AN/Warnings: Reviews cause hyperactivity. :D
Liss: Yep, I got the chapter name from looking for synonyms with 'remember' on dictionary.com. I'm so talented. :P Domo for reviewing, glad you like it!
Kitty in the box: Great to know you liked the court scene, I tried to make it at least partially believable. Thanks for your continued reviews!
CPV-Phantoms-CTFA: :glomps back:: Glad you found this fic! :D Hm, Taki/Shuichi? I dunno, mayyybeeee…::grin:: Throwing puddles? XD Thanks a lot for reviewing!
Rinuah: Hmm, who is the insane evil guy? Suguru! XD Dammit, the boy REEKS of pure evil! But no one believes me. ;-; Don't worry, Taki won't be a little angel in this. We'll see how it works out. X3 Whee, you noticed the Romeo & Juliet thing, so poor Eiri didn't have a sudden sex change.
Redex: Welcome to the fandom, eh? I find Gravitation fanfiction to be a little more easy to shift through simply because you have to be at a certain level of maturity to like it. I'm sure you'll find it…interesting. I hope the flashback part wasn't too messed up. As for the jagged writing, I was trying to go for a slightly more confused Yuki, since he's usually so fluent, but I probably went over the top. :P Thanks for reviewing, your comments certainly helped when I was writing this.
PatoSan: Don't worry, Tohma will have his fun. X3 I agree there are probably quite a lot of things wrong with this, but hopefully as I get more input I'll be able to fix my glitches. Glad you enjoyed it, hope you and everyone else like this chapter as well.
Cerillion: ::cackles manically:: Heh, sorry. Taki will definitely show up again. X3 Thanks for reviewing!
Info: Shuichi/Yuki, angst. Gravitation belongs to Maki Murakami.
The beginning of this is a phone call, after that is back to Eiri at some of his psychiatrist meetings when he's sixteen and seventeen, then another phone call at the very end. I've also almost got my excuse for a plot figured out, I hope it ends up at least a little surprising. :D
Also sorry this chapter is a little shorter than usual. :P Also very Eiri-centric, and hence deeper than a Shuichi-centric chapter (aw, poor Shu) and more angst-filled. Ah, the joys of pretending to understand Eiri Uesugi.
Life Doesn't Rhyme
"Taki Aizawa speaking."
"I assume you met with him?"
"Yes. About this whole thing, I-"
"Is there a problem, Aizawa?
"…No."
"Perfect. Now, if you want to stay at the top of the charts, I suggest you take notes."
---
"Eiri Uesugi? You can go in now. Third door on the left." The pretty receptionist smiled at the teenager, as he stood up and walked over to the designated room.
The room was very large, Eiri had never been in a doctor's office that could have passed for a room in his own home. There were various chairs and couches arranged in the room, and abstract paintings on the walls, but other than that, it was nothing more than a large, whitewashed room with a black carpet.
Not too sure where to sit, Eiri took a seat in a small red chair, and stared out the window. The city life below him swarmed, large crowds and cars going somewhere that seemed important.
"Eiri Uesugi?" He looked up to see a woman in absurdly casual clothes, holding a clipboard and a pen, clicking the lid in an unheard rhythm. The boy slowly got to his feet and the two exchanged necessary greetings. "So, in for murder, eh? Lucky."
Not sure whether to take her seriously or not, Eiri simply nodded and sat back down, copying the psychiatrist. She had said her name was Ms. Naishin, and only a little bit taller than him. Her hair was brown and cut short, and her darker chocolate eyes studied him from over rimmed glasses.
"Some of the people I've seen, the sweetest things in the world, are in for suicide. Can you imagine? Oh, but this isn't about me. Shall we start?" Another silent nod got her approval, Eiri had become used to the questions. The other psychiatrists had done the exact same thing, it was nothing more than a simple, easily remembered routine to Eiri. Ms. Naishin, not bothering to look down at her clipboard, started the conversation.
"Alright. May I ask the name of-"
"Yuki Kitazawa." The boy looked up and gave the psychiatrist a half-smile. "He was originally someone who had helped my dad at the temple when he was younger, so he stopped by occasionally, but I met him by chance in New York."
"I see. You lived with him for how long?" Ms. Naishin leaned forward, honestly interested in the boy's story.
"Since I was fourteen, so about two years. He was an alcoholic, a really violent one. I would stay away from him…" The raw bruise of betrayal still darkened Eiri's features, as if his soul was purple and blue, and had become ten times more sensitive.
"Your relationship was platonic for the most part?" Her question was met with agreement.
"Yeah, mostly. You probably have the…details there anyway." He looked pointedly at the clipboard, Ms. Naishin nodded, scanning down the list of injuries. His wrists, legs and neck had been bruised, and one gun had been found with both Eiri and Yuki's fingerprints on them. Yuki had only been found with one wound - a bullet in his forehead.
"Do you feel alright? I'm sure this has been hard on you." Eiri looked out the window, nodding slowly.
