Tornado: Hey people! I want to thank Ayakachan, cosmala, and eiri-san for reviewing. And I now present the fic.
Two Major Blunders
Tora walked into the kitchen groggily, wondering just as Eiri had earlier. He was sitting at the darkened glass table, sipping the bitter coffee that the girl had stored in the cabinets. The alcohol was still displayed on the bar, serving as a reminder of the previous night. Eiri poured her a cup of coffee, and after she gave her consent, he poured Bailey's Irish Cream in as creamer. The girl sat opposite him gently sipping at the liquid.
"So, last night," Eiri started. "What happened?"
"We got drunk and old feelings resurfaced. We had a good night, and now we're waking up the next morning as friends."
"I guess so. Can I tell you something without you getting all bite-my-head-off? Last night I felt complete for the first time since I left New York. I don't know what that means, but I think we need to talk about it."
"What is there to talk about? Trust me, you don't want to leave Suichi, especially not for me. I'll be disappointing. You ever notice that authors don't marry authors? Why because they can't stand to be home with one another while they're working on their masterpieces. They're always competing with one another. You and Suichi are both artists, so you can appreciate each other's work, but you aren't in the same profession. We are."
"I know. Maybe that's why we got along in early life. I hated it, and you didn't. Maybe you're right. I don't know. I was just saying what I felt last night. Look, I better get going. I should probably make up to Suichi."
"I have to go pay Tohma a visit. He said he wanted to see me after I got back. I'll walk you to your car."
The pair stumbled out the door to be bombarded with the flashes and shouts of reporters. Their eyes went wide as saucers when they saw the cameras. Tora turned to dash back in the door, but she had closed it on the way out. Eiri was shaking his head disbelievingly. He punched the side of the building. The pair took deep breaths.
"What the hell is going on here?" the girl asked strongly.
"Is it true that the two of you are in a relationship together?" one reporter called.
"No, we're friends. He just crashed at my place last night, and we did some drinking and bitching about men," Tora answered confidently. "That's all."
"Yes, but the two of you were seen together yesterday. Any comments?" another said.
"We met yesterday out of pure chance. We both had gone to Starbucks to work on our newest novels. We hadn't seen each other in nearly seven years, so we chatted for a while and then split. Shindou and I had a fight, and I looked her up, gave her a call, and crashed at her place. It's not illegal, you know, or against any morals that are viewed by the citizens," Eiri added. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get home so I can work."
He pushed his way through the crowd. Tora opened the door to the apartment building, disappearing inside. Eiri drove his Mercedes around the corner, leaving the mass to disperse. He continued his path, passing the liquor store and the park that he and Tora had visited before. There were no reporters at Eiri's house, but Suichi was standing outside with the angriest expression Eiri had ever seen on his face. The man knew that he was in deep shit.
"What the hell were you doing at that girl's place? That was the same girl you were with yesterday! That was a load of crock shit that you fed those reporters. I could see in your eyes that you were lying. I know that your night wasn't as innocent as you made it out to be."
"I told you what happened, now lay off it."
"No you didn't; you just say that you did. I want answers, and I want them now!"
"You're going through PMS. Now, please, I need coffee, cigarettes, and to work in peace. You need to go to work, so why don't we join in that common cause and travel our paths."
"I took the day off. Seguchi-can insisted. FYI, Mizuki said that she needs that novel today."
He growled, storming into the house. His lover closely followed him. Suichi was still glaring daggers at his head while he typed. The magenta-haired boy remained in that position for what seemed like an eternity. He wanted to trust the fair "maiden," whose affection he had endured so much to achieve, but during the bombardment of the reporters, he had seen a look in his eyes that could not be mistaken for anything or than superior knowledge; the kind that can only be analyzed to be a lie or a secret. There was also something in his companions sapphires that made him suspect that his lover was lying to him. Fear, perhaps. Fear of what? Discovery? Betrayal? The mystery woman was a tale to be told later that evening, but for now, all Suichi could do was wait.
