Authoress is back, from outer space….. (ahem.)

So, anyways, I ought to be writing a paper right now, but that's just no fun. Throwing my readers a few more curveballs is fun.

I'm glad everyone didn't think last chappie was TOO weird (the sort-of incest, and all) and I'm glad everyone was surprised. At least about Suguru's…erm…. team of choice to bat on. AH, the DRAMA. Read on, faithful readers, read on!

If you're like me, and decide big words are fun, here's a one to add to the vocabulary. 'Ephemeral' means for a markedly brief period of time. Hence the word choice for this particular chapter's title….

Breaking the Tie
Chapter Twelve: Ephemeral Dreams

Gravitation

"Family meeting? Don't fuck with me, dear." Yuki barely looked up from his laptop. Aoyou, standing in the doorway of his office, put her hands on her hips, eyes glinting dangerously.

"If that's the way you'd prefer to spend your evenings." Aoyou responded, voice too-sweet. "Then I won't fuck with you, darling."

Yuki growled in the back of his throat. "Woman…"

Aoyou gave a giggle quite inappropriate for her age. Although, Yuki reflected, she never acted like someone in her late thirties. What, with her too-big sweater that revealed one bare shoulder, and the too-short shorts that were barely visible under the baggy sweater that accentuated all the right curves….

Yuki got up, grumbling. He decided that sex with her (and Shuichi, if the brat wasn't still being an ass, which he was) was more important than his dislike of family meetings.

"I'm only doing this for the fantastic after-family-meeting activities, you know."

"Oh, grow up."

Yuki stopped, leaning against the wall as a thought struck him. "How can we have a family meeting when Toshi isn't home yet?"

"Because, it's about him. Come on. Kitchen. You. Now."

Aoyou smiled thinly as Yuki continued his muttered complaints on his way to the spacious kitchen. She headed upstairs, to where Shuichi was watching old Nittle Grasper videos.

"Shuichi, baby? Family meeting in the kitchen." Aoyou knocked on the lintel, speaking over the blasting music of Love Stuff. Shuichi looked up, frowning.

"Come on, Aoyou, this is a good video!" His voice plainly pleaded, "Don't make me go and face Yuki!"

"And we have a good remote, which will pause it for you, baby." Aoyou said fondly. "Now, come on."

Shuichi reluctantly paused the television, and looked at her pathetically, giving Aoyou the puppy-dog face. She put a hand over her eyes playfully. "No tricks, Shu. Kitchen."

The rock star got to his feet. "Toshi home?"

"Nope." Aoyou kissed him lightly on the cheek. "He's still at Suguru's."

She followed the pink-haired man down the stairs and into the kitchen, where Yuki had already fixed himself a gin and tonic from the bar just inside the adjoining dining room. Shuichi took a seat away from the author, trying hard to look nonchalant.

Aoyou sat down as well, took a deep breath, and-

"Are you pregnant again?" Yuki asked suspiciously. "Because if you are, I need to finish my manuscript to support the little-"

"No." Aoyou said vehemently. "I want to get the DNA test done."

Yuki nearly let go of his gin and tonic glass, and Shuichi sat up straight. "What?"

Aoyou explained patiently. "I was thinking about your argument yesterday, and this morning I went to go see Doctor Umeda-"

"You told me you were going shopping!" Shuichi said, pouting.

Aoyou sighed. "Umeda and I went looking for shoes after we talked at his office, so it was only a half-lie. I'm sorry, but I didn't want you two to worry. But, Umeda says if we go in tonight he can get us the results as early as tomorrow morning,"

"I thought he was a therapist." Yuki said, frowning.

"He is. He knows a guy who knows a guy who can run the tests on the blood samples, he said."

"I'll bet he does." Yuki muttered, and Aoyou shot him a half-amused, half-despairing glance.

"Anyways, Toshi's old enough, and I think the issue is becoming a bigger problem than any of us thought it would be." Aoyou reached out and gently took Shuichi's hand, and rested her other palm on Yuki's forearm. "We're a family either way, though. I hate to see you two fighting, and I've made the executive decision."

