Warnings: READ THESE Yaoi. That means boys having sex together. If you don't like it then why are you reading chapter three of a yaoi/shonen ai story? (Unless you're crazy) There's some Hiro/Suguru fluff in the first part of the chapter then Shuichi angst in the rest.

This chapter contains dead people. If you don't like dead people or funerals or cremation then I don't suggest reading this chapter.

Lots of Shuichi angst and slight suicide references.

Disclaimer: I do not own Gravitation. If I did, Ryu-chan and Tatsuha would be a couple and so would Hiro and Suguru.

Pairings: Eiri/Shuichi, Hiro/Suguru, Ryuichi/Tatsuha, Maiko/class president guy from volume 1-2 of the manga… I don't think he has a name…

Author's Note: My beta quit. If you think it sucks unbetaed, tell me. If you think it's good without a beta tell me as well. (Input is good. As is constructive criticism) My English is not the best at times so forgive me. Sorry it took so long to update. My Internet was down. (It felt like the end of the world) Then I was very dick for a week and a half.

EMAIL ME if you have questions or just want to chat. I'm on msn messenger and aim a lot because my office is lazy and we communicate via messenger or aim. (What a pathetic bunch we are) There's a cultural note at the bottom.

Chapter Three: Thoughts and Funerals

Hiro lay on his couch, head in Suguru's lap. He sighed. "Shuichi's taking this hard." He said randomly.

"You and I both would if our parents died." Suguru commented, "I think it's normal. Shuichi-san always is very emotional. I think he doesn't know how to show his loss emotionally. So he's acting different." His red head lover smiled.

"You're quite the psychologist Suguru." He commented. Placing his hand on the back on the younger teen's neck, Hiro pulled Suguru down so he could kiss him.

When Hiro ran his tongue over the keyboardist's lips, they opened submissively allowing Hiro to ravish his lover's mouth. Suguru moaned and slipped his legs from under Hiro so he could press their bodies closer.

They broke the kiss and Suguru lay on top on Hiro. "I'm glad we get this break. Even though it's for a sad reason." The former remarked, "We've been overworked lately and I'm tired." As if to support his statement, Suguru yawned.

That made Hiro laugh. "I have to agree with you. K-san does overwork us. But we have been slacking off a bit with our single. Shuichi hasn't gotten shot at enough yet. I think his average is 7 times a day."

This statement was accurate. Shuichi had been slacking off on writing lyrics for their single. The only way that K knew how to fix that was to shoot at him with his magnum. Hiro and Suguru made a game out of it. See how many times a day Shuichi gets shot in a week and if the singer beat his previous week's record, Hiro and Suguru got to have some fun… So far the game's high score was 49 times in a week that K had to chase his vocalist around threatening him and waving his gun around while Hiro and Suguru watched, grinning.

Both of the lover's minds wandered. Suguru was drifting off to sleep, resting on Hiro's chest and Hiro was thinking about Shuichi. None of the guitarist's relatives had died recently so he did not know what it was like to spend the night at a funeral home with your parent's bodies. The thought alone made him shudder. That would be one thing that he did not wish to experience so early in life.

"Hiro?" Suguru mumbled, "Something wrong? You shivered."

One thing that Hiro loved about Suguru was the teen's ability to read people's emotions. He could always tell when something was wrong with Hiro.

"Not really. I was just thinking about Shuichi." Hiro replied. He ran his fingers through Suguru's evergreen tresses, playing with each strand. Doing it had an oddly calming effect on both of them.

At the funeral home, people began to arrive again, returning to their seats. As the funeral was much like the wake, Shuichi and Maiko rang the makeshift alter bell and burned three sticks of incense, bowing three times. The guests did so as well after the rest of the family.

The priest presented the deceased with the new names they would be called in the afterlife and then began the sutra. Maiko sat silently crying and wringing her skirt while Shuichi stared straight ahead, trying not to cry along with his sister. Every second was being etched into both of their memories.

Before they knew it, the funeral was over and everyone stood while the casket was moved into the hearse. The guests were bid goodbye and Yuka then drove Shuichi and Maiko to the crematorium behind the hearse.

Once there, the watched the caskets be slipped through the opening. The bodies would be burned to ashes. "You may come back this afternoon or tomorrow." The attendant told them as he locked the opening shut.

"We'll come this afternoon." Shuichi replied. He took the key and slipped it in his pocket. Turning, he motioned to Maiko. "I'll take you back to me and Yuki's."

Maiko nodded and followed him back to Yuka's car. "Oniichan. What's going to happen now?" she asked.

"Now as in right now or now as in the future?" Shuichi asked as they walked across the parking lot, "Well, you're going to continue at university and I'm going to work."

"But are things going to change? I mean for me and you?" Maiko elaborated.

Shuichi paused, thinking. "Not much. We won't be able to go the house once a month for dinner and we're going to have to sell the house. But other then that and wearing black for 49 days, nothing is going to change."

