Prologue: Loosing Grip

Disclaimer: I do not own Gravitation—it is owned by the wonderful Maki Murakami-san, who created this amazing series for us to enjoy. And I most definitely don't own the characters, so remember that I'm only borrowing them for the time being.

I'll give them back, Murakami-san, I promise!!

More AN is at the end of this prologue, so wait until then for more information. Enjoy the first part of this series—I have a feeling that we've got a LONG way to go with this one.

"I'm startin' to trip; I'm loosing my grip; and I'm in this thing alone..."
 - From the song, 'Loosing Grip,' by Avril Lavigne

God...my entire body hurts like hell.

My throat's totally dried out; it's like I walked through the desert for hours without a water source in sight and I'm still stuck in the middle of the heat. After walking all of that time through these streets, (not to mention the fact that I had to maneuver around in the dark), my legs are probably gonna feel like shit tomorrow morning.

Actually...forget about my legs just hurting—my entire self is gonna feel like shit when I wake up tomorrow morning. Although...isn't it morning now? The space/time continuum in my mind is all screwed up.

I want to believe what just happened was all a dream. I really, really do. But that would be foolish. That would be naïve and childish to think that; I would be childish and naïve to think that.

But then again...that's how everyone else seems to see me, so what the hell's the difference anyway? I laugh bitterly to myself in the cold, shadowy night, finally slumping against a lamp pole with my messenger bag clumping down with me.

What should I do now? I don't want to face Yuki after all this...not yet, anyway. And he's pissed at me for some reason, anyway, so it wouldn't be a good idea to go there. My parents would freak if I told them what happened...and I don't even want to move another inch. So then...what—or better put, where—should I do now?

Just then, I glance to the side of where I'm sitting. Huh. Well, what do you know? Hiro's apartment. Thank God. At least I won't have to walk far.

And with that final thought, I reach into my bag for my cell phone. Dammit, Hiroshi, you'd better be home...

Briiiing, briiiing!

Inside the Nakano household, the phone began ringing loudly.

"Hiroshi, dear, can you get that?" Mrs. Nakano called upstairs from the kitchen, straining to put a cleaned bowl in the top cabinet. Mr. Nakano was sitting on the sofa, fast asleep, so he certainly was out of commission for the job.

Sighing from his bedroom, Nakano Hiroshi dropped his magazine and reached for the phone that lay forgotten on the desk, (the entire house had a shared connection with the main phone, so anyone who was close to one could get it), and pressed the red, 'Talk,' button.

"Moshi moshi, Nakano residence." Hiro spoke into the receiver with a bored tone of voice, as he leaned the phone against his ear while trying to bind long ruddy strands of hair in a proper ponytail.

"...Hiro, is that you?"

The hoarse voice of Shuichi, however, dispelled any further boredom, just as he snapped the rubber band holding his hair in place. "Shuichi, what the hell happened to you? Your voice sounds terrible...are you okay?"

After listening to his friend speak for a while, Hiro's eyes went wide. "You're outside?! Why don't you just get up and come inside, then? My parents are up, so it's no problem, Shu..."

"...Hiro, I'm sorry...I can't move another inch...can't you come out and help me...?"

An icy sense of dread took a vice grip on Hiro's spine. "Shuichi...I'll be right there, then. Hang on, okay?!"

And with that, the teen slammed the phone down, running down the staircase to aid his companion.

At the moment, Hiro was ignoring the questioning of his mother; the sleepy grunts of his father as the older man woke up. His own thunderous footsteps pounded like the sound of his own racing heart, diminishing any further thoughts of stopping. Even though the door had to have only been a few feet away, it seemed to take an eternity for his feet to reach there. Something's wrong, Hiro thought, gasping as he flung the front door open quickly. Something is really fucking wrong, and I've gotta find out what it is.

"Shuichi!" He cried as the entryway slid to the right on its hinges, revealing a ragged form hunched against the lamppost and displaying his own harassed, frightened form for the entire block to see.

Slowly, a pair of vacuous blue-violet orbs slid to look at his friend's face—a stare that had such characteristics so unlike the vivid colors that normally existed within them. An involuntary gasp elicited from Hiro, and time suddenly stopped as a leisurely, sad smile escaped upon his lips.

"You know, I don't care what he thinks. I still love him, even after everything...I still want to be with him..."

Hiro was silent, though his heart twanged painfully when tears began coursing down Shuichi's childlike, gentle face.

"...Why?! Why is it so wrong to love somebody, Hiro?! Even if he is a guy...even if it's considered wrong, why is it WRONG to love someone?! I just...I just..."

The pink-haired boy burst into violet sobs, shoulders shaking with emotional weight. Without being able to withstand seeing his friend like this, Hiroshi finally gave in and wrapped his arms around the smaller boy. "Shuichi...it's not your fault...don't you ever think that it is, alright...?"

The darkness set the perfect backdrop for the embracing teens, slowly swallowing the rest of Shuichi's own light since that gloomy night ensued.

And that is how it all begins.

Don't expect a very happy-go-lucky story here...this tale will walk into some dark waters, much to my dismay. To tell you the truth, I never really wrote an angst-driven story like this one, and certainly not one with such heavy themes. If you have any suggestions that will help me throughout the chapters of this story, please let me know.

And if you don't know what has happened to Shuichi yet...then just wait and see. That's all I can say.

I hope you enjoyed the prologue, which (hopefully) set the tone for the next chapters, and if you did like it, please look forward to the approaching plotline ahead.