Chapter Ten
Ice and Fire Collide
Ok, I confess, my last International Business paper got the better of me and it kicked me in the toosh, so I HAD to finish it. In the meantime, I have answered most reviews in a PM reply.
A very special shout out for this phonemical update must go to AngelofLight, who has helped me plot out some more of the story. Her role play skills are fantastic! We actually plotted out all this chapter! Her and her mother helped me with the hospitalization parts and proper documentations since well, I can't stand stories that don't have proper research done to them. So, credit for the help goes to Noramary McCabe, and AngelofLight, for taking the time to play with plot lines for Chapter 11. She makes an excellent Ryuichi, by the way, as well as a perverted Tohma Seguchi. cackles
Oh, just to let you all know, it does not end at this point with Eiri and Tatsuha. This will be a COMPLETED fanfiction story, with all loose ties attached. So there will be a few more updates.
And I'm happy because in 14 days, I get to go on vacation to England with my new Eiri/Shuichi bag! So my goal is to finish the story before I go away.
One more warning, if Eiri is slightly OOC to you, keep in mind that Eiri is sensitive to things that have happened to him. He is very emotional when unchecked. And he's gone completely nuts at this point.
This also has a lot of cursing in this chapter, so be forewarned.
And now, back to our regularly scheduled story . . .
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Tatsuha and Ryuichi had just gotten off the elevator when Tatsuha heard something. He did not seem to be able to recognize it at first, but he knew that it was in pain. A hand was on Tatsuha's shoulder as he gasped softly.
The voice he heard . . . it was his brothers.
"Shuichi!" The cry sounded like it had hit his very soul. Eiri's soul . . . it's crying, Tatsuha thought to himself. I can feel it . . . what have I done!
He stared in shock and was very still as he saw the gazes of the others coming to pass on his face. He saw Tohma's glare first, followed by the frightened looks of Hiro and Fujisaki. Mr. Sanako heard the cries and immediately tried to start screaming about the situation but Fujisaki hit the manager in the head, hard. This knocked out the manager of Bad Luck, who was slumped against K. K was trying to console Marian, who had burst into tears on his shoulder, hiding her face. He could see her mouthing out words and caught her saying his brother's name.
Oh god, what have I done? I didn't mean . . . I didn't think it'd go this far!
"Was that . . . Eiri?" Ryuichi asked, throwing Tatsuha out of his thoughts. The brown haired singer blinked as he tightened his grip on Tatsuha's shoulder. It seemed he was frightened as well. Tatsuha sighed heavily. He did not want Ryuichi to be sad anymore.
He had caused enough sadness this day.
Tatsuha blinked again. He forgot for the moment where he even was. The cry had thrown him off balance and he stared at Tohma's glare as he rose from where he was sitting, glancing back at Ryuichi. "...I...I don't know...but...whoever it is just...sounds horrified."
"You realize it's all your fault, don't you, Tatsuha?" Tohma had glared at him, tipping his ever loving hat at the black haired man. "You caused Eiri to be in this much pain. And the bad part is, Mr. Shindou might not even live because no one can sign his consent forms, except perhaps Eiri. They won't let me sign them, and I'm on the damn form." Tohma swore softly. "If Eiri is incapable, then they'll let me. Damn you."
Mika had risen as well, trying to calm down her husband. "Tohma—"
"So that was Eiri," Ryuichi said, looking at Tohma with a serious look on his face. Gone was the idiotic aura that he normally emitted. The serious side of Ryuichi came out and he sighed. "I am just as much to blame as he is, Tohma, maybe even Eiri is as well. If he paid attention to Shuichi in the first place, none of this would have ever happened."
"But Ryuichi, you're not at fault, really," Tatsuha replied. "You didn't know that it would lead to this. You didn't think it would get this far, did you? And besides, I thought you thought it was a game." Truthfully, Tatsuha was starting to see a side of Ryuichi that many people probably did not see.
