Chapter 6: Sora Iro (Sky Blue)

Standard Disclaimer Applies

Yorokobi mo kanashimi mo fui ni watashi o tamesu

Mou ikudo koeta darou

Hitori nakiakashita yoake...

Still there is joy, still there is sadness, and I don't when to expect either

Still I must carry on, I know

Alone, I cry till the dawn...

-- From the Fruits Basket song, Sora Iro. (Lyrical Source: Anime Lyrics)

"S-Sakuma-san..." Tatsuha managed to say; that is, as best as one could with a vice-like grip on his stomach courtesy of a hyper pop idol. "It's really you..."

"Of course it is, no da!" Ryuichi finally released his visitor, looking at the taller teenager with bright blue spheres blinking lightly at him. "I'm really, really happy to see you, no da...why didn't you let Ryu-chan and Kuma-san know you were coming?"

The dark-haired male chuckled, sheepishly scratching the nape of his neck for some reason or another. "Well, you haven't given me your cell number or anything, so..."

"Oh, no, I didn't?!" Ryuichi gasped dramatically, shoving his hands into his jacket pockets for a pen. "Sorry...I guess I forgot, no da! Okay, lemme get something to write with, and then you can call me any time you want! Um, just don't forget about it being on your hand and wash the ink off...it's a gel pen, and that happens sometimes to me, no da..." Somewhere in between his searching, he shoved Kumagorou into Tatsuha's arms. "Here, tell Kuma-san where you're staying and we'll both know then! No worries, though; Kuma-san won't keep anything from me, no da!"

"O...kay..." Tatsuha was obviously quite abashed, but he took the bunny anyway and began to speak with it. "Kuma-san, tell Ryuichi I'm staying at my Aniki's house, okay? Had a pretty rough time getting my grumpy big brother to let me stay, but no one can resist a bit of the ol' Tatsuha charm! Yup, I'm just one lucky guy! You've got a nice owner, too, you know that, Kuma-san? You're a lucky bunny, and I'm a lucky guy! We make a good pair, ne?"

A few of the spectators laughed at the spectacle, and even Hiro had a benign expression on his face. Ryuichi's eyes widened a bit, as he pulled a bright orange gel pen from his pocket, grinning triumphantly. "Ha! Found it, no da! Now, Tatsuha-san, give me your hand!"

Blushing, the teen complied. Ryuichi began scribbling down the numbers rapidly, not paying much attention to the other male's state of face. "Now, remember to call me any time you want to see me...I'm usually busy from nine in the morning to five in the evening, but any time else, I'm free, no da! So I guess night, around dinnertime is the best time...but I don't mind if you really needed to talk with me and you called any other part of the day, either! I won't get mad, I promise!"

"Aa...sure..." Was Tatsuha's hesitant reply.

Amidst the jovial audience, Hiro watched Shuichi out of the corner of his eye. However, the sight of the depressed boy furthered his frown, and began to make him wonder what they could possibly do next.

"Whoa...can you believe how big those shopping malls were! We don't have places like this back in Kyoto! Man, Tokyo's a lot better than I thought it'd be!"

Hiro shook his head in exasperation as Tatsuha made yet another carefree and excited comment. It was getting somewhat tiring to him, but it was at least a comfortable contrast to Shuichi's depressed state of being. "Well, that's the best thing about Tokyo, probably; it's practically all urbanized, and there're so many shopping centers that it could take a tourist or a resident at least a few days to go through them all."

"Well, I dunno about you guys, but I could've gone through all those places easily in a little while, no da!" Ryuichi chirped, swinging his three large shopping bags left and right, but stopped when he realized Kumagorou was almost falling out of one of them. "You guys walk like turtles compared to Shu-chan and I, no da!"

"That's just because you're smaller and faster than us! It's not fair for Hiro and me! Let's see how fast you can catch up to me now, Ryuichi!!" Following up with this challenge, the teen began dashing down the sidewalk and running off into the distance.

"Uwaa! Wait up, Tatsuha-san!! You're not being fair; you got a head start before meeee!!" Ryuichi whined for moment longer before going after the other sprinter in their, 'race,' bags tightly grasped in his hands.

Sighing in an annoyed manner, Hiro turned to the silent pink-haired boy beside him. "So, you had fun today?"

"Yeah...I guess so, anyway. Even if it didn't really get my mind off of things too much...I really appreciate it, Hiro." He smiled sadly at the longhaired teenager. "I'm sorry about all this, though...I know you probably wanted to just hang out normally with me and not with Ryuichi or Tatsuha-san...they kinda ruined the whole plan, I guess."

"Nah, it's alright." Lightly grinning, the redhead shuffled his friend's pink locks fondly. "As long as you're happy, I'm happy."