"What an American thing t'do." Shuichi teased. Aoyou pinched him, a mock scowl on her face.

"Damn straight." She grinned, but her smile faded quickly. "Now all we have to do is wait for Toshi to come home."

The Monte Carlo pulled right into a driveway as she spoke, the frustrated and hurt teen in question behind the wheel. Only, the driveway was the one leading to Seiya's house, and Toshi had no intention of trying to face his parents in his present state. Even though Suguru freaked him out, Toshi didn't want his mother to drive over and plant her foot in his crotch. He also didn't want Shuichi to immediately and rashly kick Suguru out of Bad Luck. And he certainly didn't want Yuki to go and kill Suguru, bare-handed.

But he needed someone to talk to, and Seiya was always ready to listen, and always ready to tell him his was a dickwad and ought to get over it.

He rang the doorbell, and tried to wipe off his face while the thudding of someone running up the stairs sounded inside. There was a moment of silence, and then Seiya's elder brother pulled the door open.

Over the last four months, Gensei had gotten used to seeing Toshi, so he merely grunted; "She's in her room," and retreated towards the basement, where the sounds of a videogame issued.

"Thanks, Gensei-kun." Toshi was grateful that Gensei didn't inquire about his red eyes and tear-streaked face. He hurried up the stairs and knocked loudly on Seiya's closed door.

"C'mon in!"

Toshi turned the handle and Seiya looked up from the sheet music she had been writing on. "Heya Toshi…… Toshi, what's the matter?"

"I…I really don't know where to start." Toshi said dully.

Seiya shoved the sheet music off of the bed and patted the empty space beside her. "Sit your ass…uh, butt here and spill."

"You have to promise me you won't immediately go and kill somebody, okay?"

"Can't make promises, haven't heard the story, Skippy." Seiya said, eyeing him critically. "Just tell me, kay?"

Toshi sat. "I was at Suguru's, Keyara wasn't home, finished the violin background for Pale Child, Suguru kissed me, Keyara came home and saw, Suguru ran away, Keyara called me a… something bad and told me she loved Suguru like a lover and she pretended I was him when she kissed me."

There was a long stretch of silence.

"I'll fucking kill the fucking both of 'em."

Toshi didn't respond right away, putting his head in his hands, shoulders shaking a little in a dry sob. "I just don't know what to do."

Seiya hesitantly put a hand on her friend's back. "I…really don't know what to tell ya, buddy. Except I'm so, so sorry."

Toshi's words were muffled by his hands. "Sorry to just barge in and-"

"Hey," Seiya nudged Toshi a little, rubbing his back in small circles. "What are band-mates for? Plus, I'm your neighbor, AND your friend, so that's even more points."

"Seiya?"

"Mmm?"

"Thanks."

"No shi- er, no problem."

There was another stretch of silence. Then Seiya spoke again.

"Suguru Fujisaki - your uncle-figure- kissed you?"

"Mmm-hm."

"And Princess wants to bang on her own dad?"

"Mm-hm. Adopted dad."

"Okay, so it's not a totally disgusting display of hellish nasty," Seiya said disdainfully. "But what really pisses me off is that she used you. And told you about it right after he kisses you and you're already messed up!"

Toshi flopped onto his back, arms spread eagle. "I don't know if I'm angry, frustrated, freaked, or devastated the most. I don't even know which one makes me more upset!"

"Does it really matter?"

"No."

"Oh, Toshi," Seiya sighed, "you're too nice to have this happen to you."

"Really? Why don't you give the Fujisaki residence a call and file a complaint?"

"Because I'd end up sayin' stuff that could get me arrested." Seiya giggled a little, and poked Toshi in the side. He squirmed; he was terribly ticklish.

"Stop it! I'm trying to wallow here!" Toshi sat up, glaring half-heartedly at her. Then he crumbled, falling back on the bed, and covering his eyes with his hand. "She told it to my face she pretended I was him!"