"Eiri pays too much attention to the boy. That's just the point," Tohma snarled. "Now I'm going to go after Eiri. I would suggest you do not go after your brother, if you don't want to get killed. I don't think even I could stop him from killing blood." He had turned around and had started walking off, a pissed off look on his face.
"Tohma!" Mika cried, grabbing her husband's arm tighter. This attracted many people to look at them and Tatsuha heard Tohma sigh.
"I won't harm him, Mika. Tatsuha is just being a fool."
"Yes, but…I still love my brothers. Please…don't make this harder for me." Mika had turned away, her hair hiding her face. She had covered her face in her hands as she sat back down.
Mika . . . I didn't think about how you felt either. How many other people have I hurt?
Tatsuha had turned to Ryuichi and was visibly pale. " Ryuichi...what if he's right? What if...if Shuichi dies...and Eiri's all alone...oh god, what have I done?"
"Well, we'll just have to make everything better! Besides, it won't hurt to apologize! Let's go!" With that, he pulled once again on Tatsuha's arm and had dragged him to the other side of the waiting room this time, where Tohma was headed. They kept a considerable distance back, however.
This time, Tatsuha overheard one of the girls commenting about the situation.
"Hey, they have to be gay," one girl said. "Look at how the other is pulling him around everywhere!"
Tatsuha blushed furiously.
"You think he pitches or catches?" another girl asked the first one.
"The black haired one looks like a catcher. After all, didn't he kiss Shuichi Shindou?"
Tatsuha was crimson now. Damn it, so it DID get on TV. I'm so screwed . .
--------------
When they were out of earshot, Tatsuha had pulled on Ryuichi's sleeve, trying to get him to slow down. He was not looking forward to seeing his brother right now, after what Tohma had just told him.
Tatsuha was scared. He was very scared.
But at least Eiri's screaming stopped. It comforted him, in that sense.
"We...we really shouldn't, Ryuichi. Come on, stop," he pleaded. I can't face Eiri. I can't. I'll---I'll end up dying. Eiri won't forgive me. I can't…
I can't forgive myself.
"You can't make things right if you're too afraid to try, Tatsuha," Ryuichi pointed out, stopping in mid step. Tatsuha had bumped into him and had perfect access to Ryuichi's eyes. Despite the situation, they were cold and loving.
"Yeah but Eiri has killed before," he whispered. "There's a slight problem with that. Shuichi's...I dunno, and Eiri is completely psycho, from what Tohma said. Then again, he really needs that stick out of his ass."
Whatever happened to just going to Kyoto and talking to Shuichi and then drugging him to marry one of us? he asked himself. I wonder how Eiri would have taken that. At least he would be alive.
"I can't really blame Eiri for being mad. And you forget, your brother was always a bit of a psycho. It runs in the family, I guess. Maybe this was a blessing in disguise." Ryuichi smirked softly as he cupped a hand on Tatsuha's face. "If none of this would have ever happened, Eiri wouldn't have had the fire lit under his ass to melt his heart."
"But don't you feel bad taking it away from him like this?" Tatsuha asked softly. "I know I wanted him away from Eiri, for myself, really, but...it just seems wrong now. It's felt like that since that kiss." He wondered how Ryuichi would take hearing about that again after seeing him get distraught the first time.
"Of course I feel bad!" Ryuichi exclaimed. "Shuichi is my friend and I love him to pieces. I never wanted to see him hurt and to tell you the truth, that's why I helped you. I think we all hate to see him hurt all the time by Eiri's carelessness." The hand that had cupped his face lifted up his chin as Tatsuha tried looking away.
"Ryuichi . . . "
"Maybe . . . maybe we're hypocrites too."
"Are you sure you even know what the word means, Ryuichi?" Tatsuha asked him.
Ryuichi glared at him. The humor in the situation had long since past. Tatsuha was reminded of that as his glared eyes met his. "Just listen a moment, will you?"
