Don't worry, I'll definitely try to do more YukiShu towards the back. Bear with the angst for now… Lol… XD I wonder if I need to change the rating of this fic when I add the lemon in. Hmm…
I like to see Yuki get jealous and hurt once in a while. I mean, how many times had Shuichi gone through that? Even now, Shu's still suffering. And, Yuki getting hurt means that he cares… I love that!
Hmm… I wanna write a dark, gloomy, morbid, sad, crazy fic. Argh… I'm a sadist! Haha! And I wanna write fics that uses first person narrative… meaning that you see things happening from one person's point of view. All his thoughts and feelings and words… I think that such fics are so interesting! But then, there are two main characters in Gravitation. Who should I choose as my first person narrator then?
Well, I've got to wait for my exams to be over before I do anything. Sigh… exams… sigh. I won't be updating so soon 'cause of exams.
Some particular reviews that I'd like to answer:
Oolong cha: Yes, Akiha in this story is modeled after the Akiha in Hana Kimi. I love Akiha because he's so crazy and cute! But I like the sensei more! What's his name?
Destiny: Thanks for the correction! I wonder why MS Word doesn't correct my spelling. Grr…
Wonderful Teru: Thanks for your long review! I agree that Akiha and Atsushi are nice. About Yuki and Shu, my lemon scene is coming out in chapter 18. I'll try to make it as hot as I can, but honestly, it's my first time writing a lemon scene and well… I may not do a good job of it. Haha! I'm not a lemony writer, but I'll try my best!
Invader Nicole: I'm sorry! Hope that I didn't reply late! Go ahead and use it! I would love to see how the photo turns out too. Hee…
Blah: Sorry, but I don't understand your review. "Mou ichi do" is Japanese, meaning "One more time".
Anime Ambreen and Poke' Maniac: I agree that some parts are a lil' weird. Sometimes, I'm so desperate to force my ideas to link. But, hope you continue reading!
To those who absolutely hates Miyabi: Well, the only reason she's out to harm Yuki is that she's jealous of his achievements. Yeah, just continue hating her. She's a bitch.
To the rest of my reviewers: Thanks for all the reviews! Thanks for reading! I'm so glad you guys like this! xoxo I hope that you guys don't feel left out that I did not answer your reviews individually. It's just that if I were to do that, we'll never get to the chapter. Haha! But, I really appreciate all your reviews! They keep me going! Doumo arigatou gozaimasu!
Original Work: グラビテ－シュン（村上真紀）
DISCLAIMER: Gravitation does not belong to me.
MOU ICHI DO
もう一度
Chapter 15 – Misunderstood
Tohma's heart almost ceased beating as he stared at the note in fear and disbelief.
"Seguchi-san,
Yuki is in danger. I'm quite certain that Tanaka Miyabi, the new novelist, had met up with Aizawa Taki to pry some information out of him, and she had gotten news of the events that had happened in New York. I overheard her saying that she'll be meeting Sawada Izumi of J-Works Media in the evening to broadcast all the information she had collected about Yuki's past, his life, his secret and everything. I hope that you would be able to read this message on time and help Yuki. Although I'm not entirely sure of the situation, it would be best if you'd check it out. - Shuichi"
"Tohma… what's wrong?" Mika's forehead creased in worry as she watched the expression change on her husband's face.
"Eiri-san…" Tohma narrowed his eyes, livid.
Mika widened her eyes in shock. That look… he looks like he's about to kill someone. "Did something happen to Eiri!"
She grew impatient and annoyed when Tohma didn't answer her, and so, snatched the note from his hand. This seemed to snap Tohma out of his stupor. He rushed to the phone and started making calls.
"What's this?" Mika's voice dropped to an anxious whisper as fear overshadowed her. "Shuichi left a note? Eiri's in danger? What does this means!"
Mika watched apprehensively as Tohma frowned while talking on the phone. After what seemed like eternity, he replaced the phone onto the receiver. "So? What's going on exactly? Is Eiri ok? You can settle everything right? Tohma! Say something!"
"Eiri-san is fine… I've called him to come over now. It seems like someone thwarted that woman's plans. And from what I was told, that person seems to be-" A few knocks on the door interrupted Tohma, and both husband and wife turned to eye the door just as it swung on its hinges, opening slowly. "Shindou-san…!"
"Shuichi?" Mika looked even more confused now. "Why are you here?"
