At the Edge of Reality
By: Lily (Lena) Evans
'I wake in the dark and remember
it is the morning when I must start
by myself on the journey' W.S. Merwin
Summary: The Gravi cast is (somehow) transported to a world where kings rule the land and knights and sorcerers roam. When an evil threatens to destroy the world they must all step up and help protect it and (hopefully) find a way home. Violence. Lime. Various couples. Broken hearts. OOC-ness. Yaoi (I bet you weren't expecting that). Just when you thought Eiri couldn't get any more sexy… he gets a sword! Why, you ask? Because it's MY fic and I said so!
Genre: Fantasy/Action/Adventure
A/N: In this chapter Eiri, Tohma, and Hiro are all slowly going insane with Shuichi acting like he just ate 50 sticks of strawberry pocky. Ryuichi and Mika are still with Astra and she explains more to them. K, Sakano, and Lavinia finally figure out where they are going. After all that, Tatsuha is still horny. Noriko, Rachel, and Nash plot a way to save Ayaka. ASK, well, they have got the girl, Irene, to deal with. On with the fic! Read and Review!
Chapter 5: I'm Never Traveling With You Again
"Are we almost there?" Shuichi whined.
"We just told you no," Hiro reminded him. "You're not even walking." Shuichi had finally convinced Eiri to give him a piggyback ride, making the author even more cranky than usual.
"We would be closer if you hadn't decided to play in the river," Tohma told him.
"It was hot," Shuichi complained.
"Yes," Tohma admitted. "But now it's getting dark and cold and you're still wet." Shuichi looked slightly ashamed.
"But it was fun," Shuichi said smiling. Tohma did not smile back. The singer had splashed water over the rest of them. Luckily, Eiri had gone in and dragged him out, forcing him to walk with them.
"That's it," Eiri snapped. "When are we going to get there?"
"Almost there," Cory said. "We've jus' gotta travel a little south from here an' we're there."
"Good," Eiri and Tohma both breathed a sigh of relief.
"Why are the towns so far apart?" Hiro asked curiously.
"There's jus' no more need for anymore," Cory answered. "Most o' the people gather in Zecim and Trenk anyway."
"Are there any towns north of those mountains?" he asked, pointing behind them.
"Yeah," she answered. "I've never been there though." Hiro nodded and said no more. Luckily, it was not very long before they ended up in the next little town. Cory had called it Rone and it had a watermill that was turning water from the river they had just crossed.
"Let's get checked in," Tohma suggested.
"I'm hungry," Shuichi whined. "Yuki, let's go out for dinner."
"We don't have any money, baka," Eiri snapped. Shuichi looked like he was going to cry.
"Here," Cory said, handing them some coins. "You two can go out fer a romantic dinner while the three of us eat here." She winked at Shuichi, who smiled brightly. Eiri groaned as he was dragged out by the genki singer.
"I have a feeling she did that just to get rid of Shuichi," Hiro noted. Tohma smiled, knowing he would do the exact same thing.
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Mika awoke to the sound of Ryuichi singing 'Sleepless Beauty'. She sat up and saw Kumagoro sitting on the bed next to him. Where did that come from? He had his back to her and his voice was quiet so Mika had to strain to hear him.
He really did have a wonderful voice. She could not see his face, but she knew his eyes were closed in concentration. She assumed it came from seeing him in so many concerts.
"What was that Kuma-chan?" he asked the stuffed bunny, pulling it onto his lap. He still had not turned around to see Mika. She wondered what he could be talking to the bunny about. "I can't do that na no da."
Mika really did not want to intrude on his private conversation, but she could not help but listen to him.
"No, that's mean, Kuma-chan. Oh… okay."
Mika frowned slightly as he tossed Kumagoro in the air, giggling as he caught him again.
"Oh, hi, Mika-san! Kuma-chan said you're awake!" Mika started at his words. How had he known that? He didn't even look at her.
"Yes, I am… good morning, Ryuichi." The singer finally turned around and gave her a smile.
"Did you sleep well, Mika-san?" he asked with a kind smile.
"I did, thank you," she couldn't help but smile back. "And yourself."
"Kuma-chan and I both slept really well, isn't that right, Kuma-chan?" Mika laughed softly and nodded her head.