Tatsuha nodded and sighed.
"I think we were so blinded by our self righteous feelings that we overlooked what was really important . . . Shuichi's feelings."
He's right. It wasn't as if we didn't know what Shuichi wanted . . . but were we right?
It took Tatsuha a moment to nod, agreeing with what Ryuichi was saying.
No. It wasn't. That's why I felt it was wrong. I should have stopped it sooner.
"It's not the cause of an action that makes it good or bad, it's the reason behind it. I think we're all to blame for this, so we should all take responsibility for it . . . no more and no less then our involvement. Now we have to face up to our fears . . . and that includes facing Eiri , Tatsuha."
"I don't want to die, though," Tatsuha said. He glanced away from Ryuichi as he suddenly pulled him again into a hallway, just a little bit away from Tohma. "I...if I have to die, then maybe I should stop kidding myself. I tried to pretend I wasn't gay. I abhorred them because they were happy, to some extent. And after Kitazawa, Eiri didn't know how to express those feelings. But Shuichi knew the meaning. He knew.
"All I wanted was someone to love me too," he confessed as he covered his mouth, trying to stop himself from shaking.
Ryuichi looked at Tatsuha, thinking for a moment. "Hey, Tatsu, wasn't that in a song?" Then he sighed softly. "So that's what this was all about? I see now. You and Eiri are so much alike . . . "He laughed. "It's scary, really."
"Now you're creeping me out," Tatsuha said, backing away a bit. "You're laughing just like Tohma."
"Oh, I'm sorry."
Tatsuha looked up at him. "And what do you mean, I'm like Eiri?" he asked. "I like to think of myself as a nicer guy. I don't kill family the first chance my lover gets hurt, you know."
Ryuichi laughed again, amused by the whole situation. "Of course you are! you're both totally blind to things that are right in front of you." His finger tapped Tatsuha's nose. "You say all you really wanted was for someone to love you, right? Didn't you realize that someone already does and has for a while now?"
Tatsuha just stared at Ryuichi. "Are you sure you're even thinking about what you're saying? You're not just saying this to make me feel better or anything, are you?"
"I'm not that cruel," he pointed out. "Contrary to popular belief, I'm not a total idiot; it's just more fun to act that way. I thought it would be kind of obvious at some point, but you and Eiri are two birds of a feather. I wanted to help you because not only did I want Shuichi to be happy, but I wanted you to be happy too. If I couldn't make you happy, I was going to help you win the person who could."
"But I'm the one who caused this mess," Tatsuha said. "I should have listened to Eiri. I should have left him alone...like he asked me to."
"We can't change the things we've done, we can only learn from our mistakes, and this was a pretty huge mistake. So now, you have to try to atone for it."
"How are you supposed to atone for this, Ryuichi Sakuma?" A dark voice hissed as Tatsuha turned around and shuddered.
Standing in front of him was Eiri, but it was nothing like he had ever seen of him. His clothes, which were usually ironed and neat, were disheveled and sloppily put on. His gold eyes were whirling in anger and turmoil, and he put his hand in a fist as he walked up to them, grabbing Tatsuha and slammed him against the wall without warning. He had pinned him to his back and seemed to be pushing harder. Luckily, there were no doctors around or anything, but this was not good for Tatsuha, who trembled.
"Damnit, I don't want to DIE, Eiri! It's not like I could anticipate doing this to him!"
"Shut up. You're making my ears bleed with your pathetic whining." If someone had looked at the blonde, one could see the sadistic smile on his face. "You enjoyed kissing Shu, Tatsu? Did you think that you'd be able to hide it from me? Then you are a fool. I told you the other night, I'd beat you if you even touched him in ways he wouldn't want you to. And I don't think that Shu was very willing, don't you agree?"
"Eiri, stop it!" Ryuichi cried, trying to move over to stop Eiri's hand from choking Tatsuha.
