Okay… so I decided that Erika needed one final chapter all to herself (and of course everything related to her…)… I guess she sort of deserves it…

Disclaimer: I already said that I already disclaimed everything I needed to disclaim.

Rating: Uhm… You be the judge… I've been getting complaints that I'm too damn wholesome for my own good… But I guess I would rate it an R… for the kissing scenes thing… :) Ahahaha… I'm not wholesome now… just felt like writing fluff… and a little tea… eh? Not making sense anymore huh?

Note: This will be the last time Eri will be present… so I guess you guys can rejoice now… I won't say anymore… :( Just… just… read and review okay?… :(

ELEMENT 9:

Nothingness

It was already nine o'clock when Shuichi's worry increased.

He knew that there was a possibility that Eri was just so caught up with her shopping… but then again, there was a sick feeling at the pit of his stomach— and instinct told him that something horrible has happened.

The phone rang.

Shuichi almost jumped out of his skin.

He ran to the phone, and picked it up, assuming (actually, hoping) that it was Eri… but it wasn't.

"Hello?"

"Sa-sa-sakuma-san?" Shuichi was now trembling. 'Darn it… how did he know I was here?'

"Oh! Shuichi!" Ryuichi said happily, causing Eri to stir, "how lucky for me that the number in the notebook is wrong and I got to talk to you!"

"Huh? What number in the notebook? Whose notebook?"

"Oh… you don't know her really… she's my friend from America, Erika-san. She fainted a little bit and the doctor told me to call family members na no da!"

'That explains why she's not home yet…' Shuichi thought as Ryuichi ranted on and on about how much he and Kumagurou wanted to help in taking care of Eri. He barely resisted the temptation to ask about Eri's condition. 'You don't know her remember?' a voice in his head always reminded him.

"Oh Shuichi! I have to go call Erika-chan's mummy okay? I will dial wrong numbers and talk to you again… Bye- bye!" said the hyperactive Ryuichi before hanging up the phone.

Eri stared at the wall sadly, as she pretended to be asleep.

She knew that this was exactly what her mother had thought would happen to her if she didn't stop being such a… rebel. She tried to ignore the tears steadily forming in her eyes, but then she finally gave in and started sobbing so silently that Ryuichi could not hear.

Ryuichi was on the phone. He was saying things like "wrong numbers" and "Shuichi"…

'Wait a damn minute… Shuichi!' Eri's mind screamed as she tried to stand up. (It was useless, she was as weak as a dog without four legs…)

"Ryu…" Eri muttered.

"Erika-san's awake! Thank good doctor!" Ryuichi said, scurrying like a little child to her bedside, carrying a very "worried" Kumagurou.

"You didn't expect me to?" asked Eri weakly, "I didn't know you had that little faith in me…"

"No… no… no…" Ryuichi said, shaking his head forcefully, "I don't know what came over me… being surprised like that… I have faith in you…" He smiled sadly at the sight of his friend's condition. 'I have faith…'

"Could you please get me my bag Ryuichi?" Eri requested as she finally managed to sit up.

Ryuichi was only too happy to comply. He came in a few seconds later, holding Eri's bag with one hand and her address notebook in the other.

"I'm sorry I took it without permission," said Ryuichi, handing her the items, "the doctor said that I should call your family…" He then smiled widely, "I know your secret with Shuichi!"

Eri froze. 'Shit! Now he knows about Shuichi… So he probably knows I kidnapped him and made him live in my house…'

"You have a big crush on Shuichi na no da!!" said Ryuichi, jumping up and down with Kumagurou.

"Uh… yeah… of course… that's it… How did you find out?" 'Whew… good thing he's still as naïve as he was back then…'

"I called the number on your notebook… it said 'my residence' but then I called and Shuichi answered… Silly… Shuichi and Yuki are living together in their apartment… na no da!!! So… Shuichi is not in your house… but you want him to be na no da!!" he said all this while jumping and celebrating (for some weird reason) with his favorite bunny.

Eri wanted to sigh loudly, but just settled for a yawn. She couldn't understand what Ryuichi was saying, probably something about her hidden desire to be with Shuichi so she put his number and labeled it "my residence". She laughed inwardly at the weird logic Ryuichi had, that somehow made sense…

"So… what do you wanna do?" Ryuichi asked, sitting beside Erika, "do you wanna eat? Play? Eat? Sing? Play? Go somewhere?"

