THANK YOU FOR REVIEWING THE PREVIOUS CHAPTER OF AITSWS! Don't forget to check out 'Solitude Chronicles' as well.
Lav:
Hi, Lav-chan! I can't believe you're actually reading this. Man,
everyone says it's Kuroi but I'm still not saying anything about
it. Teeheehee! Meet you in LJ as usual!
Kolie: Me love
"Where Will You Go". The song may sound eerie but it's so damn
good. They've got a way with words. I think you're right.
Kitty
in the Box: Wee! Caps review XD Here's a little Shuichi-Aoshi
scenes for you!
LilBlue-Hedggie: That's because I have to
make him a cute boy to explain how Ryuichi got his 'na no da' and
Kuma-chan. About your brothers… I only have two brothers and they
are 11 and 9 years older than me. But those two are spoiled, and love
to spoil me as well. Heh!
Bram: Glad that you waited
anyways. If they eat my soul, than I won't be able to write anymore
cuz I'm dead. Mwahahahah!
ichigo-chan: In certain Cyber
Cafes, you get privacy and silence. But in some, you get massive
headache and recurring migraine. In my case, it's the second one.
Poor me, huh? Yeah, I love Aoshi!
Hyper Chef: Yep, I wanna
see Grovelling!Tohma!
B Wanted: You're not a baka!
You're not! Aoshi is not a bad guy. More will be revealed
soon.
MonkeyGurL: I'm dying to get to that part two but
this just need to be written.
Fuyuko-chan: LOL!
i
love athrun: As always, enjoy this new chapter!
sakurastar-63:
Arigatou!
beyblade-athene: Because I could (Wow, I say that
a lot) Me loves Shu and Ryu too!
Lady of Castillo:
Original plot lines? Yay to me! Yep, we really need a nice Tohma
sometimes.
otherworld: And I hope you'll keep enjoying
it.
A dose of giggles and a
squeeze of cruelty in
TRACK 12: COLD HEARTS
"No, Shuichi, that's not it," Aoshi told the eleven-year-old Shuichi the errors in his new lyric and how to fix it to match the melody. Shuichi was learning fast. His music and art lesson miraculously did not affect the boy's studies. Aoshi himself was studying in Tokyo University of Art and Music. He took the off-campus course to take care of his sick mother. It was easier for him to tutor Shuichi too. He just loved spending time with the cheerful boy. The past four years of teaching Shuichi were very much joyful. Shuichi did excellent in everything he did. The boy rarely grumbled too. But this time, it was slightly different. Aoshi had asked him to write about the rain, mainly because it was currently raining outside. According to the good-looking tutor, rainy days made good inspirations for literary works. "Nee, Aoshi-sensei… I don't think this is working, no da. How do I write a whole song based on the rain?" Instead of scowling like most teachers did, Aoshi simply smiled. "Okay, close your eyes."
"Pardon?"
"Close your eyes, Shuichi. C'mon, just do it."
Shuichi did as he was told. Kumagorou was perched on his head, smiling its usual smile. "What do I do now, Sensei?"
"Okay, now tell me what you hear."
Shuichi's frown deepened. "I only hear the rain."
"Be more specific, Shuichi. Tell me everything you hear, feel, and sense. Now, let's try again."
Shuichi was so tempted to just open his eyes and give up. He heard the rain. What else could he say? Even without opening his eyes, the boy knew his tutor was staring at him, waiting for his next words. What did Aoshi mean by 'hear', 'feel' and 'sense'? He pondered this for a while before realisation kicked in. He knew what he had to do!
"I hear the rain hitting the roof. There's sound of rain beating the ground. I hear the clashing of leaves on the trees where raindrops hit. I hear the water running in drains."
Aoshi nodded his head although he knew Shuichi couldn't see him. "Very good. What else?"
"I smell the sharp scent of rain. I feel the chill of the atmosphere. I sense the humidity in the air. I hear hurried footsteps on the road. I hear the roaring thunder."
"Excellent, Shuichi. Now, open your eyes."
Shuichi opened his eyes and let Aoshi led him to the balcony. He shivered as the cold air hit his skin. Aoshi's hands on his shoulders comforted him. "Look around, Shuichi. What do you see?"