Seiya sat quietly, unsure of what to say.

"I'll bet there wasn't even the slightest attraction. I bet she just saw an opportunity and wham!- here I am."

"Who cares if there was no attraction?" Seiya demanded. "Would you feel better if she had liked you a little and still did this to you?"

"Yes." Toshi said softly.

"Yes?-! Why in the hell would that make you feel better?"

"Well…" Toshi continued speaking softly, eyes still covered. "Everyone I know- everyone who lives here, in our private city- knows that both Dad and Father are gay…well, bi, I guess. And I get the feeling sometimes that…that everyone thinks I'm going to be gay too. And now it seems only a guy was attracted to me… I don't know."

"That's true." Seiya said solemnly. "You don't have a single fucking clue of what the hell you're talking about."

"I know it doesn't make sense, but it's the way this whole…piece of shit thing made me feel!"

Seiya reeled back in mock surprise. "A…A swearword? From Toshi Shindou's mouth?-! The sky is falling! The sky is falling!"

"Oh, pipe down."

Seiya scooted back so she could look straight down into Toshi's face. "Listen hard, and don't make me repeat myself 'cause I'm not even sure I wanna be doin' this as is. You can like whoever, whatever you wanna, and if it's girls, so be it. You're the outrageously hott violinist who writes sexy lyrics, and once Protégé is recognized by the masses, you'll have so many groupies one fan club won't be enough. And to prove my point, I won't let the last person to kiss ya be a man."

Toshi moved his palm away from his eyes in time to see Seiya centimeters away from his face. And then, she was on his mouth, massaging his lips in a very Seiya-like way; domineering, forceful, and with flair. Her tongue prodded at his lips and he opened then, mostly in shock. She completely explored his mouth, even engaging his own tongue in a wrestling match. Even more interestingly, she kept changing the angle of the kiss, so that their lips met on different levels of pressure and increased access to one another's mouths was given.

Toshi felt that he should feel more surprise than what he was settling into now- but it felt like the most natural thing in the world to be making out with his best friend right after being kissed by a man and used by his girlfriend. So natural, in fact, he felt it prudent to stroke her cheek, and, after a few more moments, twist and move so he was lying on top of her. He accomplished this with a rather awkward move he could not have achieved with a less-willing make out partner.

Finally, the pesky and persistent need for oxygen pulled them apart, but Seiya broke off with a grand finale; sucking on his lower lip and teasing it slightly before releasing it.

"Wow."

Seiya laughed at Toshi's reaction. "Just wow? I thought I did better than that."

"You've done that before, haven't you?"

"Would you believe me if I said no?"

"No way."

"Way." Seiya said seriously. "I mean, I've kissed before, but all that? Thank your father for me."

"No way."

"Way. I've followed his books religiously for awhile now."

"And you accused me of being pervy!"

"What can I say? I'm a hypocrite." Smiling, Seiya gave him a little peck on the cheek. This galvanized Toshi into action, and he quickly got off.

"Sorry…about the last bit."

"What for? Don't worry about it." Seiya said, sitting up. "But I don't want to be your rebound, so when you can call Keyara a bitch and the spawn of hell and all that good shit I will totally work your tongue out. Deal?"

In response, Toshi hugged her. "Thanks, Sei. For the kiss and the friendship."

She hugged back. "Welcome."

"I gotta go home, my parents are probably freaking out."

"Key. See ya tomorrow?"

"Yes. See you."

Feeling much better, more confused, but still caught between happy, angry, and disappointed, Toshi left, taking his car over one driveway to his own.

End Chapter

Authoress here.

(Giggles) Sorry, but all the readers were rooting for Seiya, so I had to put this bit in. Originally I wasn't going to let there be a thing between Seiya and Toshi, but what the heck?

It's like, two 'o' clock and I'm tired in the hyper way. Wheeee!

Revieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeewwwwwwwwww!