Thanks for the reviews everyone! I'm trying to make 100 by the time I finish this story, which isn't far away. This is either going to be the last or second to last chapter before the epilogue. I'm not sure if I should do a happy chapter for Eiri and Shuichi after this one, just for the two of them to catch up and… other stuff! Hehehehe. I need your reviews to tell me what you think.
My friend and I gave up on writing music for the original lyrics. It was going to take way too long. And we don't actually know how we're going to record it onto a MIDI file so I could send it to those who wanted it.
I know I've said this before, but don't look at the songs I've chosen by who sings them and whether or not they suit the bands, I'm trying to base my choices on either Tatsuha/Ryuichi or Eiri/Shuichi. For example, the song I've chosen for Shuichi is normally sung by a girl, but it works well so I went with it. There are a lot of songs in this chapter… probably because it's a concert scene for all three bands, so please don't get upset at the amount of songs.
Disclaimer: I do not own Gravitation or any related characters. I do own Ancient Curse.
Missing Amethyst Eyes
Chapter 8
Shuichi woke up on the morning of the concert feeling better than he had for a while. Today he would be doing what he was born to do, sing.
"Up already Shu-chan?" Ryu called from behind the closed door.
"Yeah." Shuichi replied cheerfully, opening the door to admit his friend.
Ryu sat cross-legged on the bed, and Shuichi joined him. "Today's the day. Kaede told me that today's d-day on Eiri."
"What do you mean?" Shuichi asked him.
Ryu winked at him. "Not telling. Not yet, Kaede's got it all under control this time."
"Hopefully." Shuichi muttered. "What about Tatsuha?" he asked
"What about him?" Ryu asked, his head tilted to the side, and blushing furiously as he remembered the karaoke bar, and how he'd got a little too carried away with the younger boy at one stage. His blushed darkened as he remembered the light, brief kiss they had shared.
"He can't really be that naïve can he?" Shuichi thought. "He must know there's something between them… something more than what there is."
"Nothing, its okay." He answered.
The two heard the front doorbell ring and both of them got up to answer it. Hiro and Suguru where on the doorstep. "Hey, ready to go? We've gotta get to the hospital for our sound check before Kaede takes over." Hiro said.
Suguru hit him upside of the head. "Be nice." He reprimanded jokingly.
"What? It's true." Hiro protested.
"I know it is." Suguru replied with a laugh.
"We're ready to go Hiro." Shuichi said. His best friend tossed him a bike helmet and they made their way in the direction of the hospital, Ryu and Suguru following in Ryu's chauffer driven car.
Tohma and Noriko were already there. Saki, Haru, Kai and Sano were all there too, but Kaede and Akito were still missing in action. "Where are they?" Shuichi asked Saki.
She grinned. "Finalising one of our new songs." She answered.
At that moment, Shuichi was dragged on stage for Bad Luck's sound check, so he didn't get the chance to ask Saki any more questions.
"Ahhhhhh! Ahhhhhh! Ahhhhhh!" Shuichi sang, improvising as Hiro tuned up his guitar and Suguru ran a few scales on the keyboard. And so it continued for quite a while before Noriko literally drop-kicked Shuichi off the stage, then promptly drop-kicked Ryu on to the stage.
Nittle Grasper began to run through the same exercises as Bad Luck had, Tohma and Noriko running scales while Ryuichi improvised a tune as he went. By the time they'd finished, Kaede and Akito still hadn't shown up.
"Where are they? They should've finished by now!" Kai grumbled.
Saki rested a hand on his arm. "They won't be long." She murmured. He looked down at her and smiled slightly, so only she could tell it was there. He leant down and kissed her softly, making everybody watching smile.
"WE'RE HEEERRREEE!" a loud voice yelled. Suguru winced as a black haired blur threw itself on him. "You're a log." He wheezed as he wrapped his arms around her waist, taking a step back to prevent himself from falling on his rear.
"Oh shut your face." She said with a lopsided grin that made his heart turn somersaults.
"Is the song ready?" Sano asked.
"Of course." Akito replied with a wide grin. He handed out the sheet music to the rest of his band mates.
They went up to the stage to rehearse their songs, but the others gave them some peace before they rehearsed their new piece. They wanted it to be kept secret until the encore.
