Chapter 9: Anti-Nostalgic
Standard Disclaimer Applies
Cheers Yay, we've reached the 70-reviews mark! I'm so happy; you all have no idea! I never expected this story to reach such heights—but we have, and now there's only one way to thank you guys for all the support that has been given: another chapter of Paradise.
What else did you think it was...? I don't carry around money with me, folks, so I'm afraid extra wealth is out of the question. I'm only giving you what I believe is the best gift I can that's in my ability to give.
So, here we have another chapter of somewhat the same old, same old plot bunnies—but the fact that Tachi actually (sort of), appears in this chapter is important, isn't it? Even if he IS technically our antagonist of this story...but that makes it all the more important that he shows up.
Oh, and the long awaited Hiro and Yuki confrontation appears here, as you may have been able to tell from this chapter's title. So look out for those two things in this chapter...and that's all I have to say for now. Enjoy, everyone!
Toumei ga yozora somete
Hitori aruku itsumo no kaerimichi
Kuchizusamu konna kimochi
Nemuru kimi ni todoketai na OH...UM...
Transparency dyes the night sky, and
I walk alone on the road that always leads home
Singing to myself, I want to send these kinds of feelings
To you in your sleep, oh...um...
Hiro might not have even heard the voice speaking in that secluded room that one passes while taking the lesser-used corridor out of N-G Studios if it hadn't been for the fact that he noticed his shoelaces were untied. While in that moment he began to bend over, shaking his head in that silently exasperated manner a patient young man like himself would, a snippet of the occurring conversation in that room nearby caught on fro some reason.
"...The thing is; he doesn't really care about what happens to his band or his public image...all I need is to just mention that sappy writer's name and that alone would make Shindou drop dead."
Flinching in slight shock over hearing his best friend's name uttered, Hiroshi stood upright, brushing his ear against the doorway. Who was that talking just now? And why did the words this person said have such an insidious tone to them? The redhead placed his bag carefully against a nearby wall, and continued eavesdropping.
"Are you serious? So you really did it?"
"That's tacky even for you, Tachi..."
Tachi. That son of a bitch...what did he do to Shuichi?! If he's responsible for ANYTHING that's been happening so far, I swear... Hiro gritted his teeth in anger, but stayed perfectly still and calm on the outside. That really was Nakano Hiroshi, personified: a youth who was fiercely loyal to those he deemed important, and calm in most situations unless prompted to the extreme.
"It doesn't matter HOW the job gets done. The point is that with these pictures, once they're exposed to the media, Shindou and his music career will be put in the dust. And the top spot on N-G's record label will be ours."
This cannot be fucking happening...Tachi did this to Shuichi all because of...because of a goddamn rivalry?! That self-centered bastard...
Hiro, about ready to jump in their and most likely beat the very life out of Tachi, started when another voice rose up and voiced almost exactly what he had been thinking.
"Fame isn't everything, Tachi! I mean, I know we've gotta try hard to rise to fame, man, but this is NUTS! What's so important about Shindou that you feel the need to practically torture the guy?!"
Was it 'Maa-kun,' who was talking just then? Hiro pondered the idea, quietly searching his memory; though he decided that whoever this person was, they really didn't seem like the type to hang around a jerk like Tachi. And he thanked them, silently, for stopping him from blowing his top just before.
"...You guys don't get it, do you?" An amused, malevolent chuckle. "He's a singer, and I'm a singer—that's just how it is. Besides...he's the one who isn't normal."
I so badly wanna kick this guy's ass right now...but...
There's someone else who needs to know who did this more than I do...
I think it's about time I talked with Yuki-san again.
"W-What...? Ryuichi...are you serious?" Shuichi, gaping, stared at his converser with wide violet eyes, shocked at the confession that had just made.
"I'm not lying, Shu-chan. I really love Tatsuha-san...even when he wasn't here in Tokyo, I couldn't stop thinking about him after he left. Although I really don't understand why, I know that I want to be with him..." The older male suddenly expressed a pleading expression Shuichi's way, azure spheres fluttering with unspoken devotion, gentleness, and a tiny glimmer of hope. "You understand what I mean...don't you, na no da?"
"...I just want to be with you, Yuki!"
A small grin made its way across the boy's delicate features. "Yeah...I understand. Much more than you could even imagine, Ryuichi."
Ryuichi undoubtedly could be conceived pleased and comforted. "...Shu-chan! Thank you so much...I'm so glad that you understand me...I didn't think anyone could..."
"Ryuichi. I'm just like you." Shuichi's voice was serious, and so were his eyes; but there was a clear, honest smile on his face—for the very first time that week. "I love Yuki, remember? I know that, because so matter what I do, I can never stop thinking about him. And no matter how hard I try, the feelings that I have will never fade...those feelings...they make me so happy sometimes that I almost feel as though my heart will burst..."