"Yeah...I feel strange, though. Light-headed, sort of spacey. It's been getting better, though." Ms. Naishin nodded, scribbling something down.
"Are you staying at home?" She prodded, and Eiri paused, as if choosing the right answer.
"No. I'm staying with my sister Mika and her husband, Tohma. My father doesn't have enough time to keep track of me and my little brother."
They talked for what seemed to be nothing more than what it was, thirty minutes. Their subjects ranged from Eiri's personal life to poetry, each and every word that had spilled from the boy's mouth had some meaning to him.
Ms. Naishin looked up at the clock and stood up, brushing off some invisible dust from her shirt.
"That's all for today, Eiri. It was very nice to meet you, see you next time." Eiri gave his own goodbye, and walked out the door she held open for him. Watching the teenager as he left, the receptionist looked up at the doctor curiously.
"How was it?" A sigh.
"Fine. That's what worries me."
---
Tohma had already stepped on the gas when Eiri closed the car door.
"Everything all right?" The older blonde asked, his framed eyes never leaving the road.
"Nothing more than the usual." Tohma chuckled, slowing down as they came to a red light.
"Your father called. He's named you his successor when you turn eighteen or when he dies." Eiri didn't seem to react to this, turning his head to stare out the window.
"Which ever comes first. Even though Tatsuha would make a better priest than me, I was waiting for him to do this."
"Do you want me to do anything about it?" Tohma questioned carefully, once again speeding up as the light turned green. For the first time since he had entered the car, Eiri turned his head and watched Tohma with building suspicion.
"No. I can handle it." Tohma nodded curtly, a smirk playing on his lips.
---
{Ten Months Later}
"Eiri, nice to see you again." Ms. Naishin smiled, crossing her legs and tapping the clipboard with her pen. "How was your weekend?"
"Fine. Just stayed at home, really." Ms. Naishin nodded, writing something down.
"Everything fine there too? With your sister?" Eiri nodded, but his mind spoke own its own accord.
If any day with Tohma is considered 'normal'.
Clasping his hands and keeping them in his lap, Eiri kept his eyes downcast and answered every question as simply as he could, as bluntly as he could. He didn't want to go into details, he didn't want a stranger to know what he was feeling.
Eiri's eyes wandered around the room, out the window, to the clock. Refusing to meet people in the eyes was his defense mechanism, a way to let others know he wanted to be left alone. To be honest, he didn't like other people's eyes much. They always seemed so expressive, the truth to the lies of their actions.
Whenever he looked into the mirror, Eiri always secretly hoped he would see what he saw in other people's eyes - emotion. At first to his horror, and then his dismay, all he ever saw were amber circles, with pupils trapped in them like ancient insects. If the eyes were the window to the soul, why didn't he ever seen anything?
Suddenly all too aware of his own apathy, Eiri's head nodded downwards, staring at his open palms in his lap. He watched them shake slightly, before clenching them into fists.
Ms. Naishin fell silent, realizing her past three questions hadn't been answered, and watched the boy with controlled concern. If she didn't know any better, she would have said the boy had become more secluded as the months went by, instead of opening up, as most of her patients did. The insecure, death-shaken sixteen year old had somehow morphed into the frighteningly stable seventeen year old. How he had managed to change so much in less than a year, the doctor didn't want to know - even though it was supposed to be her job.
Smiling uneasily and continuing her ritual questioning, Ms. Naishin found all of the answers were ones she had heard before.
---
Another car ride with Tohma, another day of uncomfortable chatter and all-knowing smirks.
"It went well, I assume?" As Tohma watched Eiri, he could barely believe he was a full ten years younger than him. The boy moved with assumed superiority now, with a grace few adults could find.
"It was fine." This had become their standard conversation starter, everything else flowed from Tohma's first question.
Eiri had become tragically more aloof, his gaze was always focused on something beyond the person he was talking to. His eyes were still a fluid hazel, but were now condescending, disapproving of the world that they saw. He rarely smiled like he meant it, now the remnants of the boy he had been before.
It had only been a year, and Tohma still blamed himself. He had a feeling he would for most, if not the rest, of his life.
---
"Are we clear on this, Aizawa?" The voice on the line didn't worry when Taki hesitated.
"Crystal."
"Good. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must be going." The line went dead, and Taki flipped his phone closed. Cursing loudly, Taki threw the mobile phone against the floor, scarlet anger starting to make his face and chest burn. His fist covered his mouth in deep thought, and his free hand formed a matching fist by his side.
"Taki? You alright?" Ma-kun stuck his head through the door, a curious look partially shielded by blonde hair. "Thought I heard something." If he noticed the cell phone on the floor, or Taki's distressed manner (which he surely must have), he didn't say.
The lead singer reverted to a much more natural stance, and nodded quickly. Yes, of course, he was fine. Absolutely perfect.
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Another chapter done. Yes…not too sure what else to say. See you next time, peoples. I get out of school soon, so I'll probably have loads of more free time to work on this.