Across town, Tora peeped put from behind the curtains of her apartment. The reporters had long since dispersed and journeyed back to the station to report their findings. Thankfully, there had only been one live link, which was one of the music channels as Tora had discovered while watching the re-run. God, I look horrible. No wonder they thought I had bedded Eiri. I look like I just woke up from hibernation. There was truth to that statement she realized. She had only been awake about fifteen minutes before being greeted with the camera.
Having satisfied her curiosity, she opened the door and darted to her baby, which she had placed at rest on the opposite side of the street. She greeted it with as quick pat before reclaiming her place as its captain. She knew that Tohma would be anxious to see her due to the recent spectacles made of Tora and Eiri, but she was hoping that he would delay business until the conclusion of their reunion. She started the engine and began her journey to NG Productions headquarters.
It was quarter 'til nine when she parked her car in the visitors' parking lot in front of the recording studio and office building. Taking a slow, deep breath, she exited the car and purposefully strode to the entrance of the building. The lobby was classy, just as you would expect from a place of business. The marble floors stretched to a set of elevators in the far corner. There was a long counter-top with several secretaries stationed right of the entrance. Tora walked up to a ditzy-looking brunette, who was animatedly talking to another young girl beside her.
"Excuse me," Tora said, catching the girls' attentions. "Hi, I'm here to see Tohma Seguchi. Could you please tell him that I'm here."
"Do you have an appointment?" the girl asked, chewing the pink gum in her mouth.
"I don't need one. He wants to see me. Now, please call him and tell him that Tora Lireal is here to see him."
"Mr. Seguchi is in a meeting and will remain in that meeting until one o'clock. You'll have to come back then because he specifically said that he was not to be disturbed."
Tora was glaring at the receptionist when her phone rang. The girl picked it up and began conversing with someone, whom Tora assumed she knew. There was talk of personal matter, which was when Tora exasperatedly walked away. She heard another phone ring, and an older voice answer. She heard the few words that the elder exchanged: "Yes, sir. I will, sir." She was just about to walk out the door when the elder voice called, "Excuse me, Ms. Lireal? Mr. Seguchi will see you. Take the elevator to the fortieth floor, walk left, the first door. I'm sorry for the inconvenience."
The girl murmured her forbearances before following the woman's directions. It took a total of ten minutes to arrive at her destination. She was staring at the cherry door, debating her approach to the situation. Discovering that there was no better way, she opened the door, entering the office. There was a light blonde man with shocking blue-green eyes smirking at her. He was wearing a bizarre black coat with a red feather boa draped around the neck. His button-up shirt was also red, and a black bowler's hat was crowning his head. She smiled at the welcoming sight before her.
"Hello, Tora-san. It has been a long time," the man stated, rising from his leather office chair behind his cherry-wood desk.
"Tohma," she answered almost breathlessly.
The two embraced in a brother-sister way. Had anyone been present in the room, it would have been obvious that the two still had a deeply rooted connection that was being exhumed. Tohma gently touched her face upon their partition. A content smile flittered across her face. Tohma sighed in frustration.
"I only wish that we were still sixteen. It has been nearly four years since I saw you, but you still look as good as you did the day we met. Actually, even more so now," he commented, examining her body.
"Tohma, you're married," she warned. "I can't allow you to morally bend."
"But you did. With Eiri-san."
"As I told the reporters, it was completely innocent. We got drunk; we passed out; we woke up. End of story."
"There's that gap between drunk and passed out that is the key, right? Tora, why deny it? You and Eiri were obviously on that sex high that you always get the morning after. I've seen the two of you plenty of times on that high. I know what it looks like. So how was it? Was is as good as earlier in life?"
"Yeah, but you should know that we're not taking it anywhere. It was just a once and done thing."
"Yes, until the next time that he and Shindou fight. Please, Tora, don't give me that look. You're addictive. He'll want more some time. I didn't say that it was going to be tomorrow or even this week, but sometime he will."
"Whatever. I was hoping that this could have waited, but now that it's done and over with, what's going on?"
"You and I are going out somewhere. I told everyone that I have a meeting and won't be back until one, so you and I have a good four hours with each other."
"You were planning on me coming here today. How cocky are you?"
"Once I saw you on TV, I knew you would be here. Please, let's go out and have a good time just like old times," I said offering his hand.