A hand shot out as his head turned briefly to stop Ryuichi and had punched him in the stomach, hard. "You're just as much to blame. Who the fuck let you drive in the first place? Probably this dumbass here." Unconcerned with Ryuichi, Eiri had chuckled softly. "Yes, you certainly are a dumbass, aren't you, Tatsu?"
"And here I thought you cared about--"
"Shut up. I don't want to hear his name out of your mouth." An unfamiliar and creepy tone had escaped Eiri's voice. "Because of you, look what's happened, in just a day. I went from being almost done my novel to worrying about the one person who was always there. And now, he may not ever be. You didn't see him. He was escaping something." He fought hard to keep his composure. "You left him in that car. You. I imagine you did, because well. This idiot here was calling the hospital to save him. But you were the true mastermind, weren't you?"
Tatsuha didn't answer, could not answer as Eiri had moved his hand to go around his neck. He knew Eiri was not thinking clearly. He knew that his brother had completely snapped and was uncontrollable. If this is how it ends...at least I know Ryuichi...w...as...there... He tried to gasp for air as Eiri's hand tightened.
"Can't breathe, can you? Now you know how Shuichi feels, you stupid son of a bitch."
-----
"Eiri! stop!" Eiri heard Tohma cry out. He somewhat saw Tohma grabbing him and trying to pull him away. However, he would not let go. Anger coursed through his veins. Shuichi was hurt and Tatsuha had to pay retribution.
"Get. Off. Me." Eiri growled. Despite being dragged, he still had a good hold on Tatsuha's neck. The poor man's face was turning red. "I said I was going to make him pay for hurting Shuichi. No one messes with Shuichi. No one. I can't stand to feel his pain."
"How do you think Shuichi will feel if you're landed in jail for murder after he wakes up? Don't you think that will hurt him too?"
Sakuma, you wouldn't know! Eiri thought as he tightened his grip on Tatsuha's neck. How would you know if that would hurt him too? I couldn't protect him!
"Shuichi will be alone then. He won't have anyone to comfort him when he wakes up. This isn't New York, Eiri. Tohma can't save you this time."
"Ryuichi is right, Eiri," Tohma confessed. "You can't kill him."
Damn them. I don't want to think of New York. I don't . . . I don't want to remember that time . . . Eiri had somewhat let Tatsuha's neck go but Tatsuha was flailing around madly, trying to get any source of air he could find. His vision started to blur. Fear had crept into his soul. He promised Shuichi that nothing would happen to him.
He did not want to kill someone else. But he did not see any other way.
"Tatsuha?" Ryuichi screamed. "TATSUHA!"
Eiri felt something rather unpleasant on his ass. The hands were groping around and growling, he had snapped his body around, looking to see Tohma Seguchi distracting him with a flirtatious technique.
"You left me no choice, Eiri. Besides, that wasn't too unpleasant for you, was it?"
He glared at Tohma and the rest of them as he dropped Tatsuha, who was breathing heavily on the floor.
"Are you alright?" The novelist heard Ryuichi asking Tatsuha. "Can you stand?"
He saw Ryuichi hugging Tatsuha close to him. "Thank god. I thought Eiri was really going to kill you."
"Eiri, you can't," Tohma tried telling him again. "Think of Mika. What would she feel? Do you care about your sister?"
"I don't care, honestly. They should have never taken him from me," the novelist whispered. "Did you look at him, Tohma! Did you look at how pitiful he looked, on those machines? They control if he lives or dies..." Eiri shook as he put a hand over his mouth. He had forgotten all about wanting to kill Tatsuha and just made gasping sobs. He felt like he was back in a nightmare he could not get out of.
"Eiri, he'll live. We'll get this all sorted out with the doctors and he'll be fine, but you have to calm down. If you want to help Shindou-san, you have to calm down. They won't let me sign the forms. It's all you, unless you're still like this. And you don't want me to do it. I know you don't."
