Ripples in Red Water
Chapter 4: Luminescence
Part 4
My Present
By: Empathic Soul
Disclaimer: Gravitation is a wonderful anime. It is sadly not mine.
PLEASE READ AT YOUR OWN RISK
Thank you once again to those who reviewed! I really love the reviews! Hehe! Helps me and makes me inspired to write the story again!
Thank you once again! Please read and review and as Ruruouni Sesshouhen remarked: Read with you heart!
Thank you!
Heh, introducing main character number 4! Now onto the drama part, yet again please read at your own risk! Damn, this chapter got me hooked into typing! It was amazing for me because the angst has come back! Therefore a warning is needed
Well, as I said since it's the week of my birthday and today IS my birthday, I won't make you people wait long for the next chapter after such an evil cliffhanger! hehe! So here is the next chapter! Enjoy and by the way, this chapter is high on ANGST!!
BE FOREWARNED: This chapter includes angst, drama, and a little bit of violence! Please do read this with care and understanding. Absorb it so that you would get some of the subtle hints for the plot and do so understand the characters as well. Thank you so much!
A horrible scream brought all their attention back to Shuichi who started to clutch his head tightly. His two hands made it towards his face. He was shouting, shaking his head wildly as if he was trembling in horrible pain. His screams were echoing in the vacant parking lot as he shook and then trembled violently. His body was shaking uncontrollably that his previous wound had opened--currently bleeding. The boy merely screamed louder as the excruciating pain in his head started to get worse.
A blinding pain...
Too painful to even place into words...words strong enough to describe such a feeling...
The more the memories started to flood back, the more pain he felt. Shuichi clutched his head tighter trying to will the pain to go away, but it won't. The more he saw about his past, the more he felt the pain increase its intensity. He felt like his head was breaking into pieces. He took a step forward, still screaming insensible words. He did not know anymore, but the pain was so intense that he felt like he was temporarily blinded.
Yuki watched in terror as he saw Shuichi screaming louder and louder in every passing second. His screams reaching the very depths of his heart—shaking it as if it were his own pain that he felt. He was sweating badly as he watched Shuichi. The boy continued to scream and his shirt is now soaked with blood from his opened wound. He was throwing fits, knocking off anything within his reach. It was as if he could not see anything, blinded by his pain and his own rage.
A nightmare...
It was a nightmare...
It was horrible for Yuki to watch him like that. He had even felt Hiro fall down to his knees as he watched Shuichi suddenly break lose and became uncontrollable. K even looked like he was too stunned to move. The blonde gunman looked scared for once dropping his hand to the side while still gripping the gun loosely.
Suguru took a step back looking at the broken Shuichi ramble incoherent things, break stuff, and lose his own control over himself. It was like the man was no longer there and that the pain has changed him. It was no longer the Shindou Shuichi that he knew and had gone to respect.
Tohma was too speechless for one. He could not even begin to fathom that Shuichi would break down like this.
What about the reason then?
What would be the reason for such an energetic, and happy-go-lucky person like Shuichi to break down in such a state?
To be in such pain?
Who could be so heartless to make him lose his vibrant self?
Did Sakuya do this?
Is this the reason why Sakuya did not want to tell him?
Tohma closed his eyes as he gritted his teeth as the thoughts flashed into his mind. Shuichi's in front of him, in so much pain, and here he is watching him, unable to do anything…anything at all…
Tohma wanted to move or at least take a step forward to make Shuichi know that there is someone there for him. A sound to break him from his misery…but even his body refused to move. The shrill cry from Shuichi has caused them all to be immobile for a moment. Tohma even looked at Ryuichi who seemed to be in pain, which he never saw before…
Ryuichi dropped Kumagoro as he watched what happened with Shuichi. His friend is in pain. He was scared. He's losing more friends now. He lost a lot before when he became famous.
Shuichi was the next best thing that happened to him. Shuichi provided him the comfort and the friendship that he needed. But now, he could not even return it.
Not even Kumagoro could help him now…
and Shuichi
…he's losing him…
He wanted to go and place a comforting hand on the other man, but…
I can't
God…Yuki move…
Please…
Help him…
He needs someone…
And you're the only one that could help him…
That could reach him…
Please Yuki…
LISTEN TO HIM FOR ONCE!!!!!
Yuki felt tears falling down from his eyes. He wanted to run towards Shuichi to help him ease the pain, but his own body would not permit him to move. It was like saying that Shuichi needed to face this one alone, but…
Dammit…
He's in pain…
In extremely agonizing pain…
While I stood here to watch him…
I stood here, watching the person that I love walk farther away…
Away from my reach…
I'm losing him…
I'm afraid…
Please don't go…
SHUICHI!!!
Yuki for the first time permitted his tears to fall down without even bothering what the others would tell him. He did not bother about the other people now. Right now, Shuichi is most important and whether or not Shuichi needed him, he will help the boy, even if it kills him.