An hour later, the crowd began to flow towards the stage. Kaede was wearing black street gear; black knee high boots, black leather mini skirt and black, low cut silk feel top with matching black leather studded bracelet and choker. The others were all dressed in similar street wear. Saki was dressed almost exactly the same as Kaede, except her skirt was longer. The boys were all dressed in various colours of street wear, although mostly they preferred the straight black.
Ryu had decided to go for his usual, gorgeous look; in other words, he was wearing a white dress shirt, the sleeves rolled up and the buttons undone to reveal his well toned torso. Basically, Tatsuha was incredibly close to drooling.
Tohma was wearing his customary suit and hat, a look that only he could pull off. Noriko was wearing a tight, short purple dress.
Shuichi was wearing a see thorough midriff black net top and yellow waist length jacket and black leather pants with a chain around the belt.
Hiro was wearing the usual blue shirt with half the buttons undone and a pair of faded jeans, while Suguru, ever in the wake of his famous cousin, was clad in a black suit and red shirt.
By the time Eiri showed up, you could not move outside the hospital doors. He was only there because Kaede had called him last night and begged him. So here he was, hiding up the back with his brother and sister, trying hard not to drool over his ex-lover.
First up was Nittle Grasper, to perform a new song that was going to be released the following week. The crowd went wild as Ryuichi, Tohma and Noriko stepped on to the stage.
"Hey everyone! It's Ryu! Thanks for coming out! Welcome to our benefit concert for the local hospital. All proceeds from your tickets have gone to the local hospital, but any further donations would be appreciated. In addition, each performing band has decided to donate one thousand dollars." There was a ruckus as the crowd cheered.
"So, without any further ado, we are Nittle Grasper!" Ryu yelled as the music began to play.
When you're looking like that… yeah, yeah.
She's a five foot ten in cat suit and bambi eyes.
Everybody who's staring wouldn't believe that that girl was mine.
I should've known I was wrong, when I left her for a life in pity but,
Say you never miss the water 'til it's gone, yeah.
Guess I failed to love you.
And you're taking it out tonight.
Am I supposed to leave you now, when you're looking like that?
I can't believe what I just gave away now I can't take it back.
I don't wanna get along,
I don't wanna live my life without you.
Am I supposed to leave you now, when you're looking like that?
Eiri couldn't help but feel sorry for his brother. Tatsuha had been almost as depressed as he had been since Ryuichi and Shuichi has started dating. It seemed that everyone but Ryuichi himself knew how much Tatsuha loved the Nittle Grasper star.
He couldn't help but wonder if this particular song was aimed slightly at Tatsuha, who seemed to be going out of his way to attract the singer's attention. He was wearing tight shirt that didn't leave much to the imagination, and a pair of leather pants that almost put Shuichi to shame. "almost." Eiri said with a small smile as he allowed his eyes to rake Shuichi's body from where he stood watching from the sidelines.
Anyway, whatever Tatsuha was doing for Ryuichi, it seemed to be working because he could see the older man's eyes darting to his brother's form.
She's all dressed up, glamour and rock 'n' roll.
Wanna squeeze her real tight, get out of this place,
If only I could take control.
But she's outta my reach forever,
Just a week ago she lied next to me.
So ironic how I had to lose just to see, yeah.
Guess I failed to love you.
And you're taking it out tonight.
Am I supposed to leave you now, when you're looking like that?
I can't believe what I just gave away now I can't take it back.
I don't wanna get along,
I don't wanna live my life without you.
Am I supposed to leave you now, when you're looking like that?
Up on the stage, Ryuichi was having trouble keeping his eyes away from Tatsuha. The teenager looked so appealing, standing up the back with his brother and sister. His eyes flickered to Shuichi, who grinned at him and raised his eyebrows in Tatsuha's direction. Ryu blushed, thinking back to the kiss at the karaoke bar.
I don't wanna forget you; I don't even wanna try it.
How am I supposed to walk on by?
When you're looking like that.
How am I supposed to leave you?
I can't believe what I just gave away, oh no, no.
'Cause I can't take it back, I'm lost.
I don't wanna live life without you (Live my life without you)
Am I supposed to leave you now, when you're looking like that?