"How are we going to sell a house?"

"I have no clue. But we have to get rid of all the stuff first. I'll ask K-san about the selling part. Maybe one of his gun-toting friends is a real-estate agent."

"I can also ask around Shuichi-kun," Yuka interrupted, "I think one of my co-worker's spouses might sell houses."

"Thank you Aunt Yuka." Shuichi responded with a tired smile, "That would help a lot."

"I might be able to help you clean out the house as well. To figure out what to sell, toss, or keep. You can keep the things you want in storage since I doubt that Maiko-chan has room."

Maiko smiled tiredly as well. "No, I don't. And neither does onnichan."

"I could probably beg Yuki and I could put it in the office or under the bed. But no, I don't have room. Storage is s a good idea though."

The next few minutes were silent. Yuka stopped in front of Shuichi and Yuki's apartment complex. "Call if you need a ride this afternoon," she said, "It would be my pleasure to get to know you two better."

"Thank you, Aunt Yuka, but I think we'll be able to manage. I'll call you about cleaning the house out though. I don't think that Maiko-chan and I can do that by ourselves."

"Alright. But call if you need anything. Sayonara." Yuka pulled away from the curb and drove off. Shuichi turned toward the apartment complex.

Rain began to pour down as the siblings walked inside and waited for the elevator. When it came they rode it to the top floor. "Why are you on the top floor niichan?" Maiko questioned, "And do you live with Yuki-sama?"

Shuichi smiled slightly, "Yes I do live with Yuki and he likes living on the top floor."

He escorted her out of the elevator and unlocked the apartment door. "Do you want anything?" he asked.

"D-do you have tea?" Maiko asked as she sat down on the couch, her body shaking.

"Yah." Shuichi went and prepared (with out explosions or disaster) two mugs of tea then walked back to where Maiko was on the couch and sat next to her. He set the mugs down on the table when he saw the look on his sister's face. "Niichan, I didn't want them to die! I should have died too!" Maiko cried.

She buried her face in her brother's chest and began to sob. Shuichi looked uncomfortable for a moment but then he sighed and hugged her. "Maiko. One thing I'm sure about is that is wasn't your time to die. It was mom and dads. For some reason the gods wanted this to happen. There's a reason for everything and we just don't know the reason why they died." Shuichi explained, "But your name was not in the Kiseki 1. That is one thing I know."

"…I know… But it still…" Maiko managed to say through her tears.

"You have to believe that it's not your fault Maiko-chan." Shuichi ran his fingers through his sister's hair as he hugged her close. He paused for moment, letting his words sink, before speaking again. "But just cry now."

Over the next half an hour, Maiko cried her eyes and her aching heart out and Shuichi sat with her, trying to be the best big brother he could be. Finally Maiko cried herself to sleep. She then slept in her brother's lap, silent tears streaming down her cheeks. It was silent throughout the apartment.

The quiet was broken when Eiri stuck his head out of his office. He took one look at Maiko's sleeping form and Shuichi's distressed face, and walked over, sitting next to Shuichi. The singer sighed. "Sorry about that." He said softly, "I didn't expect her to break down again…" Then he sighed again.

Eiri kissed him softly. "It's alright. She acts just like Tatsuha. I'm used to it." He replied, soft enough so he wouldn't wake the sleeping teen. "I think you handled her well."

Shuichi smiled sadly, "Just as long as she doesn't see me cry… She'll be fine…" he whispered, tears streaming down his face.

Hours later, before Shuichi took Maiko back to the crematorium, they changed into regular black clothes. Maiko wore a black skirt and tank top and Shuichi in jeans and a t-shirt.

Once there, a new assistant opened the entrance and slip the ashes out. The siblings were given wooden chopsticks. Then the assistant put the ashes into the two urns that had been chosen and pointed out the fragments of bones that should be placed in the urn along with the ashes. Shuichi pulled out each fragment with his chopsticks and transferred it to Maiko's. She placed them into the urn. One of the last pieces was the Adam's apple, the most important piece, as it resembled the shape of Buddha, then the fragments of the skull. The attendant placed lids on each urn and wrapped them white cloth.

Maiko returned to the apartment she shared with a girl from her university and Shuichi returned home to Eiri. Both were exhausted physically and mentally…

TBC (After 3 reviews)

Cultural Note:

1 A book that lists the name of the dead. (It's mentioned in Yami no Matsuei. Decedents of Darkness)

Japanese

Oniichan/niichan- older brother

Sayonara- formal way of saying "good bye"

Author's Note: The next chapter might take a bit. I'm kind of lost as to where the plot should go… Thanks to all reviewers!

I've been working on another Gravitation story "Goodbye for now" and I know where that's going to go plot wise, so I might focus on that for a bit. I won't discontinue Tears Like Rain. It'll just be updated a bit less.