"Ah… Seguchi-san, Mika-san, I'm sorry, but your secretary wasn't at her seat, so forgive me for intruding so suddenly without any notice…" Shuichi gave a small, embarrassed smile. His voice was strangely hoarse. He was leaning against the door, as though too weak to stand on his own.
"There's no need to apologize. We were just about to get to you. I'm so sorry, I was caught up with work earlier, and after that I had to accompany Mika-san to the hospital, and so my mobile phone was switched off."
Shuichi looked down onto the floor. "I see… but it's ok now…" He looked up uncertainly and started towards his former boss. "Here…"
He held out a big brown envelope that contained all the gathered materials of Yuki, including photographs and everything else. "I got these back, but I guess you'll have to trace the photographer for the films and negatives. I think he's called Hideaki or something…"
For a few moments, all Tohma did was to stare at Shuichi, as if searching for something within those violet orbs. Finally, he reached out and accepted the envelope when Shuichi, sensing something amiss, avoided further eye contact. Skimming through the contents of the envelope, a quiet mountain of rage grew stealthily in Tohma. All hell's gonna break lose. Soon.
Mika too, had been peering over Tohma's shoulders for a view of the huge pile of photographs, scribbled notes, cassette tapes and so on. "Wait… does this mean that the person who had ruined that woman's plan to help Eiri is… you?" She turned to regard Shuichi with shock and suspicion. (Suspecting that Shuichi still loves Yuki.)
"I was told that you made a deal with Sawada to appear and sing on his show in exchange for these…" Tohma frowned. "But I thought you didn't want to sing anymore..."
"Yes… but I…" He trailed off and frowned, before bursting out in anxiety. "How did you know about the deal? If you've heard of it, does that mean that there're rumors like that going around? What if the truth about this whole matter, the deal and Yuki's past and all, managed to leak out still? Is Yuki still in danger!"
Tohma gave a creepy smile and casually threw the envelope, along with its contents, onto his desk. "Don't worry, I got that information from a trusted someone… maybe you could call him a spy I sent to work under Sawada ever since that bastard placed his attention on Eiri-san. Anyway, I will make sure this stays between us and Sawada, or else… It also seems like Tanaka-san needs to be given a warning, along with Aizawa-san. There's always a price to pay if they want to fool around."
Shuichi gulped nervously, even though he was relieved. I just remembered that this man isn't someone you can mess around with. He's scary…
"You got to speak to Eiri about this too. If only he would stop fooling around so much too…" Mika sighed. "Is he really coming now? Seriously, he has to know when to cut down on having 'fun'. Doing whatever he likes without restrain will cause more problems like this to appear…"
"He said that he was on the way."
Shuichi stiffened as he heard that. Yuki's coming? When had I last seen Yuki? Ah, the typhoon… right. It had been so awkward then. Shit. There's no way I can face him now. Especially after singing that song…
At that, he snapped out of his daze. "If there's nothing else, I should be going. Akiha's waiting for me in the car." He turned to leave.
"Shindou-san, wait!" Tohma called out after the boy. A question hung at the tip of his tongue as he recalled:
"Don't tell me what to do. And besides, it's kinda late for that. That stupid brat is in my house right now. In fact, he has been here since yesterday afternoon."
"How did you know about the deal? If you've heard of it, does that mean that there're rumors like that going around? What if the truth about this whole matter, the deal and Yuki's past and all, managed to leak out still? Is Yuki still in danger!"
"Why?"
Shuichi paused at the door and mumbled softly, feigning innocence. "Why what?"
"Why… did you go to such an extent to help Eiri-san?"
Both Tohma and Mika waited for an answer from Shuichi, but the boy appeared to be waiting for an answer himself too. All three of them held their breath unknowingly as the silence weighed down on them.
"Because it's only right to help a friend." The answer was clear and simple, yet it possibly harbored more than that. He took a step out of the office. "Oh, Seguchi-san? Please don't mention this to Yuki."
Catching a glimpse of the doubtful looks on the married couple's faces, he gave a faint smile and continued. "Don't worry. I don't want to complicate matters too." His voice dropped to a whisper, yet loud enough for them to hear. "I understand that we can never return to the past." And with that, he left.