The crowd went mental. Ryu gave them the most adorable grin he could muster, one that sent girls swooning left, right and centre, before bowing and leaping lightly off the stage.
Up next, Shuichi, Hiro and Suguru walked on to the stage amid screaming fangirls and thunderous applause.
"Hey everybody, we are Bad Luck!" Shuichi yelled; his energy on full scale. "Thanks for coming out today to support our cause!" there was more screaming and cheering.
Eiri swallowed visibly as his eyes followed Shuichi's every move. Right now, being without him was the hardest thing in the world, particularly when he was so close. He would never admit it out loud, but he really missed the damn brat.
He felt Mika rest her hand comfortingly on his shoulder, and he smiled slightly at her. His sister looked fantastic, the glow of pregnancy really looked good on her, and he hoped to God that Tohma would be a good father to their child. Though Eiri would never say it, Eiri was looking forward to being an uncle.
He turned his eyes back towards Shuichi as the music began to play. He seemed to be inexorably drawn to every movement the boy made; from the sway of his hips to the way his delicate fingers lightly gripped the microphone.
It's the last night on Earth, before the great divide.
My hands are shaking; time was never on our side.
And there's no such thing as a beautiful goodbye,
As an ordinary day, I prayed for you a thousand times.
It's never enough,
No matter how many times I try to tell you this is love.
If tomorrow never comes, I want you to know right now that I,
I'm gonna love you until the day I die.
And if tomorrow falls asleep, can you hold me first?
I'm gonna love you like it's the last night on Earth
Like it's the last night on Earth.
Eiri had the funniest feeling that Shuichi was talking about him. But something was telling him that something was incredibly wrong with this picture, something to do with the fact that Shuichi was dating Ryuichi, but the lyrics seemed to fit him to a tee. It confused him, but he knew something was wrong.
"He's got you down to a fine art." Mika murmured wickedly.
"Shut up." Eiri growled.
"But I'm having so much fun torturing you. I find it highly amusing seeing you do the work for a change. Working to get him back that is."
A penny for your thoughts, a picture so it lasts.
Let's knock down the walls of immortality.
Your fingers on my skin, only you can hear my fears
Only you can help me heal, I see forever with you here.
It's never enough,
No matter how many miles stand between us, this is love.
If tomorrow never comes, I want you to know right now that I,
I'm gonna love you until the day I die.
And if tomorrow falls asleep, can you hold me first?
I'm gonna love you like it's the last night on Earth.
"Shut up!" Eiri said again. "I don't know why this whole thing upsets me so much. I always used to think that I didn't need him."
"Hmmm, let's see…" Mika replied with a grin, "Could it be because you love him." she had of course, heard about the fiasco with the recording studio, and knew this to be true. "Or, you're just a sex starved maniac. But I'm more inclined to take the first option."
"Oh, I don't know." Eiri said with a smile that was close to the sadistic smirk he normally wore. "Sex starved isn't that far off."
Mika gave a mock shudder, then added with an evil grin. "When was the last time you got lucky? No, wait, I don't want to know."
Eiri laughed lightly as he turned his attention back to the stage, and his Shuichi.
It's never enough…
No, it's never enough…
It's never enough… oohh.
The afterglow, the horizon line.
The shadows fall.
Will you still be mine? Will you still be mine?
Will you still me mine, I ask?
If tomorrow never comes, I want you to know right now that I,
I'm gonna love you until the day I die.
And if tomorrow falls asleep, can you hold me first?
I'm gonna love you like it's the last night on Earth.
Like it's the last night on Earth…
Shuichi bowed, waved and was towed off the stage by Hiro and Suguru in a state that was much different to the song he had performed just moments before, amid gales of laughter from the audience.
Then it was Kaede's turn to enter centre stage. She smiled and waved at the audience, who cheered and wolf-whistled at the band.
"Like the other two bands we have the pleasure of performing with today, Ancient Curse would like to thank everybody out there for coming. In addition we would like to point out that the hospital is in desperate need of blood donors, and every member of each band has donated today." there was a round of applause, Kaede waited until they were silent before continuing.
"Everyone that is, except Sano here." She said, gesturing behind her in roughly Sano's direction. "You see, if Sano donated, he'd need to get his blood put straight back in again. Sano is anemic, and it's because of him we found out about the hospital's desperate need of funding. So please donate!" she beseeched the crowd, who were cheering.
