Chapter 15
Yuki suppressed a groan, raising a hand to his forehead. God, he had such a headache…
I don't care if my concussion is fading, he thought. I still feel like shit.
His apartment was shrouded in darkness. He was surprised the police let him go back there. What, with all the attempted murders; Yuki himself almost being a victim. Currently he lay on his back on the couch. The same couch Shuichi slept on so many times in the past…
His concussion prevented him from doing much. Hell, he couldn't even take a shower without a dizzy spell hitting him.
Nor could he leave the house.
He sighed heavily, his fingers absently searching for his cigarette pack. Not that he had anywhere to go…except the hospital.
He winced. Except for the time Tatsuha and Ryuichi took him there, he had not seen Shuichi at all in the past few weeks. The image of him was still engraved in Yuki's head. Lying there helpless, hooked up to so many machines, tubes sticking out of his head…
He won't be leaving that hospital anytime soon, he thought. Same as Mika. Well, it's obvious that Mika's vision is fucked up, but Shuichi's hearing…and his knee. God knows how long he will be rehabilitating to walk on it again…
KNOCK KNOCK!!!!
Yuki turned towards his front door. Someone was knocking.
I hope it's not any reporters, he thought, forcing himself to stand up. Another dizzy spell hit him, but he tried his best to ignore it as he sauntered over to the door. With much effort in the darkness he found the doorknob and opened the door.
Tohma stood there, wearing one of his smiles.
"What do you want?" asked Yuki.
"I am your Fairy Godmother, here to whisk you away to meet your Prince!!" Tohma announced.
Yuki tried to close the door, but Tohma put up a hand and stopped him. "Actually, I'm here to take you to Shindou-san."
Yuki reopened the door. "What kind of drugs are you on?"
"Nothing too strong!! I'm kidding, I'm clean. Seriously, I AM here to take you to him."
"Why in the hell would you do that? I mean, you aren't exactly—"
"I know I'm not. But I think I'm coming around. Besides, I owe Shindou-san for saving yours, Mika's, and my baby's lives!!"
"Yeah, what—" Yuki froze. "Baby?!"
"I'm going to be a father and you're going to be an uncle!!"
Yuki shuddered. "Somehow the thought of you having sex with Mika is disturbing…"
Tohma's eyebrow twitched, but he managed to keep the smile on his face. "Well, let's go!!"
"Yeah, yeah."
***
Shuichi yawned loudly, stretching out his arms. He tried not to stretch out his legs, but ended up doing it anyway.
"Shit!!" he cursed, rubbing his hurt leg. Why did he always have to do stupid things?!
Seguchi-san hasn't come back yet, he thought. And visiting hours are long over. Looks like I won't be seeing Yuki tonight. Either that or Seguchi-san is a liar.
"Look what I've got, Shindou-san."
Shuichi shrieked in surprise, nearly jumping out of the bed. He turned his towards the voice.
Tohma stood there, wearing his usual grin. Yuki was standing next to him, somewhat leaning on Tohma for support.
"H-How did you two get here?!" said Shuichi.
"Through the door, baka," said Yuki, shaking his head. "Didn't you hear us come in?"
Shuichi shook his head. "No, I…it must be my hearing…"
"Is it really bad?" asked Tohma.
"No, not really. The doctors said that I can't hear soft things or sounds too far away unless they're loud. Once I'm done recovering he's going to give me a hearing aid."
Tohma deposited Yuki in a chair next to the bed. "Okay, I'm going to leave you two alone. If you need anything I'll be in Mika-san's room."
Shuichi gave a short nod. "Thanks, Seguchi-san."
Tohma managed a smile before he left.
"How's your concussion?" asked Shuichi when Yuki remained silent.
"It's still there," said Yuki. He pulled out a pack of cigarettes. "Mind if I smoke?"
"I don't know how the nurses would react, but go ahead."
Yuki lit one up. "My concussion is almost gone. It's still there though and it annoys the hell out of me."
Shuichi laughed a little. "That's great. You're almost fully recovered."
