AN/Warnings: Once again, and with the same sincerity, thank you for the reviews, absolutely the best thing about writing fanfiction. :D ::greedy for reviews::

Info: Shuichi/Yuki, ex Eiri/Yuki, mild language (or rather, not mild, just spread and infrequent), some violence, attempted rape, death, thoughts of suicide. ::feels like a movie rating guide:: Think this is PG-13 yet?

The beginning is a flashback to Eiri's trial and a little before that. ::creepy flashback music:: The rest is back in the present, featuring Shuichi and Taki, and then some Shuichi and Yuki.

Other than that, I had to do some research on Japan's judicial system, rather interesting. ::geeky grin:: It's probably horribly messed up anyways. Please ignore it.

Even though Yuki and Eiri were in New York, I'm pretty sure you have to be tried in your own country...? Excuse my nonsense.

Briefs Hikaru: Yeah, Tachi is the only real person with a total anti-Shuichi motive in Gravitation, but he won't be an insane evil guy here. I plan to give Tachi the opportunity to change. :D Yay! Thanks for reviewing...again. XP

Driven to insanity: I'm sure ASK aren't evil themselves, Tachi just has his priorities mixed up. :P Poor dear. XD Thanks for reviewing!

Kitty in the box: This was rather early Gravitation-esque, wasn't it? XP Don't worry, I have quite a few plot 'tweaks' in mind. Hahah. X3 Domo for reviewing!

Rinuah: Yay! Suguru description, thankies, I can work with that. :D You got dragged to a concert with your sister? I suppose it depends who you went to see. XP Thanks for reviewing again!

Liss: Dammit. -; I really need to update some of those too. Heh. Yeah, Suguru's just…there. Yes, Tohma is very interesting indeed, I'm sure he'll have some fun in this story. :D Whee, you came back and reviewed! Thanks! ::glomps::

::more creepy flashback music::

Life Doesn't Rhyme

"Eiri Uesugi, you have been charged with the murder of one Yuki Kitazawa. How do you plead?"

"Guilty, in self defense."

The boy stood there, blank eyes and messy blonde hair. He wasn't Eiri Uesugi. He was nobody. He had taken the gun into his hands and shot a man. He was no longer who he had been.

His dearest, adored friend who had never meant any real harm. Until he did. He had killed him. Murder. He was a murderer.

"Your Honor, my client was nearly raped by the late Kitazawa and two others he had…hired to assist him. The man was a violent drunk, and took it out on the boy. He was terrified."

No, that's not true. Yes, it was, but he was more than frightened. He had been horrified, dismayed, betrayed. Yuki, the only person he had ever dared to think of more than how he thought of his family.

Yuki hadn't meant to do that, had he? Yuki had cared. Had he realized what he had done, when Eiri put the bullet in him? Pulled the trigger, boom. The effort, the conviction it had taken to do a simply curling of young Eiri's finger took more willpower than he had. He felt drained now, empty, alone.

Yuki's breath on his neck, his hands on either side of his head, it hadn't felt how Eiri had wanted it to. It caused reactions, yes, but only human reactions, 'normal' reactions. Not reactions of his own consent. His fingers left burning bruises where they roughly danced, trailing up his arm, his neck, his cheek, down again, everywhere.

{At least a few weeks ago, Yuki had gone out. He had gotten drunk before, it was something that happened. Eiri tended to hide in his room and wait until morning. A sober, but bitter with a hangover Yuki was much easier to deal with than an intoxicated one.

That night, Eiri had been reading a book, and hadn't heard Yuki come in.

With two other men. They cornered him, grinning wolfishly. Yuki was at the front, swaying slightly. His eyes were dull and his jaw had slackened from alcohol. His movements were elaborate and slow, as if he was trying to convince himself that he was still alive.

"If you do anything," The fatal sound of a gun being loaded. "I will shoot." His words were surprisingly crisp and cold for someone who had been out drinking.

"Awh, don't, Yuki." Eiri dared to hope that one of the others had come to their senses. "I like it when they scream."}

"If Kitazawa hadn't been stopped, it's quite probable he would have killed my client anyways."

Eiri, who had been silent for the whole time, jolted, reality slapping him in the face. Yuki wouldn't have killed him, would he? Yuki wouldn't. No.

Clasping his hands together and discreetly rocking back and forth, Eiri suddenly felt very cold. Was Yuki this cold now, in death? Even colder? The uncaring metal of the gun had been cold. It felt like death, the only purpose it had been made for.