"Well, without further ado, because I'm going to get my butt kicked if I don't shut up." Akito and Kai both nodded emphatically. "We are Ancient Curse!"
The music to another song began to play, in complete contrast to the pieces performed by Nittle Grasper and Bad Luck.
I haven't slept at all in days
It's been so long since we have talked.
And I have been here many times
I just don't know what I'm doing wrong.
What can I do to make you love me?
What can I do to make you care?
What can I say to make you feel this?
What can I do to get you there?
There's only so much I can take
And I just gotta let it go.
And who knows, I might feel better, yeah.
If I don't try and I don't hope.
What can I do to make you love me?
What can I do to make you care?
What can I say to make you feel this?
What can I do to get you there?
No more waiting, no more aching
No more fighting, no more trying…
Maybe there's nothing more to say
And in a funny way I'm calm.
Because the power is not mine.
I'm just gonna let it fly.
What can I do to make you love me? (What can I do to make you love me?)
What can I do to make you care? (What can I do to make you care?)
What can I say to make you feel this? (What can I do to make you love me?)
What can I do to get you there? (What can I do to make you care?)
Just tell me what to do.
What can I do to make you love me? (What can I do to make you love me?)
What can I do to make you care? (What can I do to make you care?)
What can I change to make you feel this? (What can I do to make you love me?)
What can I do to get you there? (What can I do to make you care?)
The crowd roared their approval as Kaede finished singing and the group bowed and began to walk off stage.
The crowd began to chant. "Duet! Duet! Duet! Duet!" over and over again.
Kaede looked at Shuichi and asked him. "Do you want to do one Shu-chan?"
He smiled, slightly at first, but his smile soon turned into a grin. "You bet! Duets are heaps fun!" he said excitedly. "But what are we going to sing?"
"S'all right Shuichi. I came prepared for such an occurrence, why do you think we practiced all those extra songs during rehearsal?" Akito asked him with a conspirational wink.
"Oh, so which one are we going to sing?" Shuichi replied, scratching his head.
"Do I get to do a duet too?" Ryu asked, looking forlorn at the thought of being left out.
"Of course you do Ryu-chan… with both of them." Akito reassured him.
"YAY!" Ryu squealed, hugging everybody he could within the ten seconds before Kaede and Shuichi took the stage.
"All right everyone! You asked for duets so here's the first one!" Shuichi yelled hyperactively, trying to ignore the fact that Eiri was watching him like a hawk. The crowd screamed and chanted their names.
Shuichi: here I am again, talking to myself
Sitting at a red light.
Kaede: both hands on the wheel, how'm I s'posed to feel?
So much running through my mind.
Shuichi: first you wanna be free, now you say you need me
Giving mixed signals and signs.
Kaede: it's so hard to let you in,
Thinking you might slam the breaks again.
Put the pedal down, heading outta town
Gotta make a getaway.
The traffic in my brain's driving me insane
This is more than I can take.
Shuichi: you tell me that you love me first
Kaede: then throw your heart in to reverse.
I gotta get away.
Eiri once again had the strangest feeling that they were taking a dig at him. it was actually starting to make him feel a little guilty about his decision to let Shuichi go… maybe he'd read it wrong. Or maybe there was just something wrong with the entire situation in the first place. From the smug looks his sister kept giving him he suspected the latter, but the former was working pretty well for him too.
Shuichi: I can't keep coming back to you
every time you're in the mood
To whisper something sweet in my ear.
Kaede: it's so hard to move on
Cause every time I think you're gone
You show up in my rear view mirror.
Shuichi: is this just a detour? 'cause I gotta be sure
That you really mean what you say.
Kaede: it's so hard to let you in
Thinking you might slam the breaks again.
Put the pedal down, heading outta town
Gotta make a getaway.
The traffic in my brain's driving me insane
This is more than I can take.
Kaede: you tell me that you love me first
Shuichi: then throw your heart in to reverse.
I gotta get away.
Kaede: to a place where I can be redefined.
Where you're out of sight
Shuichi: and you're out of mind
But the truth is I can't even say goodbye…
Kaede: here I am again, talking to myself
Sitting at a red light
Shuichi: both hands on the wheel, how'm I s'posed to feel
So much running through my mind.