"What about you?" Yuki raised a hand to Shuichi's head, touching the hair around the shaved circles. Where the tubes had been. "Feeling any better?"
"I guess so." Shuichi closed his eyes. "I want to sue her."
"Who, Mayumi?"
"Who else?! My hearing is shit, and my knee will never be the same! She practically ruined my career!!"
"Shuichi—"
"I know, I know. It'd be a wasted effort since she's flat broke. Not to mention she's already being charged with multiple counts of attempted murder and assault. When does her trial start anyway?"
Yuki took a long drag from his cigarette. "Tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?! How convenient for her. Two of her victims are in the hospital and not in any shape to testify against her."
"Don't worry. If she's smart she'll plead guilty."
Shuichi nodded. Silence filled the room for several long moments.
"Yuki?"
"What?"
"Can I kiss you?"
Yuki put out his cigarette. "Why?"
"I haven't been able to for a while. Not since before the attack. I thought I was going to die for a while and I wouldn't have been able to see you again."
"…I just smoked a cigarette."
"I don't care. I want to kiss you."
Yuki sighed, standing up. Shuichi thought he was going to leave but instead Yuki seated himself on the edge of the bed. His heart leapt for joy as Yuki leaned down and claimed his lips.
It was one of the sweetest kisses Shuichi had ever had. Whether it was because they hadn't kissed in so long or he had been so close to death, he didn't know. But he didn't care. All he cared about was feeling those soft but firm lips against his and Yuki's arms circling around him gently, as if to avoid hurting his shoulder.
Finally, Yuki broke the kiss but he didn't let Shuichi go. He leaned his head against Shuichi's, letting their foreheads touch. "I was afraid."
"Eh?" Shuichi blinked.
"When I saw you that last time. Seeing how you looked right after the attack. I was afraid that any minute you were going to slip away."
"Yuki…"
"You wouldn't do that, would you? You wouldn't leave me all alone again, would you?"
This is coming from the guy who left me alone lots of times, thought Shuichi, but he knew better than to say those words out loud. Obviously it must've given Yuki a great scare if he was spilling his emotions like this.
"No, I wouldn't leave you Yuki," said Shuichi. He rested a hand against the back of Yuki's neck. "I don't know what I looked like in those early days, but I don't give up easily. I wasn't ready to die, so I fought for my life. And here I am now. I have physical ailments, but I feel fine. I won't leave you Yuki. But promise me you won't leave me."
Yuki gave him a startled look. "When I was gang raped you took all the guilt into yourself and tried to stay away from me. I didn't need that then and I don't need that now. All I need is your support and love. Can you do that for me?"
Yuki managed a nod.
Shuichi grinned. "Does that mean you love me?"
Yuki's eyes narrowed. "I—"
Suddenly, the door opened and a nurse walked in. She did a double take when she saw Yuki. "What the—? What are you doing here?! Visiting hours are over!!"
"I'm family," said Yuki, glaring at the nurse.
The nurse was about to say something, but paused. She got a closer look at Yuki. "Oh my God, you're Yuki Eiri!!! I'm such a big fan!!! Can I have your autograph?!"
Shuichi groaned.
Next day at the courthouse…
"How do you plead?" asked the judge.
"Guilty," said Mayumi. She didn't look crazed anymore. She looked collectively calm with a streak of guilt on her face.
Nothing less from an actress. Tears even rolled down her face with her plea.
"Dammit," hissed Tatsuha. "By pleading guilty it makes it look like she WANTS to be repentant!!"
"Is she sorry?" asked Ryuichi.
"I highly doubt it."
"Let's hope the protesters outside put plenty of pressure on the judge," said Hiro.
"I hope they don't let her walk," said Ami.
"She tried to kill Shindou-san, Yuki, and Seguchi-san's wife," said Suguru. "It's hardly ever that anyone gets away with trying to kill famous people."
"Didn't Yuki come down here?" asked Hiro.
"No," said Tohma. "He said he already knew how she was going to plead."