{Yuki, too busy with Eiri, hadn't noticed he had dropped the gun, though it fell to the hardwood floor with a resounding thump. Eiri shook the other two men who had been holding his wrists again the wall off, thrashing and flailing. Dropping to the ground, he heard Yuki swear as he realized what had happened.

"Get him. Hurry up, you bastards."

Eiri found the pistol, and stood up slowly, hands shaking violently. The other two men backed off, seeing no fear in the boy's eyes. Feeling the muscles in his face slacken, Eiri held the gun to Yuki's forehead and watched the man register what was happening, watched as mortal fear dawned upon his face.

It almost felt good. Almost.

An almost sober look controlled Yuki's face, his eyes widening and the blush fading from his cheeks. His jaw tightened, and he watched Eiri with desperate eyes and lips that whispered words that were not his.

"You wouldn't."

The Yuki Kitazawa, the one Eiri knew, didn't beg. He asked, he recommended, he offered. Yuki did not beg, especially not to the boy he had taken in. This not-Yuki was an imposter.

Eiri could see his reflection in not-Yuki's amber eyes, and was inwardly terrified at what he saw. A blank, emotionless sixteen year old holding a gun to the dearest person to him. How had it come to this?

When the man begged again, Eiri was utterly convinced this was not Yuki Kitazawa. This was a look-a-like, a mime.

Whoever this was deserved to die.

Convinced by this, Eiri Uesugi found it all too easy to pull the trigger where he should have been emotionally torn. The gunshot caused relief in the tense air around the two, and it rang in both pairs of ears. Only one had the time to register it.

Iloveyou.

The other two men gaped and then fled, leaving Yuki and Eiri, silent. Eiri choked on a sob, and held the gun to his head.

Another Romeo and Juliet.

Only Juliet wouldn't be following. She dropped the gun, arm falling limp at her side.

Taking Eiri's mobile out his jean pocket, and dialing a number that had been drilled into his head since childhood, Eiri found the monotone voice on the other end much too comforting.

Sinking to his knees, Eiri lifted Yuki's head onto his lap, and whispered words that no one cared enough about to listen to. No one left living, anyways.

That was where Tohma found him, blood-spattered and distant, an ambulance outside, the medical personnel right behind him.}

The court's back door slammed open, as a man with short blonde hair and sunglasses walked in. As he passed the young Eiri Uesugi and his lawyer, he pulled down his sunglasses and gave the blonde a sympathetic smile. Pushing them back up as he neared the judge, his voice was clear and crisp.

"If I may, your Honor?" The judge nodded, beckoning the man forward.

"Yes, of course."

Tohma looked as he usually did, with an outrageous coat and almost high-heeled boots that he somehow made looks extremely stylish. Despite this, all he was really wearing was a plain shirt and jeans. Eiri knew that Tohma was relatively simple underneath, but passed himself off as a complex person.

The two began a hushed conversation, leaving the rest of the courtroom on edge. The spectators had taken to whispering to each other as well, leaving Eiri with a few precious minutes to think. When Tohma stepped down, he walked to the back of the courtroom and leant against the wall.

The sixteen year old had been through quite a few psychological tests before he came to court, all of them involved personal questions, brain scans, how-do-you-feel-nows, how-did-killing-someone-make-you-feels, like they were only looking at the electrical pulses in his brain, not him. In the beginning, Eiri started skipping them, but this only resulted in scolds and more tests, more emotionally unstable diagnoses. All he could do was give up and let them do what they wanted.

"Eiri Uesugi, this court agrees that the murder of Yuki Kitazawa was in self defense. Therefore, you are on a year of probation, and are required to undergo psychological treatment for that year as well, and will be released after that, assuming all goes well. That is all, this court is now adjourned." The judge rose, as did the few people in the courtroom, who then started to file out when the judge had left.

The lawyer his family had paid to represent him ruffled the boy's hair, and packed the papers and files away into his briefcase. Tatsuha and Mika were waiting for him outside, but Mika simply ushered the other two into her car and drove away.

---

Shuichi had been everywhere, scouring the town for Yuki. He couldn't remember his real last name, and hence couldn't find where he lived, which was most likely where he was. The sky was a somber gray, it drizzled once in a while. This was the kind of weather Shuichi hated.

Wandering into the bookstore, the last place he could think of to look for the blonde, he wasn't surprised to find another person sitting where Yuki had. What was surprising, however, was the fact that the stranger looked up and simply amiably at him.

"Shuichi Shindou, right? You and your friends were great last night." The stranger had dark black hair and molasses eyes, that somehow seemed darker. His smile seemed genuine though. "Oh, how inconsiderate of me. Taki Aizawa."