"I believe you." The singer smiled a bit more and lunged at her. She let out a slight shriek of surprise before finally going limp in the singer's embrace.
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"Hey, look," Lavinia commanded. "We are going the right way!"
"What makes you say that?" K asked moodily.
"I see mountains," she said pointing.
"How does that tell us we're going the right way?" Sakano asked, finally catching up to the two of them.
"Because," she said. "Zecim is placed on a high mountain. If we went south we would have run into the ocean. This is Zecim!"
"We have to climb a mountain?" Sakano groaned. K growled and began walking forward. Well… at least they were not wearing the leather anymore.
"Hey, wait!" Lavinia called. "It's getting really dark. Why don't we rest here for the night?"
"No way," K said. "We are resting in the town. Come on." With that he walked off, leaving Sakano and Lavinia to follow him.
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Suguru was sitting in the alleyway, feeling rather… well, odd was the only way to describe it. Tatsuha looked over at him and smirked.
"You know," he said. "You're pretty good for a virgin." Suguru glared at him and then dropped his head again. He felt dirty, that was the right word for it. Tatsuha, still not feeling satisfied, kneeled in front of the other teen and stroked his face gently. Suguru tilted his face up to look at his cousin-in-law.
"What are you doing?" Suguru asked, though the answer was obvious. Tatsuha pushed Suguru's legs open and sat in between them.
"What does it look like?" Tatsuha asked. Suguru wriggled away from the boy and began walking away. "Where the hell are you going?"
"Where does it look like?" Suguru asked, leaving the alleyway. Tatsuha cursed under his breath and followed. As soon as they got out they came face to face with Ken.
"What were you two doing in there?" he asked.
"Nothing!" Suguru snapped, turning red again. Ken raised an eyebrow and then smirked.
"Ah, I see," he said, eyeing the two of them. "Were you two making out in there?"
"Something like that," Tatsuha said innocently. Suguru buried his head in his hands, desperately wanting to disappear.
"Don't worry about it," Ken assured Suguru. "One of the knights saw you two in there, but he assumed you were gambling or looking at porno or something like that."
"Oh great," Suguru said sarcastically.
"Oh, you'll probably never see him again," Tatsuha told him. "When are we leaving?"
"Tomorrow night," Ken told him. "That's when I'll be able to sneak out. In the mean time, you two can stay in the guest bedroom of my house." He winked and walked off, leaving the two boys alone once again. Suguru groaned.
"You know…" Tatsuha said, raising his eyebrows.
"I really don't want to travel with you ever again," Suguru snapped.
"Oh, so you're the type who will knock someone up and then never speak to them again, is that it?" Tatsuha asked teasingly.
"Shut up," Suguru snapped. "I—"
"You liked it, admit it," Tatsuha was very close to him, but Suguru did not care, which surprised him. "I can't help it if I had that effect on you."
"You raped me," Suguru snapped.
"I did not," Tatsuha said. "Rape is non-consensual. You let me fuck you."
"Sh—shut up!" Suguru was beginning to remember why he never liked the boy in the first place.
"Listen, you're a good fuck," Tatsuha told him.
"Is that supposed to cheer me up?" Suguru asked, glaring at him.
"Let me finish," the monk told him. "I need a good lay more often. It just so happens that I'm attracted to you too." Suguru crossed his arms, refusing to talk to the boy. "Really, you are pretty cute."
"What—what about Sakuma-san?" Suguru asked, trying desperately to hide the blush creeping up into his cheeks. Tatsuha waved his hand.
"That's just a celebrity crush," he said. "Besides, he's not interested in me."
"Wh—?" Tatsuha laughed at the other boy's confusion.
"Does it really matter?" he asked huskily, trailing his hand down Suguru's side. "I like you. Isn't that what matters?" Suguru felt skeptical, but nodded reluctantly.
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Noriko was feeling cranky, not only had she lost Ayaka, Nash said it would take a long time to get going to find this Astra person as well. Plus, saving Ayaka would not be an easy task, Rachel had pointed out.
On the plus side, however, Nash was trying to teach her how to work a crossbow. She felt like she was getting the hang of it, but it was not as easy as playing the keyboard. She was having sudden urges to destroy things, but seeing as she was not in NG Studios or Tohma's house she held back, not wanting to replace any of the things they had there.
Rachel, in the meantime, was trying to teach her a lot of things that Noriko did not particularly care for. Such as the history of the country, what they do there, what goes on outside the city, etc. She knew there was something in there about it being the highest producer in seafood and having to use weapons like swords to defend themselves, but Noriko's thoughts were stuck on her friends.
She wondered if she would ever see her husband, Tohma and Ryuichi again. K and Sakano even crossed her mind once or twice. This situation was really strange to her and confused her. Anybody who knew her could verify that Noriko Ukai did not like being confused.
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The first thing Tohma and Hiro noticed about Rone was that it seemed slightly more modern than Daini or Flemmingale. There were stone buildings, rather than wooden. There were something that looked like streetlamps, but the hopes of electricity were dashed when they saw somebody light them with a torch. Cory had left the two of them to wander around the town so she could get them checked in. Neither wanted to bother to look for Shuichi or Eiri.
"You know, Hiroshi," Tohma said. "I'm worried." Hiro glanced at the president, knowing that he was never one to show his emotions.
"Sir?" he asked uneasily.
"You needn't be so formal, Hiroshi," he said casually. "I suppose since we are stuck together for who knows how long we might as well be on friendly terms for the time being." Hiro raised his eyebrows.
"Sure," he said. "Why are you so worried?"
"How big exactly is this country?" Hiro shrugged at the question. "Anybody could have been brought here. They don't necessarily have to be in this country, they could be somewhere else in this strange land."
"That's true," Hiro said, feeling his heart sink.
"Also, it is possible that somebody else has not had the same fortunes as we have," Tohma continued. "They could have been hurt, or possibly worse." Hiro nodded, his thoughts moving from person to person. First Ayaka, then it happened to be Suguru. What would he be doing if he were brought into a strange world? Then Sakano… That would not be a very happy sight. "Hiroshi?"
"Yeah?" he asked, snapping out of his daze.
"Is there something on your mind?" the president did not look like he did in the office. His facial features were relaxed, making him seem more friendly and open to opinion. Hiro wondered how a person could change so drastically and if it were pleasant to do so.
"Sort of," he answered. "I suppose it's the same thing as what you were talking about. I—I'm worried about them."
"Who?" Tohma asked his expression neutral.
"Ayaka," he started. "Suguru, Sakano, and K too. I'm worried about how they would react if they were brought here."
"That thought has also crossed my mind," Tohma agreed. "Though, I am more worried about…" Hiro had the sudden urge to take a guess, but thought better of it. His boss had suggested that they be on friendly terms, but he figured the man would still be closed about his feelings.
The two of them became silent, a tension passing between them. They really did not have much to talk about. It was Tohma who brought up the next subject.
"I have a question for you, Hiroshi," the keyboardist stated. "What do you think of Suguru?" This question took Hiro by surprise and he stumbled a little bit.
"Huh?" he felt very stupid, bumbling in front of his boss in such a manner.
"What do you think of my cousin?" he asked. "I've been wondering. And please, be honest." Hiro, for some reason, felt a blush creeping into his cheeks. He wondered what could have made Tohma ask such a question.
"He's a wonderful musician—" Hiro started, but Tohma shook his head, stopping the guitarist.
"I mean outside of the music business," the president clarified. "I already know what kind of musician he is." Hiro had never heard the man speak of anything but business before.
"I—I guess he's a good person too," he said. "He's nice to talk to." Hiro had suddenly forgot Tohma was there and began talking more to himself than the other musician. "He's a little uptight at times, but it's kind of cute." He stopped himself after that and glanced at the other man, who was smiling brightly.
"Is that so?" he asked. He then walked away and said no more. Hiro could not help but wonder if that smile was genuine or just masking a murderous plot. The guitarist was sincerely hoping for the former.
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"Can we stop now? Please?" Sakano panted, trying to keep up with the American.
"How far up is this stupid city?" K asked, ignoring the producer.
"Pretty far," Lavinia said as though she had already told him. K groaned and continued climbing. "We really should stop." K groaned again but obliged.
"How exactly are we going to sleep?" Sakano asked. "It won't be very comfortable."
"I know," Lavinia said. "I brought along those clothes for a reason. We can sleep on a pile of those."
"Oh," Sakano said. "That's a good idea."
"Okay, great," K said irritated. "Let's get set up so we can head out earlier tomorrow." Sakano did not have the nerve to disagree.