Yuki sped towards the boy and suddenly grabbed him on the wrists preventing him from hurting himself even more. The boy struggled violently. Pain had clouded his senses that he did not even realize who it is that is holding him, preventing him from doing any self-induced damage as there is.
But Shuichi continued to shout. Even if he was being held down to an extent, he was still rambling, violently and aggressively trying to break free. He was acting as if he was defending himself from an invisible opponent. He kicked his legs, he punched, he shouted, he shook his head, and he did not stop, even if Yuki held him tightly.
Yuki could feel that the boy is having a fever growing in his body. The boy's body felt so hot to touch. The metallic smell of blood has filled his senses and Yuki was suddenly alarmed that Shuichi might have been losing more blood. He cannot take that. The boy just had a transfusion yesterday because of the blood loss from the attack.
"Stop…Shuichi…stop…" Yuki repeated over and over again, trying desperately to reach the mind of the teen that did not even recognize him anymore.
"MOM!!! SIS!!!" Shuichi shouted the first words that came to his mind then and managed to push himself away from Yuki's hold.
This time however, he stopped. He sat down on the cold pavement and trembled while holding his head. He pulled up his knees high and his body shook. His teeth were clattering as he inched his way to a wall cradling his own head seeking for comfort, to which he found none. His head still hurt but somehow, he recognized the person in front of him. He looked at him with scared eyes that Yuki could not even say a word out of them.
How can sweet Shuichi become like this?
What happened?
What had happened in his past that he broke down like this?
Who is this woman?
What happened Shuichi, please tell me…
Please let me help…
Share your pain with me…
As YOU did
With MINE…
Yuki cannot help but ask. He did not want to lose Shuichi. Whatever it was in his past, he will protect him against it like Shuichi had protected him from his own devils. And seeing Shuichi like this just made his resolve get stronger. He knelt down in front of the scared boy, determined to calm him down and bring him back from the past.
"Shuichi…" Yuki whispered looking at the boy's eyes trying to come through.
In Shuichi's mind, the blonde in front of him struck a familiar cord. He looked at the man with wide blank eyes shrouded with tears—scared out of his wits. Memories flashed as he saw the blonde in his mind. It was surprisingly relaxing to remember them in contrast with the memories that he received from the woman.
Kiss
He was pushed roughly by this man in the elevator after he claimed that the man was a heartless bastard who came up to him insulting his lyrics comparing it to being worse than an elementary student and telling him that he had zero talent. He came to teach the man a lesson about respect towards other people but he became too idiotic to be placed in a corner, with exactly nowhere to run.
When he was thinking already of a possible technique to escape, the man suddenly placed his own lips onto his. It surprised him. This was his first kiss…
Concert
Just as he wished, Yuki did come to the concert. But the bad thing was, he came with his fiancée. Shuichi thought that he had nothing against the woman who was engaged with Yuki, what can he do? There was absolutely nothing that he could do to compete against that.
But that was what he thought before. Tatsuha gave him a lesson while they were walking out of Yuki's apartment that day. He knew that if he did not fight for Yuki today, he would lose him.
Well better safe than sorry…
Oops, wrong quote…what was that again?
Carpe Diem?
Nope not that…
Oh yeah…
Better to have loved than to have not loved at all…
Not quite right, but close…
Shuichi smiled and finally found the words that he wanted to say in front of this audience…
"YUKI IS MINE!!"
Date…
He had been doing a lot of insisting during this date and Yuki finally agreed. They went over and placed the tokens on the neo-print machine. He saw Yuki focus himself already on the screen when he noticed that the design was covering his face. Oh well, he just had to do something about that.
So Shuichi decided to jump and of course the timing was right and the picture came out more than perfect. He handed the pictures to Yuki and turned around to find himself another thing to do, oblivious that Yuki actually took one shot and placed it on his steel cased lighter…
Goodbye
Shuichi could not believe it. Yuki did leave him now. Shuichi knew that his entire world had fallen down on him like a landslide. But he cannot let Yuki Eiri take over his life forever right?
Well wrong…he already did.
Look at him, he could not even say a word and Sakuma Ryuichi is pissed at him. Well, that was what he thought though. After another encounter with the energetic 31-year-old vocalist, he never found out the right thing to do if it weren't for him.
"This is Shining!" Ryuichi showed him a drawing of shining in his sketchpad when it occurred to him.
He would have to talk to K tomorrow and arrange some things with regards to going to New York and taking the concert as well.