Put the pedal down, heading outta town
Gotta make a getaway.
The traffic in my brain's driving me insane
This is more than I can take.
Shuichi: you tell me that you love me first
Kaede: then throw your heart in to reverse.
I gotta get away.
There was a huge roar appreciation for the stellar sound the two made together, even their own band mates were impressed.
Eiri reluctantly joined in the clapping along with his sister and brother and the rest of the audience. Tatsuha was cheering for his childhood friend and was running the risk of losing his voice if he kept it up for much longer.
"I wonder if Kasey will do a duet with my Ryuichi?" Tatsuha said to his brother. Eiri barely suppressed the grin he could feel tugging at the corners of his mouth as he noted Tatsuha call Ryuichi his. In the end he supposed it wasn't any different to the way he still thought of Shuichi as his.
Tatsuha soon got the answer to his question. Kaede crooked her finger at Ryuichi and he capered onto the stage, throwing his arms around her waist and almost knocking her flat. The sight made the crowd laugh, even Tatsuha had a chuckle over it.
"This will be interesting. I wonder if it'll be a remake of Mika and Tohma's wedding." He said, remembering the time the two had hijacked the microphones at the wedding to sing duets.
"Well, you're about to get your answer." Eiri said with a slight grin.
Mika shuddered. "I don't think we need a repeat of our wedding thankyou very much." She added wryly. "That was a truly frightening experience." Her brothers laughed.
"Up now, I'm going to sing a duet with Ryu-chan! Obviously!" Kaede said and the audience laughed as Ryu jumped up and down hyperactively before the music started up again.
Ryuichi: did I hear you right? 'Cause I thought you said
Let's think it over.
You have been my world,
And I never planned growing old without you.
Shadows bleeding through the light
Where the love once shined so bright.
Came without a reason.
Don't let go of us tonight, love's not always black and white.
Haven't I always loved you?
Kaede: but when I need you, you're almost here
And I know that's not enough.
And when I'm with you, I'm close to tears
'cause you're only almost here.
Ryuichi: I would change the world, if I had a chance.
Oh won't you let me?
Treat me like a child, throw your arms around me,
Oh please protect me.
Both: bruised and battered by your words,
Dazed and shattered how it hurts
Ryuichi: haven't I always loved you?
Eiri was starting to feel guilty now… whatever it was they were up to, it was making him feel like the bad guy. Oh wait, news flash… he was the bad guy. He almost got the feeling that Shuichi was calling to him through the songs. Little did he know that that was the exact reason the three bands had chosen the songs that they did. They were fucking with his mind… big time. And loving every moment of it. Especially Kaede, who was an expert at screwing around with people and watching them drop like flies.
Eiri really had no idea what was going on, and when they came clean with him, he wasn't going to know what hit him.
Kaede: but when I need you, you're almost here
And I know that's not enough.
And when I'm with you, I'm close to tears
'cause you're only almost here.
Both: bruised and battered by your words,
Dazed and shattered how it hurts
Ryuichi: haven't I always loved you?
Kaede: but when I need you, you're almost here…
Ryuichi: Well I never knew how far behind I'd left you…
Kaede: And when I hold you, you're almost here…
Ryuichi: Well I'm sorry that I took out love for granted…
Both: And now I'm with you, I'm close to tears…
Ryuichi: 'Cause I know I'm almost here…
Both: Only almost here.
There were fangirls screaming from every direction. Ryu was still their favourite no matter how much they loved Shuichi, Hiro, Suguru, Tohma or even Akito and the others… no one was better that Ryuichi Sakuma.
That left one duet to go… the one between Shuichi and Ryuichi. Every fangirl in the audience was hanging out for this one… and some of the boys too (For reasons no one really wanted to explore).
Eiri held his breath without even realising it, this was a pivotal moment for him. This would be the moment that truly decided wether or not Eiri had the strength to move on without his Shuichi by his side.