"That's how you feel, too, right? Love doesn't really have a reason for the both of us...we just know that we want to be with that special person, for as long as possible. And that's alright, too...because as long as we're with that person, everything else fades away..."
"Shuichi..."
"I want to be with Yuki forever...however long that time is. That's what I'll always believe, and I'll never give into anyone! Even if it hurts, sometimes...even if other people say it's wrong for me to love another man...I still won't give up! I'll love him forever and ever, and I'll stay with him for that long, too...Ryuichi, let's make a promise! Even if Tatsuha-san and Yuki forget about us, or disappear, we'll always love them...we'll always protect them and be with them...because love like this...a love like this..."
"A love like this will never die..." Ryuichi was almost in tears over this; he could see the unshed droplets at the corners of his eyes. "...Right?"
The sound of a motorcycle rumbling down the block made the two singers freeze in place; Shuichi hastily turned around and focused his ears in on the noise.
"Hiro's motorcycle...he must be here to talk with Yuki..."
"Shu-chan! Hora, hora! Hide with me and Kuma-san, no da!" Ryuichi waved to the pink-haired boy from behind a large bush.
"W-What...? But why, Ryuichi?!" Shuichi asked impatiently, noting that the noise was drawing closer; behind him, a pair of shining headlights glowed and reflected off the nearby garbage can.
The brunette appeared very serious when he looked at Shuichi next, sharp, angular eyes narrowing. "I just have this feeling that we should let them talk...alone."
Not questioning any further and not really wanting to, Shuichi ducked behind the same place his friend was, squeaking in surprise when a plush –something- brushed against his rump.
"Don't worry, Shu-chan! That's just Kumagorou, no da! Don't sit on him, though, and be quiet so Hiroshi-san doesn't see us!" Ryuichi chirped.
"B-But...Ryuichi!" Shuichi half-shouted in reply; their forms were so adjacently near each other that he was nearly on top of the other vocalist. And the close contact did not bode well with the pink-haired one's conscience...
"SHH!" Clearly, you couldn't not reason with this man—and as Hiro's motorcycle rolled up the driveway, Shuichi found himself reluctantly obeying.
After the motor was cut, abruptly leaving the atmosphere devoid of any noise except for the thudding of Hiro's sneakers nearing to the front door, and Shuichi and Ryuichi's hushed breathing.
Shuichi peered out from the partings in the leaves, watching the wooden object open with an audible click, light pouringonto the stone walkway.
"So you came here to talk with me once again...Hiroshi-kun?"
"Cut the bullshit, Yuki-san." Shuichi cringed he had never heard his best friend use such a scathing tone before, and much less so the sarcastic way the honorific had been used. "You know what I'm gonna say to you, right? I think you remember our conversation last time..."
Last time? He hadn't realized he had said anything out loud, until Ryuichi kicked him hard in the shin rather uncharacteristically. Shuichi hissed in anger and pain, but continued to be quiet and listen. He didn't like that cold, focused look in Ryuichi's eyes one bit, and certainly did not want to oppose it.
"That I should never make him cry out of anything other than his own stupidity, right? Or you'd never forgive me? Yeah, I remember...but he's fine now; I let him back in the house, so what are you REALLY here for?"
"Are you purposely trying to fucking mess around with my HEAD?!" Hiro, finally loosing any restraint he may have had before, grabbed the blonde roughly by the shirt collar. "Just shut up and listen, alright?! Shuichi was fucking RAPED, and by some rival band member with a grudge on him! And you say he's FINE?! Shuichi cries constantly at night, wondering why things had to happen this way!
Hiro suddenly gave a bitter laugh. "He came to me in TEARS, saying that he still loved you! He still wanted you, even though it was YOUR fault that he was gang-raped and kick to the CURB like a goddamn ANIMAL! YOU were the cause of all his pain, yet he still loves you!"
"Do you even CARE?! Does it even touch your conscious one BIT, which didn't just include what happened two days ago, but whatever else he had to endure, that he did this all because he loves you?! He didn't do it for the band, me, Fujisaki, his idol, or ANYTHING else! He went through with it for YOU! And you treat him like SHIT, Yuki-san; like a bunch of garbage you think you can step on any time you want to!"
After this sudden bout of screaming, the night stilled; presently, Shuichi was breathing hard, though it was too far away from the other two speakers for them to hear. Ryuichi shifted uncomfortably against him.
"...So, if I've got all that right, then let me ask you one more question, Hiro-kun..."