Just then, a streak of lightning flashed in the distance, followed by the grumbling of clouds. Shuichi took a deep breath and observed the view around him. "I see the dark sky, the sky looks like it's weeping. I see the ripples of water in small puddles on the ground. I see bright flash of lightning illuminating the sky every once in a while. I see people walking and running in a hurry to find shelter from the rain." The list of things he saw went on until Aoshi told him to stop. "You did well, Shuichi. Do you know why I asked you to do that?"
Shuichi shook his head, still not understanding the real reason. Still, he was glad that Aoshi was satisfied with his efforts. The older man led the boy back into the house, both of them sat down on the cream coloured sofa there. "When you write, Shuichi, you shouldn't only use your brain. You must use your heart and senses as well. You have to use your five senses altogether to produce an astounding art. Your eyes, ears and skin play the biggest part out of the five senses. A combination of them in your works creates more realistic, heartfelt sceneries. Your imagination alone is not enough to serve as the pillars of strength for your works. The clue is: wake your senses up."
It took Shuichi a while to process the whole thing Aoshi told him. Eventually, he understood. Aoshi wanted him to use his senses to describe what happened around him so the event could appear to be more sensible. He could create a whole new dictionary of metaphors for himself. "I understand now, Aoshi-sensei. Say, what do you think about these lines, Aoshi-sensei? 'It rains here in my lonely heart, enveloping my tortured soul, with this chilling air tearing me apart, no arms to wrap around me when I'm cold'."
"Hmm… Depressed, yet fitting. You're an extremely fast learner, Kawaii-chan."
Shuichi giggled. "Na no da! You think I could finish them and show the finished piece to Ryuichi-oniichan, Sensei?"
Aoshi ruffled the boy's hair lovingly. "He'd be jealous."
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Shuichi opened the door to Aoshi's house with caution. The older man's mother was still in the hospital so Aoshi was alone in the house. Shuichi was glad his Aoshi-sensei gave him a key to the house.
"Aoshi-sensei! Aoshi-sensei!" Shuichi called out for his tutor gleefully. He'd completed four lyrics and was eager to hear Aoshi's views on them. Shuichi looked all around for the brown haired man but found no trace of him. Finally, he decided to check Aoshi's study. The words he was about to shout died in his throat at the sight that greeted him. On the sofa next to the study table, Shindou Aoshi slept soundly. Soft breeze from the open window played with his chestnut locks. His mouth was slightly open and his eyes tightly shut. He looked so much at peace. Shuichi looked at all those papers on Aoshi's table and found them to be some kind of essays. 'Hmm… Aoshi-sensei had been doing his homework. He must be really tired,' thought the young boy.
He padded out of the study towards Aoshi's bedroom to retrieve a blanket. He spread the blanket over the sleeping figure with care so Aoshi wouldn't wake up. The action caused Aoshi to stir but did not wake. For a moment, Shuichi stood there staring at Aoshi, not saying anything. The guy looked so peaceful… Shuichi blushed. He always had these strange feelings when it came to Aoshi. It took him a while to know that he actually had a crush on his own tutor! While he knew having a crush on another male was wrong, he couldn't help it. He was… drawn.
And Aoshi's lips looked so enticing.
Shuichi could hear his heart thumping in his chest as he slowly bent down. His tentative lips closed over Aoshi's tenderly for one perfect moment. When Shuichi broke the kiss, Aoshi rolled to his side and mumbled incoherently. By then, Shuichi was as red as ripe cherries. He hugged Kumagorou close as he grinned and giggled gleefully. 'Eep! I kissed Aoshi-sensei!' His heart squealed with joy. He did it! He kissed Aoshi!
And he really, really liked it.
Still giggling, Shuichi left his lyrics on Aoshi's table. He wrote a note on a crumpled piece of paper:
Aoshi-sensei,
I was here earlier but I didn't want to disturb you. You look so tired and I figured you could use some sleep. Here are four new lyrics I wrote the other day. Hope you'll like it. See you tomorrow, Sensei!
Love,
S.
Shuichi.
Shuichi giggled some more at the word 'love' and left quietly.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o- Time flew by…
Ryuichi, Tohma and Noriko were more than a little exhausted from the five-hour concert. Contrary to popular beliefs, being under the spotlight was no fun. Ryuichi sometimes envied Tohma and Noriko. Those two didn't have to sing and dance like he did. He and Tohma were about to fall asleep in their room when Tohma's cell phone rang. Ryuichi had switched his phone off. "Get the phone, Tohma. Maybe it's from that girl you're seeing." Tohma rolled his eyes as he reached for the phone. "When are you going to remember that her name is Mika? And " Tohma's words came to a halt when he looked at the name flashing on the LCD: Sakuma Residence.
