anyone with that dummy in your mouth! Well I hope you enjoyed the last installment, don't forget to take your pills... *glomps all three of you* ^_^

Star-chan: Lol, what a funny girlish scream, a bit of fan service on this one, lol. More girlish screams! Just joking, Yuki can be so impulsive sometimes too and what of the photographer now? He saw! He saw! *faints* Well, we'll see what happens now...

firedraygon97: Of course Shuichi would defend Yuki. There is just no other way. R rated but nothing too graphic, I don't think it would suit the plot, although I'm dying to do a few one-shots... we'll see, lol!

Am1-13th: Wah! Hello again : ) Well whatever have I planned for this trio next? Coming soon!

Bisexual Pygmy: Oblivious to...? I suppose you meant oblivious to the fact that hey are a couple? If you think about it, they don't act gay as such and there is really no reason in circumstances like that (aside from the fact that we know it is shounen ai, lol) to presuppose that fact. But he saw it all very clearly now! And he's hurt by it, will he pursue further? Yes he will...

dark-kagome2: Not telling till we get there! *Sticks tongue out* I told you it'll be fairly long and take turns here and there. Hat doesn't like Yuki but he doesn't know the reasons behind his behavior, he's reading the writer wrong. But does that justify Yuki's attitude? And what has he to offer instead? Long way to go yet, ja!

Purple Uranium: No, I don't think Shuichi is that childish, I mean he can be silly and playful at times but I've already said he's matured over the last few months in chapter 4 and I like a slightly more mature Shu better ^_^ I'm glad you like how I portray Eiri, I don't think he's a bastard, he's just troubled and can be cold, but that doesn't make him bad, he's just that kind of person *sigh* more on that soon ;P and more on Hat-chan soon too! Stay tuned.

Risukii-chan : Lol, I LOVE your reviews, *I* was checking my computer many times a day waiting for your review *blush*. I was like 'she hasn't read it yet', 'maybe she didn't like it' and biting my nails. I didn't make you wait a full week this time, I did it for you! Next chapter is half done and should be up fairly soon too! I'm going to go and help Mika clear up the broken crockery *sigh*. Thanks for keeping Yuki safe and sound :P See you next time! By the way I hope you liked this chapter... let me know _

Rebecca: I don't think Yuki would put up much of an open fight; he's so reserved in front of others. And he doesn't really know about Hat's feelings, but yeah there will be angst and tears galore to come, it's just all the better if we can build up the tension first! Look forward to it :P

This week's Award of The Week goes to lilyleia. Wow! What an *awesome* review! The best ever!! It made me so happy, you have no idea! I can't believe this could actually be anyone's loved fic, I am so grateful. The thing that made me the most happy was that you seem to have peeked up exactly all the feelings and thoughts I've been trying to convey in every chapter! I feel I'm understood and that makes all the trouble worth it. Some people I think are getting the wrong idea, but that's my fault for not explaining well enough or maybe it's just their perceptions that are hard to bend? I don't know, but you seem to understand me so well *glomps*. I wanted to email you but you left me no ways of contacting you! If you are still willing I'd love to have your email address :P I don't know if I should bounce off ideas with too many people but you seem to get me really well. I'm scared about all the Japanese stuff I've written, I've probably been awfully wrong in most of it, although I do try hard, but it's not easy. It'll be great if I could consult on cultural notes with you, I'm so lucky! Anyway, I'm rambling, hopefully we can talk more in the future, get back to me!

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