Sheepishly embarrassed, Shuichi perked up a bit. "Thanks! Although I'm not really that happy, your words made me feel a bit better...much obliged, Hiro."

If only he could smile like that a little more often... Hiroshi quickly pushed the thought aside, however, as he turned around. "So...ready to go back home, Shu? We've already bought our outfits at the mall for tonight...you didn't forget about the concert with Nittle Grasper tonight, did you?"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world." A slight smile appeared on the singer's visage, and he grabbed Hiro's hand energetically. "Let's go!"

Somewhere out on the Tokyo streets, Tatsuha and Ryuichi were sitting together on a park bench, catching their breath. The white shopping bags, lying forgotten on the grass, darkened in the shade of the sunset-laced sky.

"Huff Jeez, Sakuma-san! I didn't--puff--know you could run that fast!"

Ryuichi had long gotten his wind back, and was back to speaking normally. "Just because I look small doesn't mean I can't win a race, no da! But that means I win, and now I'm gonna give you the consolation prize!"

Tatsuha stopped gasping, and stared openly at his companion. "'Consolation prize?'"

Grinning slightly, Ryuichi held out a pair of small tickets, which somehow emerged from his back pocket without the other noticing. "Tickets to tonight's Bad Luck-Nittle Grasper joint concert, no da! Tohma wanted to give them to Yuki-san, but since you're here, I'll give them to you and ask you to deliver one to him!"

Obsidian eyes gently appreciated the other's innocently round face, and the owner of them smiled. "Thanks, Sakuma-san. I'll give one to Aniki, and I'll keep the other for myself. Guess that means I'll be seeing you later at the concert, ne?"

"Uh-huh! Oh, and can you just call me, 'Ryuichi,' no da? I don't like honorifics."

"O-Oh, no, I shouldn't really do that...I don't even know you very well, Sakuma--"

Wagging a defiant finger, Ryuichi frowned and lightly poked his friend's nose. "Nope! No honorifics! Just, 'Ryuichi,' or, 'Ryu-chan,' no da!"

Tatsuha admitted defeat, finally, smirking. "Alright...Ryu it is. See you later, okay?"

Surprisingly, Ryuichi leapt up and hugged his new buddy. "OK! Bye, Tatsuha-san! See you tonight!"

And Tatsuha couldn't have been happier as he watched Ryuichi departing form in the sunset, feeling considerably warmer than before.

"Aniki? Hey, Aniki? Did you leave the lights off aga--? Oh, you're right there. Don't scare me like that!"

Glaring at the returning Tatsuha, a pair of sharp golden eyes studying the sweating boy. "Where the hell have you been all day? And what's with that grin on your face?"

His smile only widened further. "Why, I thought you would never ask, beloved big brother...'cause I found Sakuma-san today! And he was so CUTE; you know, he even HUGGED me when he saw me in the record store, and he gave me his number, and we went to--"

"Spare me the details, Tatsuha, SERIOUSLY. I'm sure I can do without the play-by-play, alright?" The blonde sighed deeply, holding his forehead quietly. "I've got enough of a headache from Mizuki's nagging, and I really don't need to hear you gushing about that pop star right now, got it?"

"It's SAKUMA-SAN, Aniki!"

"Whatever. Didn't I tell you to shut up? You're worse than that brat, I swear..."

Tatsuha's expression grew serious, however, and he grabbed one of the concert tickets from his back pocket. "Here, it's a gift from Tohma. The joint concert for Bad Luck and Nittle Grasper is tonight...he got tickets for the both of us. Your boyfriend's the lead singer of Bad Luck, isn't he? Shuichi? I met him today, actually; he was with Ryuichi, that's how it happened. But, you know...the way Mika nee-chan described him, he was a lot more cheerful..."

This apparently caught the adult's attention, and what was as close to a look of surprise you could invoke from Yuki Eiri appeared. "What are you talking about?"

"Well, I mean, Mika said he was an excitable little guy with pink hair...if you ask me, I think I met the wrong person. This Shuichi wasn't hyper at all! Kinda a shame, actually; he's sorta cute...in a way, he looks a bit like Ryuichi..."

"You think everyone looks like that singer." Eiri retorted halfheartedly, too busy caught up in his own thoughts to really say it with much feeling.

Why was Shuichi upset for? Practically nothing gets that brat down...unless...

Did my kicking him out really mess him up that much? Or did something happen to him?

"Hey ..."

"Yeah, Aniki?"