"I… I just wanna go home…" Erika told Ryuichi, "please…"

"Why?" Ryuichi asked, "no one's home…"

"I have to face some things and some people before I actually…"

Ryuichi kissed Erika on the lips, in the hopes of shutting her depressing thoughts up. He didn't really intend to do give any bad meaning to what he was doing… it was just that he already felt depressed and he didn't want Erika to feel the same.

Erika didn't complain or back away. She knew Ryuichi's intentions almost as much as she knew herself… She knew he was just trying to get rid of all sad emotions in her mind. She let herself enjoy this for a little while.

His kiss was like alcohol. It intoxicated her… drowned away her sorrows and woes. But then she knew that once it was finished… the problems she momentarily forgot would flood their way back into her mind. A kiss could only last for so long…

When Erika finally pulled away (due to loss of breath…),she noticed that Ryuichi's eyes weren't childish and shining, they were… serious… like when he stands in stage.

"Ryuichi…" she said softly, she touched Ryuichi's cheek briefly.

"Erika… I don't want you to…"

"I've stopped fighting, Ryuichi… and I will die… even before this winter's over…"

Ryuichi sighed and said, "then I will help you get home…"

Erika drove in a fairly fast pace, with Ryuichi beside her.

She was thankful that the snow was only falling slowly, as her car was hoodless.

She looked straight ahead. It was already ten in the evening and the roads were almost deserted, except for one black car.

Yuki finally managed to get himself out of his self-pitying state. He knew that Shuichi wouldn't come back if he didn't do something… he had to find the singer and bring him back before it was too late.

He groomed himself, as he had not done for the past couple of days, and took the keys to his car.

'Wait for me you brat… I'm finding you, wherever you are…'

Erika's heart skipped a beat when she realized that the car right beside hers was Yuki Eiri's sleek black car. She looked at it through the side view mirror.

Apparently, Ryuichi also noticed…

"It's Yuki!" he exclaimed a moment later, as if voicing Erika's thoughts, only he sounded happy.

Ryuichi was frantically waving to the writer.

Yuki noticed and opened his window.

"Hi Yuki! Where's Shuichi?" Ryuichi asked innocently, unaware of Eri's guilty look.

"I was about to ask you the same question," Yuki said emotionlessly.

"Hmm… I talked to him na no da! I called your apartment!!" said Ryuichi, not knowing that it was a wrong thing to say.

"You called my apartment and you said Shuichi was there?" Yuki asked, a bit confused, "tell your girl over there to pull over… we need to talk, Ryuichi."

Erika's car skidded to a halt as her heart did the same. She was going numb all over. 'This is it… I'm done for…' she thought as she miserably got down from her car.

Yuki paid no attention to the pretty raven-haired girl and her shifty movements, as he grabbed Ryuichi and forced the singer to explain himself.

"Anou…" started Ryuichi, "it all started when the dinosaurs were walking in the face of the Earth…"

"Skip to the current situation," Yuki snapped. It was ten thirty and his patience was wearing thin.

"Anou…" Ryuichi started again, "it was morning and I went to the store… I wanted to buy food for me and Kuma-chan… then people started crowding… they want me to sign some things for them… shirt… shorts… undies…dolls… papers mostly… then I saw Erika-chan…"

Yuki looked at the girl, as if she was some sort of major disturbance. 'She's the reason why this story is so long,' he thought as he resisted the urge to punch Ryuichi into narrating faster.

"So… I called the number on her notebook… and I heard Shuichi's voice…" Ryuichi finally finished the exasperating tale.

"So. Who owned this notebook?" Yuki asked.

"You weren't listening…" Ryuichi said, pouting, ('yep… you're right about that…' Yuki thought.) "I said Erika owned the notebook with the wrong numbers…"

"Well, then," said Yuki, "where is this notebook and where is… m… (barely resisting the urge to say "my") Shuichi?"