As he neared the elevators, he shook his head to clear his mind off the events that had just taken place, breathing a sigh of relief mentally. I guess everything is fine now… Seguchi-san will settle the rest. I seriously hope that they don't misunderstand anything though… He pressed the button and waited. But what do I mean by 'misunderstand'? I know what they're thinking… about me and Yuki and all. But is it really just a misunderstanding? Or do I really feel that way…?
Ding. The elevator sounded as it reached the 20th storey, and to his shock and despair, the doors opened to reveal a familiar figure.
Yuki…
Unwittingly, he drew in a sharp intake of breathe. His heart plummeted as he met those usually alluring cat-like eyes, and a prickling, uncomfortable sensation crept into him. Those eyes were cold and hard, tinged with detest and anger. Wordlessly, the novelist brushed past him as if he was not there, as if he was nothing.
…Too worthless to be acknowledged.
Shuichi stood paralyzed in the same spot for what seemed like eternity, even after Yuki was out of sight. When Yuki stepped pass him, everything had turned numb. There was absolutely nothing in him - feelings, thoughts and all. But as the numbness passed, and waves of anguish, disappointment came crashing down on him, he had to lean against the wall for support. It was almost too much to bear.
A wave of nausea hit him as he stumbled into the elevator unsteadily, desperate to run away… far away from Yuki, far away from those cutting thoughts that were haunting him.
Again, he's ignoring me. How many times has that happened in the past? How many times have I cried due to that? But the pain refuses to go away. The pain will not go away… for I know he'll carry on doing that. To him, I'm always so insignificant.
xXx xXx
Shuichi laid on his bed, hidden completely under the covers, in a fetal position. Dark rings encircled his eyes as he continued staring blankly into space, unmoving. He had not slept a wink ever since that encounter with Yuki at the elevators. That scene had been playing in his mind repeatedly throughout the whole night, until his brain just couldn't take it anymore and blanked out, leaving him in a state of hollowness and paralysis.
Just then, the door of his hotel room clicked opened.
"Shu-chan…" A soft, inquiring voice called out. "Why are you still in bed! I rang the bell countless times and knocked on the door repeatedly, but there was no answer. Do you know how worried I was? Come on, get up! Oniichan, Akiha, and Jun have been out since early morning to god knows where. It's just the two of us left. Why don't we go out and have fun today? Get up, get up, get up!"
Shuichi heard the curtains being drawn open.
"Shu-chan!" A pause. "Shu-chan… Are you feeling unwell? There's something not quite right with you since last night. Was it because you sang 'live' on TV last night? I'm so sorry for not helping you, even though I overheard that conversation about Yuki-san too…" Haruko pulled the covers off Shuichi, who began showing some signs of life as he looked up at her. "You can talk to me… don't bottle up everything. Let me help you…"
She flopped down onto the bed beside the boy and leaned in to kiss him on the cheek, trailing on to his lips, while wrapping her hands around his neck. Shuichi responded to the kiss, and somehow managed to flip on top of Haruko as their kiss deepened. They only parted when forced to catch their breath. As they realized the awkward position they were in, both blushed.
What am I doing! This is so embarrassing… Is it the aftermath of the encounter with Yuki? Or am I really that sexually-deprived? Urgh… Come to think of it, this is weird… Haruko's a girl… Wait. It's only supposed to be weird if two people of the same sex make out. Shit. What's wrong with me! But… I've never been on the top before… ARGH! WHY AM I EVEN THINKING SUCH THOUGHTS!
"What thoughts?" Haruko whispered, blushing even more furiously.
"Huh?" And when he realized that he had voiced out the last line of his thought, Shuichi's blush deepened too. "Nothing! Honestly, nothing!" He scrambled to get off Haruko, but the girl held onto his arm.
"Shu-chan, do you remember… what we talked about before coming to Japan?" She turned to the side shyly, avoiding Shuichi's eyes.
"Huh?" Shuichi blinked, clueless.
"You know… what we mentioned to otousan…"
Realization hit him. He blushed.
"Er… yeah…"
"Are you still serious about it?"
Shuichi bit his lip. Am I serious about it? Truth to be told, I was never sure of it… A flashback of yesterday's events assaulted him. Yuki hates me. I could see it in his eyes. He hates me. He detests me totally.
He smiled (a little sadly). "Yes, I'm sure." Am I doing this only because of what happened with Yuki? ...No. It can't be. I love Haruko. "And you?"
"Wha-what are you saying?" Haruko babbled nervously. "Of course I am!" She blushed yet again. "Don't you think I should meet your parents then? Maybe we can hold a party here… I mean, it's impossible for your family and all your friends to fly all the way to America..."