She stared at him before reluctantly accepting it. Tohma snaked her arm through his own. The girl shot him a glare, but he pretended not to notice. They made the small walk to the elevator and the long ride to lobby still arm-in-arm. Tora tried to break away as they reached the ground, but Tohma would not allow it. She sighed, submitting to his wishes. Tohma agreed to take Tora's car only if he drove. She glared heatedly stubbornly adhering to refusal. Tohma brought his face within centimeters of hers. He reached his hand into the pocket of her short leather jacket, extracting her keys.
"Old habits die hard," he said smirking as he took command of the car.
Tora retired to the passenger seat dismissively. "Where do you get off on embarrassing me in my own car?"
"I like the look on your face when you submit. It makes me hard."
"You are some kind of freaky. Does your wife know that you're a pervert?"
"I'm sure she has guessed, but I've never formally told her. You think I should? Maybe I could throw in the whole three-way relationship with you and her brother."
"Point taken, but you have to admit. It was fun while it lasted."
"Yeah, well, our, just yours and mine, relationship was good until your morals kicked in, and I couldn't see you anymore. You pick the weirdest times to get morally correct. What was the harm in a little side show fun?"
"Side show fun? Jesus, way to make me feel good about myself."
"Hey, you were the one that let me go."
"Yeah well I didn't think that you were going to sleep around with women anyway. Silly me, I thought you gave a damn about your wife."
"Let me explain something to you. Mika and I are not made for each other. We married because our parents were pressuring us to do so. I am allowed to pursue fulfillment elsewhere if I so choose, and she is as well. There's nothing groundbreaking about it. You and I are allowed to fuck, especially because she's out of town."
"Sorry, but I couldn't do that. The fact that you're married is a big turnoff. Where are we going anyway?"
"I don't know. Around town. Maybe the mall. We'll catch some lunch later."
"Right, why are we doing this again?"
"Because I'm hoping to get you into the hotel room that I rented."
"Please tell me that you're joking. You aren't that cocky, are you?"
"No, but the expression on your face was priceless."
Tora shook her head and settled in for the next few hours.
Eiri had finally finished his novel. Mizuki had come by an hour earlier to pick it up and was waiting impatiently while it printed. He was attempting to ignore the glances that both his publisher and his lover were shooting him. However, it was rather difficult when the two had joined forces.
"So, Mr. Eiri, who was the girl that you were with this morning?" Mizuki inquired.
"None of your business."
"Well, I'm your publicist, so it is my business."
"No, you're my editor. The only part of my life that concerns you is my writing."
"Well, I was just thinking that this book may sell more because you have now crossed back over to females. This gives some hope to your audience, don't you think?"
"Mizuki, nothing happened. I simply got drunk with her and slept at her place. Nothing happened," he replied firmly, handing her the document, which had just finished printing.
"The media is convinced otherwise. You have to watch out with your relationship with the girl. They control the world. Good day, Mr. Eiri," she said before walking out the door.
Eiri grumbled as he leaned back in his chair. People were just too damn nosy. It wasn't relevance to anyone besides himself and Tora. Though Eiri knew that if Tora had gone to see Tohma, he would certainly be able to guess what had occurred, but he could go play a nice quiet game of hide-and-go-fuck-himself for all Eiri cared. Tohma was not the sweet, innocent angel that he made himself out to be. He was cold and vicious when provoked.
Suichi was still glaring at him. He needed answers, and he needed them now. He was toying with the idea of calling Tohma, but he knew that the man would deny everything if he thought that it was anything but what Eiri wanted. He also thought about calling Tatsuha, but that was as pointless as calling Tohma because he had told Suichi before that Eiri's past was a mystery to him. Mika was the only person that could even be remotely useful, but she was out of town. Besides, under the given circumstances, he highly doubted whether she would offer her condolences and disclose the information she had about the girl.
"Eiri, tell me who that girl was. I want to know her name."
"Her name is Tora Lireal. She's a sci-fi/ fantasy author, and she's also and old friend of mine. I met her in New York."
"Where? How did you guys get to be friends?"