Yeah…
Shuichi: You are my fire
The one desire
Believe when I say
I want it that way
Ryuichi: But we are two worlds apart
Can't reach to your heart
When you say
That I want it that way
Both: Tell me why
Ain't nothin' but a heartache
Tell me why
Ain't nothin' but a mistake
Tell me why
I never wanna hear you say
I want it that way
If the fangirls weren't going psycho before, they were now. It was so far out of Shuichi and Ryuichi's usual songs, but they sounded so amazing together that there were women swooning no matter where you looked. Ryuichi and Shuichi made a dynamic duo, even Eiri had to agree that they sounded good.
"Wow," Mika said, impressed. "The two dumbasses actually sound good." She added, echoing Eiri's own thoughts.
"I don't know why they don't sing together more often." Tatsuha agreed, "Shuichi really is good bro."
"Yeah… I know." Eiri sighed heavily, an immense sense of foreboding weighing on his mind. There didn't seem to be any point in denying Shuichi's talent now.
Shuichi:Am I your fire?
Your one desire?
Yes I know it's too late
But I want it that way
Both: Tell me why
Ain't nothin' but a heartache
Tell me why
Ain't nothin' but a mistake
Tell me why
I never wanna hear you say
I want it that way
Shuichi:Now I can see that we're falling apart
From the way that it used to be, yeah
No matter the distance
I want you to know
That deep down inside of me...
Eiri was almost positive that they were talking about him now. The guilt was getting bigger, and he had to keep reminding himself that it was Shuichi who had left him behind, so there was no way there was anything wrong with this picture… right? He was singing about Ryuichi right?
Wrong.
And Eiri knew it, somewhere deep down in the recesses of his shattered heart, he knew that there was something wrong. His naturally suspicious mind was telling him to find out what was going on, but the rest of him was telling him to let it go and move on. As usual, Eiri decided to agree with his mind.
Ryuichi: You are my fire
The one desire
You are
You are, you are, you are
Don't wanna hear you say
Both:Ain't nothin' but a heartache
Ain't nothin' but a mistake
(Don't wanna hear you say)
I never wanna hear you say
I want it that way
Tell me why
Ain't nothin' but a heartache
Tell me why
Ain't nothin but a mistake
Tell me why
I never wanna hear you say
(Don't wanna hear you say it)
I want it that way
Shuichi: I want it that way…
The audience screamed with delight as they bowed and walked off the stage arm in arm, which whereupon decided in Eiri in confronting Shuichi one more time before he let him go.
Backstage, Kaede threw her arms around both of them in a hug. "Nicely done you two, listen to the crowd, and there's a que up at the blood bank."
"It wouldn't matter what we did, they'd follow just because we did it." Noriko said with a grin. "And we're famous so that makes it okay."
"Listen, they're still going." Suguru said in awe.
Kaede shot a look at Akito, who nodded and signalled the other members of Ancient Curse. They immediately all began to walk back on to the stage.
"Where do you guys think you're going?" Hiro asked them.
"Encores weren't planned." Tohma agreed, not looking particularly happy with Kaede, but still had a smile plastered to his face.
Kaede winked at him. "We did, and to answer your question Hiro, this one's for Shuichi, no Eiri." She said to Hiro.
"Uh-oh, Kaede, don't do anything you'll regret." Suguru warned his girlfriend.
"Believe me, I'm not going to regret this, no one will… except I might when Eiri tries to kill me for stealing these off his computer." With that, she bounded on to the stage in the wake of her band mates.
There was a round of applause as they took their places. Kaede stepped up to the microphone with a sad smile across the crowd to Eiri and Tatsuha. "A friend of mine wrote this for his partner, and since it's kind of my fault that they're not together any more, we decided to perform it today. I hope he doesn't kill me for stealing his lyrics."
Kaede close her eyes as the music for Missing Amethyst Eyes began to play.
Eiri held his breath, he had no idea what to expect.
It's late at night, I close my eyes
And I'm alone again.
But even in the darkness, I can see you and me,
A vision dancing in my sight.
No matter what I do,
No matter what I say,
I just can't shake that feeling of wishing you were here.
No matter what I do,
No matter what I say,
I know deep down somewhere,
That losing you is what I really fear.
Because I'm missing you,
More than you could ever understand.
Words cannot describe how much I need your love tonight.
I'm loving you, but I'm afraid to say.
How much I'm truly missing your amethyst eyes.