"...I'll come to this concert of theirs tonight. I think Shuichi and I need to have a little talk."

goku-the-saru: Goku-san, you're so sweet. - I'll work on the next chapter as fast as I can, and thankfully, the Labor Day Weekend means three days of free time...I can get done with my homework AND update chapters for Twilight, Red Hardcover Novels, and Paradise! Yay! Keep reading, sweetie, and I'll get some more chapters up ASAP. Sankyuu for the review!

clari-chan: Yes, that was what I wanted all the Ryuichi fans to think, because there's nothing cuter than a man-child wielding a Kumagorou! XD No, seriously, I wanted everyone to think Ryuichi was adorable, because though he IS that, I want there to be an element of surprise for the people who will soon see him that your own private plot spoiler without actually being a spoiler. I'm trying to update fast, but I can't say too much for my reliability. Either way, enjoy this one, and sankyuu for the review!

deppfan1016: Ha-ha...I'm sure ALL the Eiri fans want to see more of him, ne? Not that I blame you; Yuki's awesome, but I was waiting 'till the chapter after this one to bring him back in again. And Shu x Yuki fans are probably screaming at me to stop torturing Shuichi and bring him back to Yuki already...next chapter, folks, I promise! Tatsuha DOES play a part in this story—and because I'm hopefully getting my copy of Gravitation DVD 2 in the mail soon, I think he shows up in the later episodes, so I should have his personality and internal voice down by then. - I've seen him in the manga, too, but I like basing the characters off the anime sometimes so I can imagine their voice actors playing in my head as I write the dialogue. Then, I can get a better grasp on how they would speak, you know? Nevertheless, I won't spoil what role Tatsuha plays, exactly, yet, but stay tuned and you'll see. Sankyuu for the review!

kanilla: Thank you for the compliment! Sometimes, I really don't feel like my work is all that good, and I tend to point out all the bad things in my stories...ah, well; we're all our own worst critics, and we're supposed to see the negative qualities in ourselves to make them better, ne? I'm such an optimist...anyway, yes, Ryu-chan is ADORABLE, and I love him for it...I'm planning on making his split personalities apparent, though, once the next chapters come along. And I'm glad you're sticking around—the more, the merrier, I always say! Sankyuu for the review, kanilla-san!

i love athrun: :D Sankyuu for the review!

the wolf hybrid fox: 00 I'm bleeding?! But that means I won't be able to finish the storyyyy... [Falls over and faints]

[Revives herself magically] Ha-ha, just kidding. ;) Stick around, wolf-san, and I'll get the next chapters up soon. Sankyuu for the review!

tangerine-asuka: I'll try to update quickly. It's nice to see a new face, though, so welcome to the world of Paradise! Sankyuu for the review, and keep checking for the next chapter!

Kitty In The Box: I'm getting there, huh...? Hmm...that just means I have to work extra hard! [Determined flame] Well...I guess I can't TOTALLY get the spirit of Gravitation in this story, considering it's MEANT to be a semi-AU and be a lot more serious and angst-y than the actual series...I love the actual series, too, of course! But it's always fun to change things around a bit, ne? Ah...I think I have answered the question of Tatsuha's importance in this story to another reviewer, but I'll give you the same answer so you both aren't uneven: Tatsuha IS important to the story, but it's only in later chapters that such a role will become vital. And you aren't asking too many questions, Kitty-san; actually, I think you gave good points that sounded like they would be included in a, 'preview for the next episode,' skit! XD Seriously! And all your questions will be answered soon; maybe just not immediately, but soon. - Sankyuu for the review!

Ochako107: Jakukie-san!? You're computer's working again?! Yahoo! - I'm so happy that's the case! Sorry I didn't come to school today; lately, ever since two days ago, I've been feeling rather sickly, and this morning I woke up feeling, (I almost never say things like this, so consider it a rare moment of weakness, okay?), quite shitty. My throat was so DRY! Oh, and I wound up drinking iced green tea. Do you like green tea, Jakukie-san? I suppose it must be an acquired taste, because I didn't like it at first, but the taste eventually grew quite addicting. Green tea does wonders for a sore throat, (at least, I THINK it's one; have to go to the doctor to find out later ;;), and for the tired soul. I hope I'm not turning into a tea-child like you, Jakukie-san! (J/k! You're characteristically Jakukie that way, and I wouldn't have my little Ochako any other way!) And in the original series, Shuichi DOES actually get raped...by who, I won't tell, (next DVD, though, I think, and it's coming out soon...expect an invitation over again soon, Jakukie-san... ), and for what reasons, I won't tell; but know that I'm just taking things in this story and that instance to a, 'What-if?' Level. Sankyuu for the review, and I hope to see you on the bus tomorrow!

This chapter hopefully answered some of your questions; some, unfortunately, may not be taken into consideration or answered until later on. We're only a few hours, (in the story's time, anyway), from the joint concert with Bad Luck and Nittle Grasper, and you can expect a really emotional concert, hopefully...if only I could just decide which song I want to include in the story to make this work! ;; Any ideas, people? I'd love to hear your feedback. Compliments or criticism in the form of reviews are welcome, and until next chapter...rock on, people!