I love you…
Shuichi was scared. Even though he managed to get in time before Yuki even tried to shoot that gun and commit suicide, he still could not take it away from his mind and his heart that he almost lost Yuki to that measly piece of metal scrap. If he would come later then Yuki would have died. It was good that he finally decided to come after the writer. After all, he loves him…
And resting in this embrace was more than he would ever hope for. This is so right was the only thought that came to his mind. He would never let go, he would be with him, for as long as he can…
He swore never to hurt Yuki to the extent of his powers and his will, although he knew that eh probably did not stand a chance against the writer anyway—especially if they were to compare physical strength. Merely comparing with height, he was small…
Yuki's small lover at that…
And with that thought, he smiled as he nestled closer to Yuki who in turn embraced him tighter as if afraid to let him go.
Shuichi looked up and stared at Yuki's amber gaze for once. He still continued to tremble and he saw hands trying to reach him. He felt awkward inching away slowly but unsure of what to do. He looked at the slenderfingers slowly resting on his shoulders as Shuichi flinched with the touch.
Yuki felt and saw him flinch but at least he's not that violent anymore. He pulled Shuichi's shoulders closer to himself and slowly but reassuringly pulled the younger boy to his embrace. For a while though, Shuichi struggled to break free. But the more that he struggled the tighter the embrace became. Slowly, Shuichi receded to tremble and to act violently resting himself on the chest of this one person that chose to hold him tight.
The one person that chose to join him in his misery
The one person that gave him the one light that he needed…
The one person that loves him though unspoken
"Yu…ki…" Shuichi muttered weakly looking at the man who embraced him and Yuki nodded without pushing him away from his embrace.
Yuki felt for once, he felt like he did not lose him. Shuichi has always been the one that comforted, cared, and loved him unconditionally. Now it was his turn. He will show the boy that he is capable of such a high class type of love, a love that does not need to be explained merely felt.
He felt Shuichi moving a little but did not get out of his embrace. However, sobs and whimpers in his embraced replaced the sound of screams that enveloped the area a while ago. Shuichi's shoulder shook as the boy cried in both pain and as well as the realization of the memories that he recovered. For once, he felt like there was someone who was willing to listen, and for that he was happy. Hiro was Shuichi's best friend. He would listen to him, but this time, he feared that even Hiro might not be able to understand.
However, Yuki was different. This mere embrace promised him that he would be listening. He promised that he would be there for him. And most of all, he promised that he would love him amidst all. That was why he cried.
For once, Shindou Shuichi decided to place down his barriers and all those pretentious acts and become the lost person that he is now. Willing to let people see how weak he can be…but also willing to accept someone who would willingly protect him…
He smiled softly, knowing that no one could see…
I believe I found him…
Unknown to him, there was a man standing in the shadows that thought of the same thing mixed with totally different emotions and ideas, an idea that would make him pull those two back to where everything started…
For
Shindou Shuichi
Shindou Suzu
And
Shindou Shun
TBC
Please Read and Review
Thank you very much!
Silver on the tree: Well here's how everyone's dealing with it! hehe, short chapter though because I had it done during midnight of my birthday! Oh one more comment, at least now someone feels bad for Shun! (clue...clue...)
Reiannah: Yes, okay I read your review and to be honest, I LOOOOOVEE long reviews! heheh! Okay to answer some of your questions, first in the Aizawa Tachi incident, true that Shuichi might have an instinct to probably topple over people, as you may remember on the episode that Shuichi and Hiro rescued Ayaka. He easily beat up that man twice his size and even managed to move in more graceful, artistic form rather than a simple headbutt by Hiro!
During the Tachi incident, it was technically a blackmail remember? So even though Shuichi COULD fight, he won't because of his fear of getting Yuki in trouble. That's how much he loves Yuki!
Okay on with your other questions: hm...well if I answer them now there would be no story now won't it, so keep reading neh?
For that poem! Love it! Wow! Thank you so much and I will write the next chapter quicker for you!
Thank you once again and please continue to review!
ddz008: don't worry, Shun's coming out in just a few more chapters, maybe 2? hehehe
deppfan1016: was I that bad to end it on a cliffhanger? heheh? Well blame it all on those other Anime out there who left us hanging! they started the cliffies! joke! well, now don't feel bad, here's the next chapter! I'm so nice today anyway! heheh!
Spiral Fish Cakes: well, I did admit about the typos because of hurried typing and no corrections, well not that much anyway. So I probably would try to reupload some after I finished. Wouldn't it be better that way than to edit it now and let you wait for another year to read it? heheh! kidding! Keep on reviewing oki?
iloveathrun: thanks for reviewing!
Mistress of Anime: Well, first one to like Suzu! That's nice! I already know a few who like Sakuya and now you're the first for Suzu! Read on and discover more about her! hehe!
kanilla: hallooo! well here's another chappie! SEe you on the next review!
Clarichan: HE IS smarter than EIRI!!! Imagine he was able to make Eiri his lover? Isn't that brains enough? hehhe! I totally agree! Shuichi AND Ryuichi ain't just some kind of hyperactive kid, rather they are one hyperactive, romantic, smart, and manipulative adults! Read on okay?