Eiri was so going to murder her when she was finished. The girl was going to die a horrible and painful death and be left out for the spirits to devour. She was going to be hung, drawn and quartered. Mika and Tatsuha read the look on his face and wisely didn't comment, guessing correctly that Kaede's 'friend' must have been him.
"I'll kill her." He muttered angrily. "I'll kill her very dead." He snarled.
"No you won't." Mika told him calmly. "This is more for Shuichi's benefit than yours I think. You should be thanking her."
"Yeah, I'll thank her all right, right after I destroy her." Eiri answered.
"Now, now. Don't be like that." Tatsuha said with a grin.
"Why not?" Eiri demanded.
"Because I said so." Tatsuha said with a grin. The younger boy pulled his brother down to his level. "There's something wrong here. Why would Shuichi leave if he still loved you?"
"I've been wondering the same thing." Eiri admitted.
"Maybe it's a set up?" Tatsuha suggested, "And when you over reacted after Kaede's little trick with the recording studio, things went wrong."
"I don't know about that." Eiri said shortly.
I live my life pretending that I don't care,
I've been this way so long that no one's noticed.
Only I can know the truth, of what's going on inside,
A pain too strong to bear, one heart that won't be spared.
I tell my friends that I'm okay, that I don't need you anyway.
But I'm lying to myself again, 'cause I've got nothing left but pain.
No matter what I do,
No matter what I say,
I know deep down somewhere,
That losing you is what I really fear.
Because I'm missing you,
More than you could ever understand.
Words cannot describe how much I need your love tonight.
I'm loving you, but I'm afraid to say.
How much I'm truly missing your amethyst eyes.
Kaede was watching Eiri fume in the back row and knew that she was going to be in serious trouble when she got off stage. She also saw Shuichi standing to the side, eyes wide and confused. He had known instantly that Eiri had written this for him, and he was scarcely able to believe it was true.
From the corner of her eye, she saw Suguru and Hiro give her a thumbs up as they retrieved the shocked Shuichi. They knew that the marathon was almost over
How is it that you've got inside my mind? Into a place that no one else could ever find? How is it that I don't even care? How did you change me with no one knowing? How do you make me feel alive again?Why do you still love me after all I've done?
How can my past not haunt you too?
So many things I need to ask,
But most of all, I need to know,
Why won't you come home?
Because I'm missing you,
More than you could ever understand.
Words cannot describe how much I need your love tonight.
I'm loving you, but I'm afraid to say.
How much I'm truly missing your amethyst eyes.
I'm loving you, but I'm afraid to say,
How much I'm truly Missing Amethyst Eyes.
There was a brief silence before the crowd broke out into raucous applause for the song. They thought it was the most romantic thing they'd ever heard.
Kaede looked sheepishly at Eiri, who made a slashing motion across his throat that meant 'you are so dead'… Kaede shivered, if looks could kill, she would've been dead, buried, reincarnated and then killed again by the glare that Eiri had given her.
When they trooped off stage they were greeted by a whirlwind of congratulations and pats on the back.
"Kaede…" a quiet voice said at her elbow. She turned to find Shuichi there.
"Yes Shu-chan, Eiri wrote that after you left." She said, hugging him. "How's that for proof?" she asked with a weak smile.
"Enough for me." Shuichi answered. "Although I wouldn't like to be you when Yuki catches up with you." He added with a slight grin.
"No, I got the famous Eiri Yuki Glare of DeathTM." Kaede said with a mock shudder.
"I wonder why?" shuichi said dryly. "If there's one thing I learnt, never touch the laptop!" he fell silent as he thought about his past with Yuki.
His thinking was disrupted by Eiri himself. "Shuichi…" he said softly. "I think we need to talk."
Shuichi froze, just looking at him, until Kaede ushered him towards Eiri and Ryu grabbed his arm and said. "Go, this is it."
Shuichi smiled faintly at Ryuichi. "You'd better go and find Tatsuha, tell him what happened." He retorted. Ryu blushed slightly as Hiro grabbed Shuichi and handed him over to Eiri.
Eiri led Shuichi to his black Mercedes SLE and opened the passenger door for him. Shuichi accepted with a small smile.