Eiri faintly heard Tohma's words, but his mind had the scene in front of him pushed away as another came into place. He saw Shuichi. Shuichi in the stretcher, pushing away from something and screaming. It just rang over and over in his head. It wouldn't go away. He could hear the screaming loudly and gasped again. "Damn it, make it stop, I don't want to remember anymore! I keep seeing Shuichi...help him, for god's sake!"
Then an image of Yuki popped into his head. Yuki's lifeless body. The blood dripping off the gun of the once innocent 16 year old boy. His eyes were horrified and his hands were dripping in blood. Only . . . it wasn't Yuki that was in his head.
It was Shuichi that the 16 year old aspiring novelist had shot.
He had killed him and seemed to bathe his hands in his own blood, as if he could take away his evil sin. And despite the fear that he had felt at the very moment, he could hear Yuki's sardonic laughter echoing in the background.
"You couldn't stop yourself from killing me. What makes you think you could protect that boy, too, Eiri? You haven't changed. You still are afraid."
"Damn it, MAKE IT STOP!" he screamed. "Get the hell out of my head!" He groped for something, anything to try to get the image out of his head. Nothing was working. Shuichi was still laying there, cold and lifeless in his arms. His blood ran down Eiri's hands.
He could not look away. The blood tainted his once innocent life.
It was then he realized that Shuichi would never be the same again. This had marked the end of his innocence. He would always have the nightmares.
He would always fear life without Eiri now.
And Eiri felt guilty, because he had let himself down. He had failed himself.
-----
Tatsuha hugged Ryuichi harder as he heard his brother's anguished cries. He did not realise that the damage could be or would be this extensive. He had hoped that someone came by soon to calm Eiri down. If Tohma could not, Shuichi usually could. Yet . . . he was hooked up to a ventilator and tubes all around him.
Tatusha hated himself even more.
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"EIRI!"
He heard a familiar voice calling out in the apartment that his mind had now ran to. He was still in Yuki's apartment, but was looking at the pink haired boy's dead body and at his blood that was on Eiri's hands. "Eiri!"
He finally was able to identify the voice as Tohma's. Even now, if he had flashed back to the present, nothing had significantly changed in the last few years. He felt Tohma's arms around him, trying to calm him down. He had ran in them and wept. He could always let his guard down in front of his brother-in-law, even if he had some creepy obsession with him.
"Shuichi---Shuichi---oh god---"
The image snapped away again as he heard his brother's voice. It sounded worried and it shook as he came back to reality.
"Are you sure that's wise, Tohma? They'll put him in the psych---"
"You're not putting me in a psych ward." Eiri's eyes glared at Tatsuha and Ryuichi. "I don't need some quack telling me what's in my head. I already know and it doesn't fucking stop. It just doesn't stop...god, why won't it go away!" He covered his eyes, as if it would go away, but he still saw the pink haired boy's face, lifeless in his mind. It threw him back inside the apartment and Eiri screamed again.
Once again, he was comforted by Tohma's arms. But they were not the arms he wanted to comfort him. For now, he would take anything he could get
"We're just trying to help you. The doctors can give you something to make you feel better and take it—"
"I don't want any damn doctors, Tohma!" Eiri screamed. His eyes were blank as he saw past him. Shuichi was behind him. He was laying there, behind Tohma. "I want him to be alive! Damn it. . . I couldn't do a thing . . . I couldn't stop Tatsuha . . . I . . . I'm a failure, Tohma," he whispered.
"Oh Eiri . . ." Tohma's hand patted his back as he hugged him closer. "That's not true . . . not true at all. You've never been a failure; there was nothing you could have done. I won't let you take the blame for this. And I won't let Shindou-san either. It wasn't---"
"But why did it have to be Shuichi?" Eiri asked, saddened. It was amazing how his mood was changing. "He keeps haunting me. He's dead. I shot him. I killed him...I hurt him and I could do NOTHING""
"Eiri he's not dead! Snap out of it!"