Shuichi frowned thoughtfully. "That's true. I bet Hiro and the rest of them will never stop laughing and teasing me when I tell them that we're getting engaged." He paused and bent down placed a quick, chaste kiss on Haruko's lips. "Er… didn't you say you wanted to go out? I'll go wash up and change now. Why don't you wait for me at the lobby or something? I'll be down right away!"
"Yeah, sure! I'll wait for you at the lobby…" Haruko stuttered and smiled shyly before she left.
Phew… that was so… embarrassing. Getting engaged? Me? It sounds like a dream… yet it's a dream that I've never dreamt of before. My dreams had always been of a certain someone I could never have…
In a flash, he had brushed his teeth and changed into jeans and a casual blue T-shirt with a black jacket over it. It was awkward when they met again in the lobby, but this was quickly forgotten as they went through the day, shopping, playing around, eating, catching a movie, holding hands, and everything else fun.
xXx xXx
Yuki tapped his cigarette against the edge of the ashtray, mindlessly flicking from channel to channel using the remote control. He recalled what Tohma had said the night before, about Tanaka Miyabi and her silly plot.
That bitch…
A flash of light brown hair and violet eyes intruded his thoughts.
Bitch huh?
The boy standing on the tips of his toes, reaching up to kiss a certain platinum blonde.
Damn.
The doorbell rang, cutting into his thoughts. Assuming that it was Tohma or Mika, he ignored it, hoping that whoever that was, he or she would leave soon. But luck wasn't on his side. The bell continued ringing with increasing urgency.
Finally, deciding that it was better to settle it once and for all, he got up and flung the door open; ready to snap the party's head off.
And boy, he almost carried out that intention when he realized exactly who was at his door.
Tanaka Miyabi.
"Damn you, Yuki Eiri. You fucking bastard!" She caught the collar of Yuki's shirt in a death grip and glared at him venomously. "I can't believe you got away with it! And how dare you pull that shit on me! Getting publishers to drop my works! What right do you have to do that! Your novels are the ones that are polluting the world. They're a useless bunch of crap! So how dare you try to stop me from writing! You-"
Enough was enough.
Yuki slapped her hands away and gripped her wrists tightly, matching her glare with much more intensity. "Are you finished? I'm in no mood to deal with sluts right now, so leave before you piss me off any further. I've got no interest in your life, your career, and your problems. You were the one who started all this, so there's no point crying now. Brainless bitch."
She struggled for release from his grip. "I know everything about you. You're a murderer. Nothing more than that. You don't even have the right to live in this world. Don't think I'm going to give up just like that. That cheap slut actually managed to save you this time. I'm going to make sure that he isn't around to save you the second time. I'm going to show him that he'll pay for poking his nose into matters that do not concern him."
Yuki grabbed a fistful of hair at the back of Miyabi's head and pulled hard, forcing her to look up at him. "One advice, whore… you'll pay for messing with him and me too." And with that, he pushed her out mercilessly and slammed the door close, looking as if he could kill someone right then and there.
Stupid slut. There'll be hell to pay if you continue to mess with Tohma.
xXx xXx
Night fell and they were on their way to meet up with the rest – Akiha, Tsuyoshi, and Jun.
"Argh… I just realized I left my mobile phone back in my hotel room. Did you bring yours?" Shuichi asked.
Haruko frowned and searched her pockets and her bag. "Shit. I don't remember where I left it."
Shuichi stopped in his tracks. "Then how are we going to contact Akiha? Do you know where to meet them?"
"Yeah… Oniichan had to meet up with Seguchi-san to discuss some matters. Otousan called earlier this morning. So we're meeting them at NG Productions."
"WHAT!"
Haruko jumped at the sudden exclamation. "Is something wrong with that?"
"N-no… I'm sorry. I'm just a little taken aback. I mean… I didn't know Miyamoto-ojisan called… Let's get going then." Shuichi reached out for Haruko's hand to lead her on. There's no way I can enter that building after what happened last night. Nevermind… I'll just get Haruko to inform Akiha while I wait at the entrance. Damn. This sucks.
He was pulled back abruptly.
"Haruko?" He followed Haruko's gaze and realized that she was staring at a majestic building that they just happened to be walking by.