"Well, she knew Yuki somehow or another. I can't quite remember, but we had a lot in common. She pissed off her parents, so they sent her to America, hoping it would fix her. She is a Japanese/ American. You can tell too. Her skin and eyes are American, but her hair's Japanese. She was ridiculed in Japan because she didn't look like everyone else. Sound familiar? Well, she was living with her guardian in New York, who was a drug dealer, so she was never home. Tora learned how to fend for herself, and we got into the thug-thing together as a way to deal with our pain. We were just good friends."
"Why do I feel like there's a part of the story that you're not telling me?"
"Because there isn't. When are you going to start trusting me?"
"When you trust me."
"Well then, why aren't you trusting me right now?"
Suichi smiled, kissing his lover's lips. He began to slide his hands under the man's shirt, feeling the tightened muscles the older man bore. They were quickly losing themselves in each other until Eiri made the blunder that was greater than the one he had made that morning.
"Tora," he moaned.
Suichi stopped all together and stared at him with wide eyes. Tears began to spill across his face as he got off of the computer chair and ran into the bedroom. Eiri gazed at his trail dumbfounded. His mind began working backwards, searching for the source of his error. The word "Tora" played through his mind. He cursed himself loudly, rising to replicate his lover's steps. He tried the knob, finding it unwilling to render movement. He knocked on the door.
"Suichi? I'm sorry. I was just…" he trailed not knowing what to say.
The door opened, and a sad and angry Suichi peered out. "Yeah you were just reliving the past!" he shouted. "I knew you weren't telling the truth! You fucked her! Tell me was she as good as me? Or maybe she was a lot better? Which is it, asshole?"
"She was better," he replied without thinking, immediately kicking himself in the ass for blurting that out.
"Get the fuck out of my house!"
"This my house, you idiot. I bought it, and it's in my name!"
"I don't care, just get the hell out!" he screamed, slamming the door and locking it again.
Eiri pounded on the door, expressing his anger at himself. I am an absolute moron!, he thought. Dismissively, he sighed as he ventured back downstairs to pack up some things. Packing his laptop in its case, he wondered where he was going to go. Tohma's was the only place that he could think of. He could go back to Tora's, but the risk of being discovered was simply too great.
He walked out to his red Mercedes, placing an overnight bag, which he always kept packed just in case, in the trunk. He started the car and backed out of the driveway. He placed a call to Tohma's office, leaving him a message to return the phone call. He traveled subconsciously, not knowing where he was going. When the car came to a stop, he was in front of the ever-faithful park. He got out and ventured down a random path, hoping to clear his mind.
By the time one o'clock had rolled around, Tora and Tohma had been mall and ate out at a fancy Italian restaurant. There were several shopping bags filling the back seat of the Mustang. Tohma invited his partner up to his office once more to say goodbye in private. She reluctantly agreed, knowing that there was no possible way that the man would take "no" for an answer. The voyage seemed to pass much faster due to the fact that they were laughing up a storm. Tohma unlocked his office, letting the girl and him in. She plopped on the couch while he checked his voicemail. There were some that he simply deleted before hearing the entire message, but one made him stop and furrow his brows.
"Hey, Seguchi, it's Eiri. Give me a call on my cell phone when you get this."
"That's odd. He never calls me. I wonder what is wrong. Tora, would you stick around for another minute? He may want to talk to us," Tohma stated, dialing Eiri's cell phone. "Eiri? It's Tohma. What's going on? Really? Why would he do that? Oh, I see. Yes. Yes, she's with me now. Of course. Mika is out of town, so you don't have to worry about her. I'll be there in a few minutes to drop off a key. See you then. I'll bring her with me."
He hung up the phone, staring at Tora. "What's wrong?" she asked.
"Shindou kicked Eiri out because he moaned your name while they were making out. Nice, huh? So he's going to be staying at my place for a while. Get your car. We're going to go see him."
Tora felt her stomach drop to the floor. She felt like she was responsible for all of this. I do all that preaching to Tohma about being faithful, and I can't even stop Eiri when he's making out with me, so we get out of control. Jesus, I fucked this one up! She and Tohma left the office and began their journey to face the music.
Tornado: So, Suichi knows what happened, but how will he and Eiri survive? The chapter is coming soon. R&R.