Eiri then displayed such a dangerous, murderous glare in his eyes that even Hiro shivered. "...Who's the guy who did this, and where can I find him?"
"...Aizawa Tachi." --Shuichi shuddered at the very mention of that name-- "...And you can find him at N-G Studios. The first lounge on the second floor; you can't miss it."
Without another word, the author stormed off towards the three-car garage, golden eyes glinting viciously under the moonlight.
Hiroshi was gaping. "...Is that guy seriously gonna kill him? He sure as hell looks enough like it..."
"Yeah, well...my brother's weird like that, sometimes! And even if he doesn't always show it, he's really got a thing for your best friend...Hiroshi-san."
Hiro whirled around to face the vaguely amused Tatsuha. "...Who are you?"
"TATSUHA!"
Ryuichi squealed suddenly, as went bounding out from behind the shrubbery for the dark-haired teenager in that instant. However, he forgot about the person who had been leaning against him; and in a flying, screeching, flailing heap, Shuichi and Ryuichi went flying into plain view of Tatsuha and Hiro in a rather...compromising position.
Tightly pinned under the small arms of Shuichi, the brunette stared up at his accidental captor's eyes in silent confusion. "...Shu-chan...?"
It was like a domino effect: the one action done caused a double reaction to take place. Hiro, though only loosely showing his amusement within deep mahogany eyes. Tatsuha was shell-shocked, and blatantly illustrated it.
Hiro chuckled just then, looking surprisingly happier than before. "Wow...and here wouldn't think that you'd be the seme, Shuichi..."
The dark-haired male's jaw didn't even hit the ground fast enough. "Oh, my god...how COULD you, Shuichi?! I thought we were FRIENDS!"
Suddenly realizing what his friends were hinting at, Shuichi went bright red. "HEY! I'm not like that, you guys! And besides, you think I'd be cheating on Yuki for one of my FRIENDS?! You've gotta be shitting me!!"
Ryuichi, unfortunately, was left very confused, as he was not adept in understanding sexual undertones.
"W-What?! What did Ryu-chan DO, no da? Did he do something really, really bad?! Taa-saaaaann...Hiro-saaaaann...Shu-channn! Tell me what's happening, please, please, please, please!?"
...And it regrettably turned out that the three were far too busy bickering and trying to convince each other of opposite things to even answer him.
darksaphire: There's no need to stop updating your stories because I have not, though, sapphire-san!! I'll update faster, I promise...! Ha-ha... just kidding. :D Well, I'm glad you liked the last chapter...and the Ryu/Shu thing? Yes, I suppose it is a sweet coupling...although for some reason or another, the thought of those together brings to mind a giant pink FLUFF BALL of...something. I'm really not trying to be rude about the pairing or anything, but...maybe it's just the way my messed-up brain works. :P Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the little gag thing with them at the end there, and sankyuu for the review!
deppfan1016: Actually, I understand about the chat-rooms...I get that way, too! :D Weird, isn't it? Ah, well; I'm pretty hyper most of the time, although I have strange mood swings in which I can change from hyper to weird and then back to hyper, all in a timeframe of about 5 minutes...that's the way I am, it seems. 3 And yes, Yuki is very interesting being sweet...he's great every way possible, ne? I like Yuki as much as the next girl, though I have a big soft spot for Hiro for some reason...the big brother complex gets to me every time... Shakes her head exasperatedly A-Anyway...Ryuichi-san is adorable, isn't he? :D I hadn't realized I was being biased with him...do you think I should perhaps change the focus a bit, then...? I had wanted to show the duality between Ryuichi and Shuichi as an important element of this story, but—oh, who am I kidding? I couldn't push Ryuichi-san to the side! There're way too many Ryu fans reading this fic to hate me... :P Yes, I like the Yuki reaction to Taa-san and Shu-chan's fighting, too, now that I read over it...cuteness! XD Sankyuu for the review, Depp-san!
kanilla: Blush Your complimenting is making me all embarrassed! Stop that! Ah, well, I'm glad I've made you happy, though; and I hope you'll keep reading this fic! Another TatRyu fan is always nice to hear from, and I'm happy you're satisfied with the way I've portrayed their romance so far...I want them to get together as much as you, though, dear, so please hang in there until the end! :D And, yes, Tohma the father is an adorable image...he's sweet and manipulative most of the time, but I'm sure he'll be great as a parent! - Hitomi-chan will be born in a chapter from now, so look forward to it! Sankyuu for the review!