***
Yuki gave a snort of disgust and turned off the television. "I hate it when I'm right."
***
Mika sighed and turned the channel. "I'd like to wring that bitch's neck right now…"
***
"Don't act like you're sorry!!" yelled Shuichi, thrashing around in his hospital bed. The nurses tried to restrain him. "All you want to do is save yourself!! You aren't fooling me!! You nearly killed me!!"
A few days later at the courthouse…
"I truly am sorry for all the sorrow I've caused," said Mayumi, sniffling softly. She stood at the podium facing the judge, giving a plea as to why she shouldn't be sent to prison. "I've just been under so much stress lately that I…I had a breakdown. I had no idea what I was doing. Everything was just a blur. When I came to my senses, I was being charged with attempted murder.
"I'm not a violent person. It was just a hard time for me, and…Yuki Eiri was easy to blame it all on. We did go out at one point. But what he didn't know was that after all this time…I still loved him very much."
Yuki was about to stand up, but Tohma grabbed his arm and made him sit back down. He didn't want to be there. Tohma had made him come down, but he didn't want to be there. Because, despite her terrible acting abilities, this speech was very convincing. And the judge looked like an idiot. Yuki knew what the sentence was going to be.
"I need to pay for what I did," continued Mayumi, wiping away her "tears". "But I wanted everyone to know that…I just wasn't myself. I never wanted to…do this…" she broke off into a loud sob. Her lawyer went to her side and brought her back to her seat.
Yuki glared at her. Along with everyone else he was sitting with.
"I've made my decision," said the judge. "Will the defendant please rise?"
Mayumi stood back up, "emotionally shaken".
"I can understand how hard of a time you've had," said the judge. "Losing the job you love, not being able to obtain other jobs, living in a terrible apartment.
"But…what I can't understand is how you blame Uesugi Eiri for all your failures. And even as you went after him, how Seguchi Mika and Shindou Shuichi got mixed up in this mess. I've sat down and viewed that interview Mr. Uesugi gave that supposedly was incriminating against you. Though the comments he said were negative, they weren't as incriminating as you had thought.
"Like I said before, I can understand the frustration you've been feeling. Being a big star isn't easy to obtain or stay as. But, none of this excuses the actions you have committed against Uesugi Eiri, Seguchi Mika, and Shindou Shuichi. So I shall accept your plead of guilty."
Cheers and applause echoed the room. The judge banged his mallet. "Silence! Now for your sentencing.
"There's no denying the fact that you committed these acts. You yourself stated that you did these acts. But today you have shown a great deal of remorse for all the crimes you have committed. Your speech alone has convinced me of such."
"Un-fucking-believable," muttered Yuki, covering his eyes with his hand.
"And so, I will accept your plea of guilty by means of insanity. If it were in my power I would let you go today. But since you DID commit these crimes, I sentence you to three years in an asylum under 24 hour surveillance. Court is adjourned." Then the judge left.
"I knew it," said Yuki, shaking his head. People around him started shouting obscenities at the judge.
Tohma stood straight up. "I have to make a few phone calls." Then he was gone.
"Where's he going?" asked Tatsuha.
"No doubt to call every magazine in Japan," said Noriko. "Anything to ruin that judge's career."
"What's an asylum?" asked Ryuichi.
"It's where insane people go," said Tatsuha.
"Is Mayumi insane?"
"Yes. But she doesn't deserve to go to an asylum. She was perfectly aware of what she was doing. She belongs in prison, not some mental institution."
Hiro shook his head. "Somehow I knew this was gonna happen."
"I didn't," said Ami. "I really wanted her to pay for what she did."
"She is in a way," said Suguru. "She may have had a life sentence, but do you think anyone will hire her when she gets out? Not just for acting, but for ANY job? She screwed herself over, and I bet she doesn't even realize it."
Yuki stood up. "I'm going."
"Where?" asked Tatsuha.
"To see Shuichi. He probably needs me right now."
Tatsuha nodded. "Go."
Next part is the final part. Be sure to tune in then!