"It's from your home."
Ryuichi sat up straight in a blink as Tohma answered the call. Their blood ran cold at the shrill cry of Sakuma Natsumi on the other side of the phone. Tohma immediately switched to speakerphone mode. "Tohma! Is Ryuichi with you?"
"I'm here, Okaa-san. What's happened?" Ryuichi didn't like the panic in his mother's voice.
"It's your father. Oh, Ryuichi! Someone's beaten him!"
"WHAT !"
"I don't really know what's going on. Murakami-san, Koori and Akai are taking the case. Your father is in the operation room now."
"Okaa-san, stay there with everyone, okay? Is Shuichi there too?"
"Yes, he cried himself to sleep."
Ryuichi and Tohma thanked God silently. "I'm taking the flight home right now. Wait for me there, okay?"
"O… okay. Just be careful, Ryu-chan."
"I will, Okaa-san. I'll see you there."
Tohma refused to wait there so he followed Ryuichi. On their hurry to the airport, the extremely famous celebrities almost knocked their poor, clueless manager down the stairs. They hastily apologised and left, promising to explain everything later.
Meanwhile, Akai was taking care of a sleeping Shuichi while his father, Murakami dealt with his aunt. Koori had gone back to the headquarters to retrieve his laptop. The little boy was still sniffling even in his sleep and Akai hated the ones who attacked his uncle even more. When Ryuichi and Tohma arrived, Sakuma Kenichi was already put in a private ward and his condition was stable enough. The man earned many stitches for his bruises though. Murakami, although retiring in a couple of years, was still full of energy. He simply refused to let his subordinates handle the case. Kenichi was a close family member, after all. They suspected the mastermind to be the rival company to Sakuma Holding and Enterprises – Shouko Enterprises. Over the years, Shouko Enterprises' finance and profit had been going downhill. Sakuma Enterprises and Seguchi Enterprises were more dominant in the industry.
The President, Shouko Jun, was rumoured to be utterly resentful towards Kenichi because the latter's company was trusted with more projects. Jun's wife had committed suicide for unknown reasons but they said it had to do with Jun's habbit of getting drunk as a means of escaping his problem. It was possible that the man was the one who sent his minions after Kenichi. It was only then that Natsumi told them that Kenichi received a few threats in the past couple of months. Murakami, Koori and Akai went over the notes bearing the threats and decided it was best for the Sakumas to go into hiding. The other Tenshis and Hinos were very upset at this. Only Murakami, Akai, Koori, Kenichi, Natsumi, Ryuichi, Tohma, Shuichi and and the workers of the Sakuma residence knew of the Sakumas' new abode. It was a secluded mansion in the middle of a forest. Being in hiding, however, did not stop Shuichi from continuing his lessons with Aoshi. It did not interfere with Ryuichi's career as well.
"You're living in a mansion in the middle of that eerie forest?" Aoshi asked incredulously as he put his cup down onto the coffee table. Shuichi couldn't help but tell Aoshi where they lived. He just couldn't hide anything from the man. "Hai, Aoshi-sensei. It was kind of eerie at night but we have to. I miss my old house, na no da…" Aoshi winced at the sad look on Shuichi's face. He pulled the adorable boy into his embrace. "Don't be sad, Shu-chan. Things will get a lot better soon."
Shuichi sighed. He took relish in the comfort of Aoshi's arms. "I shouldn't be telling you about my new place. Murakami-ojiisan said it could endanger us. Even the workers at our house aren't allowed to go out for the time being. You'll never repeat what I told you to anyone, right, Aoshi-sensei?" At that same exact moment, a horn sounded from the outside. It was Tohma, who had promised to pick Shuichi up from Aoshi's house earlier that day. Aoshi smiled reassuringly and swore never to tell anyone about the Sakumas' whereabouts. Shuichi broke free from his tutor's comforting embrace and kissed the man squarely on the lips. "Thank you, Aoshi-sensei! I'll see you later!"