Soon enough Lavinia was asleep. Sakano, however, could not sleep. He had tossed and turned for nearly an hour before giving up and sitting up. He saw K sitting at the ledge, looking down at the desert they traveled across.
"K-san?" Sakano asked hesitantly. The manager did not turn around but Sakano saw him start at the sudden question. "Are you all right?"
"Yes," K said. "I'm fine. Go back to sleep."
"I can't sleep," Sakano said lamely.
"Do you want me to read you a story?" K asked mockingly. Sakano looked down, blushing. It was a simple statement. "Or would you like a kiss goodnight?" Sakano nearly fell over at this sudden statement.
"Wh—what?" K laughed at Sakano's discomfort. Clearly he was joking.
"You do realize how gullible you are, right?" K asked, still chuckling. Sakano would have glared but the American turned to face him. Sakano ended up sputtering instead.
"You—You shouldn't tease people like that!" he snapped. K raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, so you want a kiss goodnight?"
"N—no!" he snapped, going red. "It just…wasn't funny." He was lucky it was dark. K seemed to notice his discomfort and laughed.
"Go to sleep, Sakano-san," he commanded. "We're starting early tomorrow."
"I just said that I—" However, the manager glared at him and Sakano figured it would be best to try to sleep once more.
(Change Scene)
Suguru lay on the bed, feeling exhausted. Making out with his cousin-in-law was not how he wanted to spend his free time. He looked over at the boy on the other bed, who was fast asleep. Suguru suddenly felt a pang of regret.
He knew he was not in love with the other teenager, so why did he agree to sleep with him? Maybe it was the other teen's ability to seduce everything and everyone around him. However, Suguru felt that Tohma would not have had this problem. He sighed in resentment. Tohma was always the best at everything.
Suguru always tried to outdo his cousin, but was outdone in the process. The more he thought about it, the more resentful he felt. He hung his head in shame, trying to think of what Tohma would have done in this situation.
'He would have pushed Tatsuha away,' he thought bitterly. 'He wouldn't have caved into the pressure.' Suguru pushed it to the back of his mind, trying to think of something else.
He then thought of Hiro and what he would have done. Hiro would not have done anything like that either… Suguru drifted off to sleep, still thinking bitterly about the other boy.
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"Are you still awake?" Nash had walked into the room and noticed Noriko sitting at the window sill.
"Well, you're not exactly asleep yourself," Noriko snapped. "What are you doing up?"
"I was talking to someone who might know where your friend might be," he told her. "It seems that she'll be okay and they're not sending her to Sapen."
"Then why did they take her?" Noriko asked, turning to look at him. Nash looked uneasy.
"It seems that the prince was quite taken with her," he answered. "This may be a problem with saving her, but at least she's not being sold into slavery."
"I guess so," Noriko said. "So what does that mean? That he's taken with her? How difficult will it be to save her?" Nash shifted his weight, still looking edgy.
"It means that he wants her to marry him…" Noriko stared at him.
"Ayaka?" she asked. "What does he do to people who displease him?"
"He…um…" Nash walked over to where she was sitting and sat down next to her. "No one really knows, but they're never seen again."
"Shit," Noriko cursed. Nash frowned slightly.
"Why do you think that will be a problem?" he asked.
"Does he like annoying little girls? She tends to cling." Noriko asked.
"Maybe," Nash answered.
"Then she might be okay," Noriko said. Nash chuckled a little.
"Get some sleep," he said. "You're going to need it." He got up and left the room, shutting the door behind him with a snap. Noriko sighed. None of the things they were attempting to do would be an easy task.
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Tachi sighed again, looking up at the stars. They had only walked a short way before Irene ordered them to set up camp for the night. Tachi figured it would have been easier to stay at the hideout and leave in the morning, but Irene's glare shut him up. That woman was little, but she hurt. His band mates were also asleep.
'What the hell is this place?' he wondered before drifting off to sleep.
END CHAPTER FIVE
A/N: This was more of a relationship chapter more than anything. I wanted to basically make a foundation for most of the couples I am going to end up using. I made Tatsuha seem like a desperate, horny bastard in this (don't get me wrong, he's one of my favorite characters). I now have a set plan of what I am going to do with this story. Yay! Go me! Review please!
Love always,
Lily