The drive to Eiri's apartment was silent, neither one wanting to be the one to break it, terrified of what the other might say. In actual fact, they were completely silent until they got inside the apartment and Eiri offered Shuichi a drink.
There was quiet for a few more minutes before Eiri spoke again. "So… the concert was good."
"Thanks." Shuichi answered softly. "I can't believe you actually came."
That was enough to send Eiri's fragile temper over the edge. "Is that how little you think of me?" he demanded
"Why would I think anything else? The other times you came it was under sufferance." Shuichi retorted.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Eiri snapped.
Shuichi suddenly broke down and cried, falling to his knees. "I don't want to do this anymore Eiri! I don't want to pretend like I don't love you!" he sobbed.
"What are you on about?" Eiri asked, shaken.
"It was all just a stupid idea that Mika and Tohma came up with… it was all a set up that went very, very wrong. And I hate it!" Shuichi yelled through his tears. "Because now it's too late to do anything about it!" he was crying harder than before.
Eiri was silent. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. It had all been fake! Shuichi loved him! He knew he should be angry, but for some reason he wasn't… he still had his Shuichi, and he didn't care about the crap he'd been through. But he wasn't about to let it ride completely.
"Eiri? Please say something!" Shuichi begged.
"What do you want me to say Shuichi?" Eiri asked him.
"Anything!" Shuichi replied through his tears.
Eiri let the silence stretch for a few moments before he let out a delighted laugh. He pulled Shuichi to his feet and placed a crushing kiss against the pink haired singer's lips. After he recovered from the shock, Shuichi returned the kiss equally as passionately.
When they came up for air, Shuichi panted. "I'm sorry Eiri. Can you forgive me?" he looked so cute and adorable with the forlorn look on his face that Eiri melted.
"Yeah, I guess I can." He replied, smiling a true smile before leaning down and kissing his little lover sweetly, until Shuichi could only hang within the circle of his arms.
"But you're sleeping on the couch for a month." He whispered in Shuichi's ear.
"Yuuuuukkkkiii!" Shuichi whined, and Eiri laughed as he wrapped his arms around Shuichi's waist and carried him in the direction of the bedroom.
"Tatsuha!" Ryuichi called as the sixteen-year-old swung himself on to his bike.
"Ryuichi?" Tatsuha asked, bewildered.
Ryuichi looked around, "Can we go somewhere else?" he asked. "I wanna talk to you in private."
"Sure, I guess so." Tatsuha said nervously. "But where's Shuichi?"
Ryuichi grinned wickedly. "He's with Eiri… that's what I want to talk to you about."
Tatsuha passed him a bike helmet. "C'mon, put this on." He replied.
Ryuichi grinned widely. "Okay!" he said happily. He got on the bike behind Tatsuha and the boy flushed at being so close to his idol, particularly after their kiss at the Karaoke bar.
They stopped at Ryuichi's home, which was currently unoccupied due to Shuichi's absence, and Ryu led the way up to his room.
"Take a seat, anywhere is fine." Ryuichi said happily.
Tatsuha did as he was told, and then asked; "So, what did you want to talk about?"
Ryu took a deep breath, and then launched into an explanation of why he and Shuichi had been 'dating'.
It took a long time to explain, and when Ryuichi had finished, Tatsuha was silent for a moment so he could absorb everything he'd been told.
"So, it was all just a plan of my sister's to get Eiri to appreciate Shuichi?" he said. Ryu nodded.
"Why are you telling me this?" Tatsuha asked him.
"I-I don't really know." Ryu admitted. "I guess you had the right to know. Besides, ever since the night we all spent at the bar, and we… you know…" he trailed off.
"Kissed." Tatsuha finished for him, blushing madly.
"Yeah that. Well, ever since then I haven't been able to stop thinking about you. I've never had that much of an attention span, so three days is a long time for me to be thinking about the same thing." He sounded more mature than usual.
Tatsuha suddenly found it rather hard to breathe. He leaned across before Ryu could say anything else and kissed him, properly this time. Ryu responded almost instantly, running his tongue across Tatsuha's lips, asking for entrance. Tatsuha, used to being the one in control, gasped, unwittingly giving Ryuichi access to his mouth. Ryu pushed him back on to the giant queen sized bed that they were sitting on.
The next morning, Kaede received two phone calls from two very happy friends.