Eiri felt Tohma shake him and he could see blurry visions of his brother-in-law, his brother and Ryuichi. It was like he was fighting to try to see his actual reality.
"You didnt kill him!" Tohma had went on. "Shuichi is alive, Eiri, and you'll be able to see him very soon. You just have to last until we can. Can you do that for me?"
"I…I don't know," Eiri whispered, weeping silently. "I just want it all to go away. I want Shuichi here. I…I feel dead inside."
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"Tohma, I didn't mean for it to go this far!" Tatsuha cried out. "Honestly! I just wanted---I wanted to know how I felt about Shuichi... And how...he...about..." He trailed off, feeling very foolish.
He leaned back into Ryuichi's chest as he saw Tohma move away from Eiri and get in his face. "Didn't mean for it to go this far? Didn't mean for it to go this far! Did you even think at all besides your own selfish thoughts! Did Shindou-san ask for your help? Did Eiri NOT tell you to stay out of it? Did Shindou-san go with you willingly? Has there ever been any doubt with how Shuich felt for Eiri?"
Tatsuha could only stare, as could Ryuichi. Tohma had never gotten this pisses at either one of them. And from the way he was going, he was bound to attract attention.
"NO! You are entirely responsible for this, you self centered narcissist bastard! You! How dare you say that Eiri is only concern about himself because you have no room to talk! You have ruined the lives of everyone associated with this travesty! Even the reporter who's friends with Eiri! How do you think she feels? You didn't think of that, did you?"
"Since when did you call him 'Shindou-san'?" Tatsuha asked, now bawling at what he was hearing. He was indeed foolish. He wanted to gut himself right then and there, if Eiri or Tohma did not do it first. "Of course not, but Eiri treats him like shit, Tohma! Even you know that!" He screamed loudly, getting in the President's face. "You fucking know he treated him like shit and was cold and harsh to him! You knew it! You even stopped them at one point! How can you talk, you mother fucking hypocrite! I'm foolish? I don't have an obsession with my brother-in-law when I'm married to their sister!" Tatsuha did not care what he said, since he knew he was going to get reamed out anyway. And as loud as he was yelling, he would attract attention soon.
It didn't matter.
Tatsuha was going to be damned for the rest of his life, just hearing Eiri's screaming.
"You said the key word in there, Tatusha. WAS. You were just too blind to see that, and now look what you have done. You have as much have killed your brother and the person you love the most!"
"STOP IT!" Ryuichi cried, sniffling. "Can't you all stop going at each other's throats! We all know who's to blame and we all feel guilty! Screaming about it and killing each other isn't going to help!"
You have as much killed your brother and the person you love the most! The words tore through Tatsuha's heart. He saw Eiri, looking at something in his mind and clinging onto Tohma's sleeve. He heard Ryuichi screaming. He saw Tohma's angered stance.
It was all him. And no one else. As if he need to be reminded of that. AS IF.
"I know...Tohma. I didn't...mean...to take it...like this...Isn't Eiri technically still checked into the hospital?" He just now thought about it as he heard voices coming from behind him.
"Yes," Tohma said, smiling evilly. He knew he was having fun torturing him. "And who put him here? Hmm?"
It was me," Ryuichi said softly. "I was driving that car, so don't even try to pin that on Tatsuha. I'm am as much to blame as he is, whatever punishment you give him, I expect the same."
Tatsuha just looked at Ryuichi, in the midst of tears. It was Eiri's voice that came through though.
"You're right, Ryuichi Sakuma. It is. But my brother hatched it, so he should have to pay the price. He's the one...one who did this to Shuichi."
---
Eiri struggled to stay focused, to see PAST Shuichi's supposedly dead form in his young arms. "I should press charges for this. If I don't, I bet Tohma will. It's just hard...my mind...I can't..." He gulped as he heard footsteps as well. They echoed loudly in his head. He wanted to scream. He wanted it to just go away.