It was the newly built NG Productions branch building that was not officially opened yet even though it was perfectly ready for use. The opening ceremony will only take place next month, where half of NG's workers and artistes will be stationed there. Although it was known as the branch office, it actually offers larger recording studios, new equipment, and many other new facilities, including an indoor concert hall. It was also modeled like a private apartment instead of an office building, being bounded by walls, with a main gate where the security guardhouse was present. Furthermore, it was quite close to the main NG building for convenience's sake (so that Tohma could move from one building to another in approximately 5 minutes by car, and 20 minutes by foot. Hee.)
"Ne, Shu-chan… Let's go in and have a look."
Shuichi turned to regard Haruko with utter disbelief. "What! What for? It's not officially opened."
"But we won't be here for the opening ceremony, and that means we don't get to see what it's like until the next time we're here in Japan. And that might mean months or even years!"
"But why must you insist on checking it out?"
"I don't know. Just to have a look around. I wonder what it looks like inside… with the new facilities and all. Maybe Miyamoto Works can make use of the same design!"
Shuichi stared at her in exasperation. "But it's already so late. Can't we come back another time during the day?"
"Oh, come on, Shu-chan! Since we're already here, might as well go in now…" Haruko made her way to the entrance, without waiting for Shuichi's consent.
"What are you guys doing here? This isn't a place for kids to have fun. Now, leave." A security guard stepped up in front of the couple, preventing them from entering any further.
Haruko jabbed Shuichi in the chest with her elbow, who winced mentally before slipping off his sunglasses (used to conceal his identity).
"Sorry, I'm Shindou Shuichi, and this is my girlfriend, Miyamoto Haruko. We're friends of Seguchi-san… in fact, I used to work for him. Do you remember?" Shuichi smiled nervously.
The guard frowned. "I'm not interested in playing games with you. Now, leave before I force you to."
"Hey, Ishi! What's going on!" A younger guard came jogging towards them.
"This kid here claims to be Seguchi-san's friend, and he wants to enter the building…"
The young guard turned to regard Shuichi and Haruko. His eyes widened in shock.
Ah… he recognizes me…
"You're Shindou Shuichi, aren't you! Oh my god… It's a pleasure to meet you in person!" He grabbed Shuichi's hand and starting shaking it vigorously. "My sister is a huge fan of yours! And frankly speaking, I love your songs too! You're a model now eh? We were so sad when you quit Bad Luck. But we're still fans of yours! The photographs of you at the exhibition were so lovely!"
Shuichi laughed and thanked the guard, trying to be polite. When is he ever going to stop! "I'm really grateful for your support… er…"
"You can call me Kyo! And this is my partner, Ishi. There's another pair of guard patrolling the area too…"
"…Kyo-san. You see, we would like to go in and have a look. Truth to be told, we won't be able to attend the opening ceremony as we're returning to America soon. But, Seguchi-san said that we could have a look around whenever we want (which was a lie… actually), and we just happened to pass by… is it convenient to go in and have a little tour around? I know it's late and all, but…"
"Of course it's ok! If Seguchi-san said it's ok, then go ahead!" Kyo turned to Ishi. "Right, Ishi?"
Ishi grunted and walked away, not bothering himself with this matter any further.
Kyo grinned and motioned for Shuichi and Haruko to follow him. "There's no one in there… the cleaners just left. The individual rooms in the building are not locked. The air-con is still working, and I'll get the elevators started for you. But I can only power on the lights for the lower levels. Is that alright for the two of you?"
"Of course. Thanks!"
As they entered the building, and Shuichi felt a surge of excitement welled up inside him. He couldn't wait to see what new facilities this building had in store for them…
"How lucky… they just entered the building and there're only four guards around. We can easily take them out." A guy in the shadows smirked and signaled for the rest to follow him. "Let's go."
xXx tsuzuku xXx
Done at last! I planned to execute plan B in this chapter, but eventually it turned out to be too long, so I decided to split it into 2 chapters instead. Yup, more of Plan B in the next chapter. Hopefully I can get it done soon even though I'm having exams. My exams stretch until the beginning of May… there're many breaks in between papers.
Oh yeah… it's simple to throw all sticky problems to Tohma and get him to settle it. Haha! I don't even need to explain how they managed to get Sawada to keep to his word, or how theytracked downHideaki. "Leave it all to Seguchi Tohma! He'll get it settled the Seguchi Tohma way!" Lol!
See ya guys soon!