Yuki suppressed a groan, raising a hand to his forehead. God, he had such a headache…
I don't care if my concussion is fading, he thought. I still feel like shit.
His apartment was shrouded in darkness. He was surprised the police let him go back there. What, with all the attempted murders; Yuki himself almost being a victim. Currently he lay on his back on the couch. The same couch Shuichi slept on so many times in the past…
His concussion prevented him from doing much. Hell, he couldn't even take a shower without a dizzy spell hitting him.
Nor could he leave the house.
He sighed heavily, his fingers absently searching for his cigarette pack. Not that he had anywhere to go…except the hospital.
He winced. Except for the time Tatsuha and Ryuichi took him there, he had not seen Shuichi at all in the past few weeks. The image of him was still engraved in Yuki's head. Lying there helpless, hooked up to so many machines, tubes sticking out of his head…
He won't be leaving that hospital anytime soon, he thought. Same as Mika. Well, it's obvious that Mika's vision is fucked up, but Shuichi's hearing…and his knee. God knows how long he will be rehabilitating to walk on it again…
KNOCK KNOCK!!!!
Yuki turned towards his front door. Someone was knocking.
I hope it's not any reporters, he thought, forcing himself to stand up. Another dizzy spell hit him, but he tried his best to ignore it as he sauntered over to the door. With much effort in the darkness he found the doorknob and opened the door.
Tohma stood there, wearing one of his smiles.
"What do you want?" asked Yuki.
"I am your Fairy Godmother, here to whisk you away to meet your Prince!!" Tohma announced.
Yuki tried to close the door, but Tohma put up a hand and stopped him. "Actually, I'm here to take you to Shindou-san."
Yuki reopened the door. "What kind of drugs are you on?"
"Nothing too strong!! I'm kidding, I'm clean. Seriously, I AM here to take you to him."
"Why in the hell would you do that? I mean, you aren't exactly—"
"I know I'm not. But I think I'm coming around. Besides, I owe Shindou-san for saving yours, Mika's, and my baby's lives!!"
"Yeah, what—" Yuki froze. "Baby?!"
"I'm going to be a father and you're going to be an uncle!!"
Yuki shuddered. "Somehow the thought of you having sex with Mika is disturbing…"
Tohma's eyebrow twitched, but he managed to keep the smile on his face. "Well, let's go!!"
"Yeah, yeah."
***
Shuichi yawned loudly, stretching out his arms. He tried not to stretch out his legs, but ended up doing it anyway.
"Shit!!" he cursed, rubbing his hurt leg. Why did he always have to do stupid things?!
Seguchi-san hasn't come back yet, he thought. And visiting hours are long over. Looks like I won't be seeing Yuki tonight. Either that or Seguchi-san is a liar.
"Look what I've got, Shindou-san."
Shuichi shrieked in surprise, nearly jumping out of the bed. He turned his towards the voice.
Tohma stood there, wearing his usual grin. Yuki was standing next to him, somewhat leaning on Tohma for support.
"H-How did you two get here?!" said Shuichi.
"Through the door, baka," said Yuki, shaking his head. "Didn't you hear us come in?"
Shuichi shook his head. "No, I…it must be my hearing…"
"Is it really bad?" asked Tohma.
"No, not really. The doctors said that I can't hear soft things or sounds too far away unless they're loud. Once I'm done recovering he's going to give me a hearing aid."
Tohma deposited Yuki in a chair next to the bed. "Okay, I'm going to leave you two alone. If you need anything I'll be in Mika-san's room."
Shuichi gave a short nod. "Thanks, Seguchi-san."
Tohma managed a smile before he left.
"How's your concussion?" asked Shuichi when Yuki remained silent.
"It's still there," said Yuki. He pulled out a pack of cigarettes. "Mind if I smoke?"
"I don't know how the nurses would react, but go ahead."
Yuki lit one up. "My concussion is almost gone. It's still there though and it annoys the hell out of me."
Shuichi laughed a little. "That's great. You're almost fully recovered."
