Well, despite those term papers, my father keeps dropping me off at work an hour early each day. So at 6:45 am, I'm up and writing more stuff. It seems that everyone has thought that I'd fit as Eiri from the series, for some weird reason.

Some of the chapter names have been changed, so look at those. If you haven't figured out what Ice's Walls Shattering is, then you need to really look at Gravitation again, though I think my reviewers will understand rather well.

I want to thank all of you for reviewing. I'm trying to get to the funny parts, but I have to get through Eiri first. It seems his angst won't go out of my head. He's rather upset right now that Shuichi is like this.

Inspiration for this chapter: Being outside and trying to get away from the confinement of writers block. You know, this was why I wrote a one shot, but was demanded to do more. After this story though, I think I might go back to original fiction, since I'm trying to be a published author.

Summary so far: Tatsuha and Ryuichi had kidnapped Shuichi Shindo and had wrecked Eiri's Mercedes. While it wrecked, the car exploded, with the rock star inside. The others have just received a phone call from Ryuichi, explaining that Shuichi was being rushed to the hospital, but would not give a clear definition of what happened to him.

Our novelist, Eiri Yuki, has taken a blow from this incident, and, like the others, is hanging onto some sign of hope that Shuichi will make it through this. When Tatsuha and Ryuichi come to the waiting room, they find out that no one knows how Shuichi is and have to wait with them. When Ryuichi declares he wants to make a board game out of Risk, Tatsuha is dragged down to the gift shop with Ryuichi. Can they find the pieces they so desperately need?

The money thing later in the chapter is equal to 11.80 in American money, BTW.

One other thing: I wished I owned Gravitation, but I don't. If I did, would you really see this on this site? I just own Marian, and the story idea. Though I know I'd have to fight many of you if I said I took Eiri for my own. Ha!

Responses again (the non PM ones I didn't get to yet)

Dejichan4444: Read and find out what happens. Come on, you really think I'd kill Shuichi? grins

Mustang123: Yes, school is a pain in the ass. However, I have seem to be caught up on my papers and I'm going to probably work on them tomorrow instead. Damn Eiri. Damn him and his sexiness for staying in my head. I'm going to school for my BA in law, BTW. You can call him Yuki if you want, but it helps me not totally shatter my image of Yuki Sohma. :P

Amythest00: Thanks!

Liz poling: I know. Tatsuha feels so bad right now. He'll make up for it later, I'm sure, but has to get reamed by Eiri first. :p So much angst.

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A half an hour later, the entire group in the waiting room were irritable, annoyed and getting scared of Ryuichi Sakuma. Well, by all, this would mean Tatsuha, Marian and Mika. Tohma and K were used to his incessive demands and whining and had learned to block out the singer about ten minutes after he started talking to Kumagoro, playing as if they were having a conversation.

Tatsuha thought it was cute, really, but when he started laughing, everyone glared at him. He stopped laughing and looked upset instead. And he really was. He never meant for Shuichi to be hurt. He never meant to blow up his brother's car. And he sure did not mean to put the Bad Luck vocalist in the hospital, in critical condition.

The black haired man jammed his hands into his jacket pockets. This was one hell of a day.

"But I'm bored!" Ryuichi whined. "There's nothing to do. And I don't have any game pieces for my game." He was talking to Kumagoro now, hugging him close. "I don't just want to sit here, thinking of how Shuichi is hurt…"

"Then why don't you go get some game pieces for your game, Ryuichi?"

Tatsuha turned around to find the guitarist, keyboardist and Mr. Sanako standing there, panting for breath. Apparently they were worried as well. He did not know which one had spoke, but he was surprised that Ryuichi glanced up from Kumagoro enough to actually pay attention to them. He giggled softly. "I think I will! Come on, Tatsu!" He had bounced up and had grabbed Tatsuha's hand, pulling him backwards as he ran toward the door. "We can go to the gift shop!" He threw the doors open, using Kumagoro as a way to open the door. "Thanks, Kumagoro!"