"I… uh…" Erika stammered, "uh…" She was gasping for air, 'I can't breathe… Oh shit… I feel dizzy…'

"Oh no! Don't stress her na no da!!" exclaimed Ryuichi, noticing Eri's difficulty, "I have the notebook… it even has an address in it… we have to go now Yuki…" "I drive okay?" Ryuichi told Eri.

Eri nodded, but she was still having a hard time breathing.

'Is he even allowed to drive?' was the question in her mind as she sat on the passenger's seat, 'oh well, either way…'

Yuki just stared at the zigzagging convertible, as he made his way into his own car. 'I'm guessing Ryuichi doesn't know how to drive…'

He read the address on the notebook and smirked, 'don't leave this time… okay brat?'

Shuichi clutched his rapidly thumping chest. 'That was too close… Sakuma-san would have told Tohma where I was right away and Tohma would have to Yuki…'

He shook his head. 'I shouldn't think about that author… he didn't want me to stay… he didn't want me to… even for Christmas…'

His gaze hovered over to the bookshelf. 'I did promise myself that I'd read one of Yuki's books someday,' he told himself, as he tried to select a title. There were a fair few Yuki books and he couldn't help but feel guilty. 'If I wasn't such a whiny brat… he would have done more work…'

Then before he actually grabbed a novel, he saw a notebook inserted between two of Yuki's books.

He took it and began scanning through the pages. 'It's… a diary…'

He read and reread the words "Eri's diary". 'Yuki's diary?' he asked himself. Then he noticed the handwriting. 'No silly,' he scolded himself, 'it's ERI…ka's diary…'

He started to read but a harsh knocking on the door interrupted his thoughts.

Yuki stood there for what seemed like eternity (actually, just about thirty seconds), waiting for Shuichi or whoever was in there to open the door. He heard the shuffling of footsteps and was a bit relieved. 'Finally,' he thought.

Shuichi didn't know what to do. He wanted to open the door, but then he had a strange feeling that whoever was out there, wasn't Erika. He debated with himself for a few seconds before finally decided to take a risk and open the door.

How bad could it be? It's not like the person outside could ever be…

"Yuki!" Shuichi exclaimed, surprised and… confused at the same time, "how did you…?"

"Shut up you brat," Yuki said, as he entered and forced his lips against Shuichi's own.

Shuichi gladly wrapped his arms around the novelist's neck and returned the overly-passionate kiss. He wanted to feel Yuki again, to touch him, to kiss him… he missed the blond writer so much. He didn't even notice the tears that were running down his cheek.

"You idiot… you idiot…" Yuki whispered over and over as he kissed his Shuichi savagely, down the chin and then the neck.

All this time, he was longing to feel the genki singer, only he was too stubborn to admit it.

Shuichi moaned slightly at the feel of his lovers lips on his neck. He sighed contentedly as Yuki held him tight (afraid that if he held loosely the singer would slip out of his grasp again).

Yuki finally stopped and gasped for air.

"Yuki, I…" said Shuichi, "I'm sorry…"

"Let's just go home," Yuki said shortly, afraid that if he lost control, he would take Shuichi right there and then… but then again…

"Wait. Hold on…" Yuki said as he pulled out the notebook and started dialing Ryuichi's number.

"Ryuichi… (Hello na no da!) Are you driving? (Nope… /Ryuichi sulks/ Erika-chan is… we're visiting her family… We're very near now…) So you won't be back early?/Yuki was pleased/ (Nope… Erika-chan wants her family first… then we'll pick up things tomorrow…) SO… you won't come here at all tonight?/He was eying Shuichi hotly…/ (Nope. Tell Shuichi to take care of house for Erika… Until tomorrow… Bye bye!)"

"Well?" Shuichi asked, "what?… Uh… Why are you looking at me like that? Uh… Yuki…? You're scaring me…"

"You'll know soon enough…"

—end of element—

note: Okay… I guess it's safe to stop here. :) Please read and review…

rant: Aargh! I'm so disappointed in myself! I can't even write proper fluff! I'm a failure! whines, wails, kicks and screams Anyways, I had to stop while Yuki could still control himself… I don't want to go into details… (told ya I'm too damn wholesome for my own good..) But if you really want lemons in your tea… you must beg!! Like I begged my alter ego to show me how to write fluff… Review guys, okay?