"What about you?" Yuki raised a hand to Shuichi's head, touching the hair around the shaved circles. Where the tubes had been. "Feeling any better?"
"I guess so." Shuichi closed his eyes. "I want to sue her."
"Who, Mayumi?"
"Who else?! My hearing is shit, and my knee will never be the same! She practically ruined my career!!"
"Shuichi—"
"I know, I know. It'd be a wasted effort since she's flat broke. Not to mention she's already being charged with multiple counts of attempted murder and assault. When does her trial start anyway?"
Yuki took a long drag from his cigarette. "Tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?! How convenient for her. Two of her victims are in the hospital and not in any shape to testify against her."
"Don't worry. If she's smart she'll plead guilty."
Shuichi nodded. Silence filled the room for several long moments.
"Yuki?"
"What?"
"Can I kiss you?"
Yuki put out his cigarette. "Why?"
"I haven't been able to for a while. Not since before the attack. I thought I was going to die for a while and I wouldn't have been able to see you again."
"…I just smoked a cigarette."
"I don't care. I want to kiss you."
Yuki sighed, standing up. Shuichi thought he was going to leave but instead Yuki seated himself on the edge of the bed. His heart leapt for joy as Yuki leaned down and claimed his lips.
It was one of the sweetest kisses Shuichi had ever had. Whether it was because they hadn't kissed in so long or he had been so close to death, he didn't know. But he didn't care. All he cared about was feeling those soft but firm lips against his and Yuki's arms circling around him gently, as if to avoid hurting his shoulder.
Finally, Yuki broke the kiss but he didn't let Shuichi go. He leaned his head against Shuichi's, letting their foreheads touch. "I was afraid."
"Eh?" Shuichi blinked.
"When I saw you that last time. Seeing how you looked right after the attack. I was afraid that any minute you were going to slip away."
"Yuki…"
"You wouldn't do that, would you? You wouldn't leave me all alone again, would you?"
This is coming from the guy who left me alone lots of times, thought Shuichi, but he knew better than to say those words out loud. Obviously it must've given Yuki a great scare if he was spilling his emotions like this.
"No, I wouldn't leave you Yuki," said Shuichi. He rested a hand against the back of Yuki's neck. "I don't know what I looked like in those early days, but I don't give up easily. I wasn't ready to die, so I fought for my life. And here I am now. I have physical ailments, but I feel fine. I won't leave you Yuki. But promise me you won't leave me."
Yuki gave him a startled look. "When I was gang raped you took all the guilt into yourself and tried to stay away from me. I didn't need that then and I don't need that now. All I need is your support and love. Can you do that for me?"
Yuki managed a nod.
Shuichi grinned. "Does that mean you love me?"
Yuki's eyes narrowed. "I—"
Suddenly, the door opened and a nurse walked in. She did a double take when she saw Yuki. "What the—? What are you doing here?! Visiting hours are over!!"
"I'm family," said Yuki, glaring at the nurse.
The nurse was about to say something, but paused. She got a closer look at Yuki. "Oh my God, you're Yuki Eiri!!! I'm such a big fan!!! Can I have your autograph?!"
Shuichi groaned.
Next day at the courthouse…
"How do you plead?" asked the judge.
"Guilty," said Mayumi. She didn't look crazed anymore. She looked collectively calm with a streak of guilt on her face.
Nothing less from an actress. Tears even rolled down her face with her plea.
"Dammit," hissed Tatsuha. "By pleading guilty it makes it look like she WANTS to be repentant!!"
"Is she sorry?" asked Ryuichi.
"I highly doubt it."
"Let's hope the protesters outside put plenty of pressure on the judge," said Hiro.
"I hope they don't let her walk," said Ami.
"She tried to kill Shindou-san, Yuki, and Seguchi-san's wife," said Suguru. "It's hardly ever that anyone gets away with trying to kill famous people."
"Didn't Yuki come down here?" asked Hiro.
"No," said Tohma. "He said he already knew how she was going to plead."