But if he was distraught when the nurses saw him, he would be back in the psychiatric ward. He did not need that now.
Shuichi needed him.
"If you really love him, as you supposedly say you do, then why would you even think of putting him through this, Tatsuha? Why? It's true, I don't know what to show that obnoxious boy, but at least I don't get him half killed," he hissed. "I never laid a hand on him, except in bed. And very gently, may I add."
"I don't need to hear about---
"God damn it, Tatsuha, just shut up for now, if you value your own life. If you want to live, I suggest you help him through this and undo everything you have done. Do you know what you did? The boy may never be the same again." Eiri took another breath. "His lyrics were bad, but his voice was good. He can't breathe right now, Tatsuha. He can't. He's hooked up to some machine to even BREATHE. I wouldn't have cared about my car . . . if you hadn't left him in there!"
"I didn't . . . we didn't know . . . "
"Tatsuha," Eiri warned gently. "Just pray that Shuichi lives. Just do that. Sort your own screwed up feelings about your forbidden manlove, but leave Shuichi and I out of it. For god's sakes."
"Oh god..." Ryuichi gasped, putting a hand over his mouth. Eiri's right.. what if he can't sing anymore, Tatsuha? Then he won't sing with me anymore and I'll be very sad!"
Meanwhile, Tohma was trying to get Eiri to calm down a bit more. "Come on, Eiri. Let's go get you cleaned up and then wait in the waiting room. We'll get you checked out while we're at it, considering you're probably a bit unstable from not having your medication."
"He'll make it, Ryuichi," Tatsuha said. "He's going to have to. God, I'm such a fucking idiot. I rather honestly would be dead right now then to witness this."
"...you're more of a coward then I am, Tatsuha," Eiri said, wiping the tears out of his eyes. "Can't you even live with your own actions? Can't you try to atone for them? I'd forgive you if you did that...the anger may not go away for a while, but...if Shuichi lives, it wouldn't matter to me." His eyes glanced at Ryuichi. "I know you care. His newfound manlove, as Tatsuha likes to say, is probably you, and he saw it through Shuichi. He did the same thing I did. Such a bloody fool."
Eiri was satisfied at the rock star's shocked expression on his face.
"Come on, Eiri," Tohma urged, tugging gently on his sleeve.
He nodded. "I'm alright now, Tohma. Really..." Hh closed his eyes and opened them to glance at Tatsuha. "You're only lucky I don't do this because of Shuichi. Damn brat." He made a move to walk away but turned around unexpectedly and had sucker punched Tatsuha, hitting him in the nose, making it gush out blood.
He felt unexpectedly better. Some of the tension was released in a single punch. He did not think Shuichi would be too mad at him. After all, he had not had a cigarette in the last five hours. He really was craving for some nicotine.
"Just because I can't kill you don't mean I can't be pissed at you." He turned to Tohma. "Come on, Tohma. I think Tatsuha has had enough. Though I can't say if the police will look for him on not, like the idiot he is. Besides, I want a cigarette."
The crowd of footsteps had increased as he turned and moved away, wiping the blood on his black pants, where there would be no evidence of blood on him. Tohma followed, making sure that the novelist could walk properly. Eiri's eyes glanced back and saw Ryuichi kneeling over Tatsuha. Even if he could not kill him, he was satisfied with the outcome.
"If the police do show up, you can drop the charges, Tohma," he muttered. "I think that Tatsuha won't be taking Shuichi anymore."
--------
"I hate to say it, but I think you deserved that," Ryuichi's voice came in Tatsuha's ears. "Are you alright?"
Of course I'm not, he wanted to scream. My brother nearly killed me and instead he broke my nose. The only good thing about this is that he wanted the near vehicular homicide charges dropped if Shuichi lives.