As Shuichi left, Aoshi wondered why his lips tingled.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
A few months passed. Shuichi was happily making his way to Aoshi's house when his cell phone rang. The cell phone was a gift from Aoshi for winning an online poetry writing competition. The man also brought him to the amusement park where Shuichi had a crap load of fun the whole day. Really, even if Aoshi had brought him to the library, he would still be happy as long as he was with the older man. Shuichi joyfully answered the phone but kept his voice low so he would not be recognised. His family was still in hiding, anyway.
"Shuichi? Shuichi, wherever you are, don't come home yet!" came his mother's voice. She sounded frantic, much like the time when she called Tohma the previous year. Shuichi frowned. "Okaa-san, are you okay?"
"You must hide, Shuichi! Don't let them find you! Someone's revealed our location! You – "
The line went dead. "Okaa-san? Okaa-san! Hello?" What did his mother just say? Someone revealed their location to their enemy? But everyone who knew of their hideout was their workers, Tohma, Akai, Koori and Murakami. They would never expose them, would they? No one else knew and… Shuichi visibly paled. 'No, it couldn't be. No, not him. Not him!' He ran faster to Aoshi's house. He knew he ought to go home and find out what was wrong there but he needed to talk to Aoshi. He hoped his thoughts were wrong. There was no way his beloved Sensei would betray them…
…Or would he?
No, Aoshi swore to him.
Unlocking the door to Aoshi's house, Shuichi was greeted by a sight he wished he never saw in the living room "A… Aoshi-sensei?"
Broken bottles were scattered around the room. Aoshi himself stood with a bottle in his hand. Shuichi's mind registered one thing: Shindou Aoshi was drunk. Very drunk. The man smirked when he saw Shuichi standing there. "Ah, if it isn't my Kawaii-chan… (hiccup) Shouldn't you be at home, hmm? (hiccup) I believe you should be having a few guests over right now."
Shuichi frowned. What was Aoshi saying? Why would he be having a few guests over at home? Who – No… It couldn't be. "Aoshi-sensei… Did you tell anyone about our… location." Aoshi laughed eerily and took a swig out of his bottle. "Maybe." Shuichi gasped and took a step back. At first, there was disbelief. Then, there was sadness and next, rage took over.
"We trusted you, Aoshi-sensei! I trusted you! How could you!" Shuichi shouted, enraged. Aoshi laughed, throwing the bottle in his hand across the living room and watched as it shattered. He took a few steps forward to the fuming Shuichi. "Aw, c'mon Shuichi. What harm would it bring?"
"You knew my family is in danger and you spill our secret to our enemy! Why?" Aoshi laughed again. He didn't answer the boy but Shuichi's eyes widened as he scanned the room. A few 10000 Yen notes were scattered around the room, as if they were thrown around by careless hands. Aoshi, still laughing, collapsed onto the floor. Shuichi couldn't believe his eyes.
"Aoshi-sensei…You… The money… Damn you! We trusted you, we loved you. But you.. You… YOU SOLD US!" The boy kicked the laughing man with all his might and ran out in angry tears. He had to get to his house – fast!
It was his fault.
He was the one who told Aoshi.
And Aoshi told their enemy.
It was his fault.
HIS fault.
"Please, let minna-san be safe!" He ignored Aoshi's drunken yelling of his name and continued running.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Ryuichi and Tohma shouted contentedly as the show ended. Nittle Grasper was invited as a special guest in a Korean show. The two friends couldn't wait to go home again. They missed their Shuichi dearly. "Oi, Ryu, why don't you call your mom and tell her we'll be coming home early? Maybe she could make that delicious spaghetti again, hmm?"
"Bright idea, Tohma. I'll call her now. We're not supposed to be home until tomorrow. I bet she'll be thrilled."
Ryuichi waited until someone answered the call. He was about to say 'hello' when noises he did not expect filled his ear.
Tohma raised an eyebrow at Ryuichi's expression. "What is it, Ryu?"
"… Kami-sama… No…"
Tohma snatched the phone and turned the speakerphone mode on. He was more than shocked to hear the sounds coming from the phone.
To Be Continued in Track 13: Broken Wings
The next chapter is 'The Bloodbath' tragedy. Better brace yourself now. When I'm finished with this flashbacks, I'm going to find more victims (after Ryuichi and Hiro) to torture poor Shuichi. Mwahaha! And oh, Aoshi will give his accounts later. These people didn't know the real story yet. For some extras, check out my LJ!
I think this chapter sucks. Maybe I'll edit it later. For now, please review! I'm off to work on the fourth chapter of Solitude Chronicles.