Tatsuha saw the weird looks of the patients who were waiting for news about their loved ones. He was too busy trying to keep his balance to care about what they said as he yelled, "Ryu! Hold on a minute, man!" He fell on the ground, unable to keep his balance and had banged his head into the sliding door.

He felt someone helping him up and met Ryuichi's eyes again, then glanced away as he put his hands back in his pockets. "Thanks, man. So where's this gift shop that we're supposed to visit?"

The other looked thoughtful for a moment and then shrugged. "I dunno."

Tatsuha rolled his eyes. "Braindead in there?" He chucked. It felt nice to think of something else other then Shuichi. "Alright, come on. They're usually on the first floor anyway."

"So why ask me where it is, Tatsu?"

"…I don't know. But come on."

Ryuichi had seemed to look for something as he took out his wallet and pouted. "My license!" he cried. "It must have gotten lost in the car! But I can't leave home without it, Tatsu…" He bit his lip and pouted.

Tatsuha laughed as he patted the older man's shoulder. "If you promise not to drive with this one, then we can make another one, Ryuichi."

"We can? Yay!" The man smiled again. It really did not take much for him to be happy. He noticed this as the man ran to the elevator and had once again pressed the button to summon the piece of machinery.

At least he's not pouting anymore, Tatsuha thought. He's cute, but it—

Oh never mind. Since you're here, you can enjoy his company, can't you?

As he fingered in his pocket, he remembered that he never gave Ryuichi back the license, but had figured it was best that he did not know that. After all, he wanted to see him make another one. And perhaps, it would occupy his time while he was here, if he got bored making his own board game.

Tatsuha smiled. He admired Ryuichi's creativity. Even if he was not able to drive, he had to tried to fit in like everyone else at times.

He thought this as he fingered again in his other pocket, remembering about the credit card that he was looking for. He did not know if Ryuichi had any money left after spending a lot of money buying those things at the candy store. Tatsuha sighed.

Ryuichi was going to cost him a lot of money, he thought. But he did not care. If it put the smile back on his face, then it all was worth it, right?

Yes. Yes. It is.

He had no second thought as he heard the elevator ding and followed Ryuichi into it, trying to think of what he could make from things at a gift shop for the Ryuichi style Risk game.

-----

The whole idea had seemed like a good idea when they had gone down to the shop, but after Ryuichi had spent twenty minutes in there, Tatsuha was regretting going down there. Ryuichi had the worst attention span in the world, and he kept losing track of why he was even there in the first place.

It was driving Tatsuha up the wall.

"Are you almost done?" he asked for the sixth time as he saw Ryuichi looking at the candy again. Apparently there was something going on in his head, because Ryuichi had been glancing back and forth between the Raisinettes, Skittles, and the Tic Tacs. "I don't think you can use candy in a game, Ryuichi."

"I'm trying to think," Ryuichi told him in a serious voice.

That's a little over your head sometimes, isn't it?

"I'm trying to think of what would be best. If I use Raisinettes for the pieces, then they all look the same, except for their sizes. The Skittles are different colors, so they might be good for that. But then I'd have to---"

"You're thinking of using them for MOVING PIECES!"

The lady behind the counter glanced at him and Tatsuha sighed. "Sorry."

The lady turned away, muttering something to herself.

"Well, isn't it a good idea?" Ryuichi asked.

"Unless you want your players to EAT the game pieces, no."

Ryuichi pouted, looking like he was about to cry. "But it took a good while to think of that."

Tatsuha patted his head. "Well, alright. I guess if you want to have fun with it, you can get some of each and see how you go with it." He saw that Ryuichi was thinking again and groaned. "I said some of each."

"But there can be only one."

Tatsuha rolled his eyes and sighed. "You're being annoying now."

"Well, let me think, Tatsu, ok?" Ryuichi had turned away, looking once again at the Raisinettes.

"Fine, but we need to get out of here." He grabbed the entire box of Raisinettes and had put them in his hands. "We're sticking with these for the game pieces, since you keep staring at them."

"But---but---you can't tell them apart, Tatsu!" The man had looked ready to cry. "You gotta get other things too!"