"Oh, you're the lead singer of ASK, right?" Shuichi exclaimed, and Taki nodded. "It's great to know you like our stuff, since you're…" He wandered off. What, better? No, simply luckier. He didn't want to say it, but Taki seemed to understand.

"We're not that good. Care to join me?" He leaned over and patted the chair across from him. "Ma-kun and Ken-chan are out trying to pick up girls. They won't be bothering us for a while."

Shuichi, oblivious to the trouble he could be getting himself into, nodded and sat down. The two talked for what seemed to be a long time, discussing everything from music to the stars and back again.

Taki had come to mess Shuichi up, to make him regret ever thinking he could be something in the music industry. The boy was too likeable, though, and Tachi found himself sincerely laughing at the pink-haired boy's antics. When Shuichi realized what time it was, he looked up and Taki, who was staring at him.

"That was fun, Taki. Do you think we could be friends?" Shuichi smiled almost shyly, still a kindergartener asking another for nothing more than simple friendship.

How could anyone say no?

"Sure."

---

Taki had left, two men who were apparently 'Ma-kun' and 'Ken-chan' coming to pick him up, Shuichi had quickly taken a book from the nearest shelf to keep himself from getting bored. It had started raining outside, eventually turning into a downpour. Shuichi looked out the window, as the remaining people outside dashed for cover.

Finally tiring of an biography of Nittle Grasper (he had skipped to the Ryuichi parts and then tried to read the beginning, but he didn't have the attention span), Shuichi watched as a lone figure walked by, an umbrella sheltering him. Something in the display window caught his eye, and he turned to peer down at it, but he soon departed.

Him.

Jolting out the chair and dashing for the exit, Shuichi was assaulted by raindrops when he left the shelter of the store. The rain wasted no time in almost completely soaking his clothes and hair, and blurring his vision.

"Yuki?" His shout was hushed by the thick veil of rain, but the blonde did turn around. The umbrella was leant against his shoulders, and he raised his eyebrows at the sight of Shuichi.

"You idiot, you looked like a drowned rat. Come on, before you catch pneumonia." Yuki instantly regretted his words as the soaked boy positioned himself right next to Yuki, hiding underneath the umbrella's cover.

"What are you doing out in the rain?" Shuichi summoned enough courage to question the intensely silent blonde.

Neither talked about what had happened the other day, it had become a silent, consensual taboo. What good would it do?

"I'm supposed to be writing my novel. The rain helps me think." Shuichi had to power walk to keep up with Yuki's pace, sometimes one-two stepping to making sure he didn't leave the cover of the umbrella.

"You know, this is really cheesy. Like, out of a romance novel or something." The boy thought aloud, never noticing the smirk that played across Yuki's lips. "Then, you know, we'd stop at my house…" The boy hadn't seemed to notice that's where they were headed, as he obliviously rambled on "…and then the rain would start to let up."

Yuki peered out from under the umbrella, and saw the sun, right on cue. This was stupid.

"After that, you know, the whole rainbow in the sky thing, you'd kiss me. Wouldn't that be so cliché? Especially since we barely know each other, but, ooh, it's so mysterious. Damn it, I'm freezing!" Shuichi tried to peel his shirt off his skin, but it clung possessively. Yuki did not find this suggestive in the slightest.

The blonde had quickly grown annoyed with the boy's ranting. Rolling his eyes, he covered the pink haired boy's mouth with his hand.

Shuichi protested, shouting something Yuki didn't care enough about to listen to. When his hand was removed, Shuichi had enough time to take in his surroundings and notice he was at his house.

"Yuki, you're so sweet." Shuichi giggled and leaned up to peck his cheek. "Thanks for taking me home, and for being there yesterday." Funnily enough, neither had said anything about the concert either. Waving goodbye, Shuichi reverted back to his five-year-old stage, getting inside his house and watching Yuki from the nearest window.

Scratching his cheek, Yuki sighed and started to walk home, closing the umbrella and using it like a cane. He let it hit the ground, in even rhythm with his step.

-------------------

Angst in the beginning! Yay angst! It makes the world go round. A nice, little more varied chapter for you. Might slip in more Tohma next time. :X

I actually had this up on Saturday, but had to leave for NY, so I couldn't upload it. ;-; Sorry about that.

Until next time! Go buy volume five of Gravitation! :D

Edit as of June 25th: All flashback parts are in italics and inside {}. Also fixed a few things I didn't like. :P