Tatsuha had cried as he held his nose gently. "Yeah...at least he didn't kill me, Ryuichi. I thought Bro was really going to kill me. God, that scared the shit out of me." He bawled uncontrollably, tugging one hand on Ryuichi's sleeve.
"Tatsuha, it's alright," Ryuichi said gently, hugging him close.
"Sir? Are you alright?"
They both turned around to see the nurse that had tended to Eiri coming their way. "You look like your nose is broken! Is there someone here intending harm? I could call security for you."
"Oh he's fine!" Ryuichi chirped. "His brother just punched him!"
"Punched him?" She sounded troubled, her eyes furrowed. "I'll call security. I cannot allow this to happen."
Tatsuha sighed. "No, no it's okay...It's been taken care of. It's a long story and it's best to leave it the way it is. Do you know about Shuichi Shindou? What condiction he's in?" He still held his bleeding nose carefully as he pressed, needing to know the answer.
He needed to stop the guilt from consuming him whole.
"Are you family?" she asked.
"Well no, but we kinda rode in the ambulance with him . . . " Tatsuha muttered. "Does that count?"
"I'm sorry," she answered, "but it goes against policy by telling outsiders the condition of the patients. Only family can know that information."
"What if I told you I was his long lost brother?"
Ryuichi received an odd look from the nurse.
"You can't see the resemblance?" he cried. "Here I thought Shu and I were twins!"
Tatsuha sighed. "Look, my brother lives with him, he's taking it really hard and he's his only real lifeline at the moment...that's why I'm asking."
"Mr. Uesugi's brother?"
Tatsuha nodded.
"Have you seen him?" she pressed. "I've been looking all over for him. He left his room and took out the IV again. I'm afraid the doctor is a bit upset but he understands the circumstances. I need him to sign some forms out on Shuichi's condiction."
"We saw him!" Ryuichi said. "He's the one who decked poor Tat-chan! Besides, I think he kind of deserved it anyway." He had still hugged Tatsuha, who was still bleeding. "You might want to hold your head up, Tatsu, to stop that---"
"Ryuichi, shut up!" Tatsuha said. Then he glanced at the nurse. "He's trying to talk to the doctors about Shuichi's health forms. They have some sort of living will document about if Shu went in the hospital...I heard him telling Tohma a while back...No matter how many times you keep putting Eiri back in the room, he's just going to be frantic till he finds out about Shuichi. I didn't know you were looking for him."
"Oh, you're talking about the health care proxy."
"Yes." Now we're getting somewhere, Tatsuha thought as he stood up with Ryuichi's help.
"Well, he needs to be evaluated and observed for the night. But considering the circumstances, if he comes back to his room and let's us check him over, I'm sure we could work something out." She smiled softly. "Now, where can we find him?
"He went with Tohma Seguchi," Tatsuha informed him. "I think he's in the waiting room with Eiri."
"You should really get that looked at. It's most likely broken. If it doesn't heal right, you could easily break it again."
"I'm sure it is," he replied. "Eiri does punch rather...hard."
"And he was wearing a ring! Poor Tat-chan!"
Both Tatsuha and the nurse, who was Arlena, giggled as she walked past them to find Eiri.
"Ryuichi," Tatsuha said softly. "Why are you here? I did something—" He trembled.
"Tatsuha, it's alright. We'll make it through this. But right now, we should find a doctor for your nose. After all, we all heard something when Eiri punched you."
Tatsuha laughed, despite the situation. "You're right. Thanks, Ryuichi."
It didn't go as badly as I thought. But now . . . we gotta wait to see how Shuichi is. It's really starting to grate my nerves. As he walked with Ryuichi guiding him, another thought popped into his head.
Eiri . . . when he was screaming . . . what exactly happened to him? Is he alright? I hope he is, for Shuichi's sake. He's going to need him to get through this.
And the worst part is . . . this was all my fault.
I'm so sorry, Shuichi. I'm very sorry.