"Then pick up the fucking Tic Tacs, you maniac!" Tatsuha screamed for the second time. "And some toothpicks! We can stick them in the middle of the Raisinettes, if you want!"

"You're mean, Tatsuha!" Ryuichi proclaimed. "Kumagoro is upset at you too."

"Yeah, well, I want to get out of here, not watch my maniac—"

What the hell! No no no! Tatsuha, damnit, you aren't gay!

"With me," Ryuichi said, finishing for him. "Alright, then I'll get them. I'll hurry up too." As he moved over to get a pack of toothpicks that were near some soft drinks (really, don't ask, I saw this once), he glanced back at Tatsuha. "You just want to play don't you?"

Not really…that wasn't my intention to rush this….but….

"Sure, Ryu. I wanted to see your creative genius at work."

Again the smile came back. "YAY! Hear that, Kumagoro! He wanted to watch us make our game!" He ran up to the counter and had placed the things on there.

As Tatsuha came up, he saw that the lady behind it looked at them rather strange. "My friend is a bit spazzy," he explained quietly. "We're trying to stop him from being depressed over his friend in the hospital."

"I…I see," she answered. He knew she was not convinced. "You're going to buy all that, sir?" By all that, she had indicated the twenty packs of Raisinettes, the thirty packs of Wintermint Tick Tacs, and the count of 100 toothpicks in different colors. "Just what do you plan to do for your friend?"

"Make a game, apparently," he told him. "Ryuichi does that sort of thing."

"Ryuichi! As in Ryuichi Sakuma?" she asked. "Oh wow, that explains a lot, sir. He's a genius!" She gazed at him from where he was standing, coming up with something else in his hands. "And…two boxes of strawberry pocky?"

Ryuichi nodded. "For Shuichi."

"The vocalist from Bad Luck Shuichi?" she asked again, starting to sound like a whining fangirl. Tatsuha sighed.

Ryuichi nodded.

"This is too cool. I can die happy now, now that Ryuichi Sakuma has come here!" She began to ring up the purchases. "I really hope that he likes all this."

So do I, Tatsuha thought. Especially since it's Eiri's credit card. I kind of forgot to put it back after replenishing his beer supply the other day.

When the stuff was in the bag, she said, "Well, I knocked a good deal off of your purchases, so it comes to a total of 1,330 yen, sir."

Tatsuha handed her the credit card as Ryuichi had looked at something that was lying on the counter. It seemed to be a pink notebook and he had grabbed it when she was not looking. Taking a permanent pen out of his pocket, he had scribbled a message on it and placed it back. Tatsuha saw this and had smiled. Thoughtful as always, he thought. I think he did it because she never asked him.

"Thanks!" Ryuichi said happily, grabbing the bag. "And thank you, Tatsuha. Let's go back upstairs to wait on Shuichi!" Grabbing Kumagoro, he had walked out of the gift shop, pulling Tatsuha along. He barely got the credit card back before they heard her gushing in adoration.

"Thanks a lot, come again, Mr. Sakuma!" Then, "Oh my god, THANK YOU SO MUCH!"

"Well, you did one good thing today, Ryuichi," Tatsuha told him.

The other smiled and winked. "Yeah, well, just shows you that being with someone you like can make you happy, right?"

Oh my god. He said being with someone you like.

Does that mean me?

"Yeah, it can. Now hurry back to the elevator before you make me spend anymore money."

"It's Eiri's credit card," Ryuichi said, smirking as he got to yet another elevator and pressed the button. "He'll really blow a fuse if he finds out."

"Well shit...I kind of think Eiri'll understand," he told him. "Look at the horde of strawberry pocky that is left at his house."

Ryuichi laughed. "Yeah, I guess your brother has a heart too. But—" The elevator dinged and he stepped inside. "I don't want Shuichi anymore, Tatsu. I found what I was looking for." He stepped inside and Tatsuha just stared.

He had to be pulled in the elevator before it closed. Tatsuha smiled again.

That man really is a genius, he told himself. Him and Shuichi both.