chibichibi-nekochan: 'Poor Hiro,' indeed. :3 Actually, I like Hiro a lot, so it does bother me that I'm putting HIM through angst, too...but I'm thinking of a happy ending for him. He would be sweet with Shu-chan, I think. That's just my personal opinion, though... Smiles sweetly and sweat drops as the ShuYuki fans start throwing Keruri evil looks Aii...kowaii desu! Cowers Ryuichi is happy whenever he's with Tatsuha, so he should be fine. I plan to keep them together, in some way, shape, or form, so TatRyu fans will have no fears or worries in this story's universe. :D Oh, and Yuki, yes, as irresistible as that man is, much to the many ShuYuki fanatics dismay, I MAY wind up having a serious HiroxShuxYuki love triangle...because I've always WANTED to try that! XD Really, folks, really; some fan fiction dreams of mine have yet to be fulfilled. And I plan to fulfill them. Don't worry, kanilla-san; Yuki will confess sooner or later; but that's all I have to say about that. Sankyuu for the review!
Goku-the-saru: You like Hagaren, Goku-san?! Ah, it is as great as everyone says it is? I'd love to know...yes, I've heard that Edo-kun is very cool. :D I like his personality already, from what I've heard of it... "DARE GA 'CHIBI,' ITTA?!" XD (Is that right? My Japanese isn't too good, sorry, and sometimes, I get my series mixed up...I half wanted to type something like, 'SARU JA NAI YO!!!' a lá Goku.) And I loved his voice after getting a chance to hear it, because Paku Romi singing RETURNABLE MEMORIES was so NICE! It's one of my favorite songs now!
I also admit to being interested in the Roy Ed interaction...some fan fiction writers seems to suggest they would have a love/hate relationship, right? I like to study couples that bicker, so I think if I get into this pairing after watching Hagaren, I'll probably enjoy working on conversational fan fiction for these two. Even if it IS technically shotacon and that's not usually my preference...Edo-kun's 15, right? He's only a year older than me, then! Roy's in his twenties, I believe XD Oh, and I accidentally found out about what happened to Nina, yes. I suppose that's the only bad thing about getting information from the internet; there's BOUND to be spoilers. Sigh But...then again, I don't know the whole story behind it, so it'll be okay, I think. :D Sankyuu for the review!
KageKitsune16: Nah, I actually would like to do a request fic of sorts involving Gravi, sure! :D If you want, tell me what kind of situation you want Ryu and Shu to be in, and I'll get to work on it ASAP! I'd like to keep my imagination busy, anyway, so it'll be a fun project! And I think your works are coming out fine, so keep at it! Did I mention that your Xanga site is AWESOME? (Your profile; I found it there) Is that HISOKA of YnM in the background there?! And Ryuichi-san's singing?! I want to find that song, now; it's so beautiful and heartfelt-sounding...I'm a Nittle grasper fan, I admit it! :P And yes, weird relationships it is, but everyone seems to like these strange relations, so I'm keeping them! (I'm sure you're happy to hear that, too, right? ), Anyway, your compliments are greatly appreciated, (you're all so sweet to this unworthy authoress!), and sankyuu for the review, Kitsune-san!
Kitty In The Box: Phwee! I'm so glad you liked that last chapter! I actually thought it was kind of bad...that's just what I think, though. :D Yes, it is rather hard for Shuichi to be happy, but you can tell he's getting a little better, isn't he? I might have a plan to make him back to the way he was...depends on what happens with the characters. I follow what they do, and change the plot to fit that. And you aren't the only one who liked the ShuTat exchange: I had about two other people comment positively, as of late. Nevertheless, I liked doing that part, too...I think if those two had lots of time to interact, they'd be like the cute big brother-little brother complex of Gravi. :D And my heart goes out to Hiro as well...I MIGHT make this story have a YukixShuxHiro love triangle, but I honestly haven't decided it yet. I'll ask next people next chapter and take a poll. See what they think, you know? Sankyuu for the review!
clari chan: PHWEE! I almost forgot you, dear! You almost reviewed the last chapter too late...I had already put up this one by the time I got your e-mail! :O Gomennnnn!! Please forgive this unworthy authoress! Ah, I'm glad you liked mature Taa-san...I like him a lot, too, and after FINALLY getting to hear him in the anime, I can safely say that I LOVE this guy's voice! XD And the little thing with Shuichi and Tatsuha was SO funny... 'I like, 'Encore,' better, because that's the one where Sakuma-san gets his clothes off.' 'Ahh...you've got great taste, Tatsuha-san!' XD XD XD HA-HA! Sorry, that's just a little thing with me...I laugh at the stupidest things. And I'm very glad you like the way all the characters have been shown so far...and I love Hiro, too, and I am thinking of having a serious HiroxShuxYuki love triangle thingie...what do you think of that? Good or bad idea? :D Either way, I hope to see you next chapter, and sankyuu for the review!