***
Yuki gave a snort of disgust and turned off the television. "I hate it when I'm right."
***
Mika sighed and turned the channel. "I'd like to wring that bitch's neck right now…"
***
"Don't act like you're sorry!!" yelled Shuichi, thrashing around in his hospital bed. The nurses tried to restrain him. "All you want to do is save yourself!! You aren't fooling me!! You nearly killed me!!"
A few days later at the courthouse…
"I truly am sorry for all the sorrow I've caused," said Mayumi, sniffling softly. She stood at the podium facing the judge, giving a plea as to why she shouldn't be sent to prison. "I've just been under so much stress lately that I…I had a breakdown. I had no idea what I was doing. Everything was just a blur. When I came to my senses, I was being charged with attempted murder.
"I'm not a violent person. It was just a hard time for me, and…Yuki Eiri was easy to blame it all on. We did go out at one point. But what he didn't know was that after all this time…I still loved him very much."
Yuki was about to stand up, but Tohma grabbed his arm and made him sit back down. He didn't want to be there. Tohma had made him come down, but he didn't want to be there. Because, despite her terrible acting abilities, this speech was very convincing. And the judge looked like an idiot. Yuki knew what the sentence was going to be.
"I need to pay for what I did," continued Mayumi, wiping away her "tears". "But I wanted everyone to know that…I just wasn't myself. I never wanted to…do this…" she broke off into a loud sob. Her lawyer went to her side and brought her back to her seat.
Yuki glared at her. Along with everyone else he was sitting with.
"I've made my decision," said the judge. "Will the defendant please rise?"
Mayumi stood back up, "emotionally shaken".
"I can understand how hard of a time you've had," said the judge. "Losing the job you love, not being able to obtain other jobs, living in a terrible apartment.
"But…what I can't understand is how you blame Uesugi Eiri for all your failures. And even as you went after him, how Seguchi Mika and Shindou Shuichi got mixed up in this mess. I've sat down and viewed that interview Mr. Uesugi gave that supposedly was incriminating against you. Though the comments he said were negative, they weren't as incriminating as you had thought.
"Like I said before, I can understand the frustration you've been feeling. Being a big star isn't easy to obtain or stay as. But, none of this excuses the actions you have committed against Uesugi Eiri, Seguchi Mika, and Shindou Shuichi. So I shall accept your plead of guilty."
Cheers and applause echoed the room. The judge banged his mallet. "Silence! Now for your sentencing.
"There's no denying the fact that you committed these acts. You yourself stated that you did these acts. But today you have shown a great deal of remorse for all the crimes you have committed. Your speech alone has convinced me of such."
"Un-fucking-believable," muttered Yuki, covering his eyes with his hand.
"And so, I will accept your plea of guilty by means of insanity. If it were in my power I would let you go today. But since you DID commit these crimes, I sentence you to three years in an asylum under 24 hour surveillance. Court is adjourned." Then the judge left.
"I knew it," said Yuki, shaking his head. People around him started shouting obscenities at the judge.
Tohma stood straight up. "I have to make a few phone calls." Then he was gone.
"Where's he going?" asked Tatsuha.
"No doubt to call every magazine in Japan," said Noriko. "Anything to ruin that judge's career."
"What's an asylum?" asked Ryuichi.
"It's where insane people go," said Tatsuha.
"Is Mayumi insane?"
"Yes. But she doesn't deserve to go to an asylum. She was perfectly aware of what she was doing. She belongs in prison, not some mental institution."
Hiro shook his head. "Somehow I knew this was gonna happen."
"I didn't," said Ami. "I really wanted her to pay for what she did."
"She is in a way," said Suguru. "She may have had a life sentence, but do you think anyone will hire her when she gets out? Not just for acting, but for ANY job? She screwed herself over, and I bet she doesn't even realize it."
Yuki stood up. "I'm going."
"Where?" asked Tatsuha.
"To see Shuichi. He probably needs me right now."
Tatsuha nodded. "Go."
Next part is the final part. Be sure to tune in then!
