A/N: Yo there people! We're back once again with Chapter VIII! This story is actually beginning to get longer than I had anticipated, but we're loving every moment of writing it!
First, before some background info on today's chapter, a big thanks to you all for reviewing! You guys are brilliant! Do you know how much these reviews mean to us? It means that people actually like our writing! It never ceases to amaze me how much people can like a story I just threw together one Maths lesson when I got bored…
To respond to Suanne's question, I myself tend to read fantasy, and have read Garth Nix's Abhorsen trilogy and his Keys to the Kingdom series. I literally just finished Memoirs of a Geisha today during French. I've read the Kel books, written by some author I can never remember her name but most of my inspiration for my stories comes from either the things around me, my head or simply the music I'm listening to. I've read the Abhorsen Trilogy too, and the Keys to the Kingdom series. I'm gonna borrow Memoirs of a Geisha off Hikari when our other mate Kirst finishes reading it since she's been dying to read it too. I introduced Hikari to the Kel books by Tamora Pierce (probably spelling her name wrong, but whatever) and I also read the Alana and Daine books by her too. Me and Hikari read an awful lot, be it manga or fantasy books. Even fanfiction counts as reading right? Anyway, there's the very long, round about answer to your question : )
Anyway, info on this Chap. I started writing it today during… erm… RS I think? Anyway, I did this Chapter working from the original Chapter VI but changing a little more. I wanted Cia to rewrite the opening, to make Eiri seem less miserable, but it didn't go as planned. –sighs- Kari's much better at writing Eiri suffering than me… guess that's cos I love him so much! – EIRI! –glomps Eiri-. –sweatdrops- Uh-huh. I just have a natural knack for writing extremely sad scenes. It isn't my fault! But anyway, Chapter VIII has been written fully on my own, once again but Chapter IX will be another joint chapter between the two of us. You'll notice the strong similarities in Chapter VIII to the original Chapter VI, in fact most things are the same. However some are different. I may have made Eiri's pain a little more subtle… I don't know. Anyway, hope you like this chapter! It's a good one, honest!
One more thing though. Remember that anything in italics is Shuichi in the dream world. And if Eiri's writing about it in his story, you'll know because it will be written before or after the large chunk of italics. That's it! We hope you enjoy Chapter VIII!
Pure as the Snow
Chapter VIII
For three whole days now, Shuichi had been missing.
Touma, having no luck at finding the pink haired singer, had decided to drop by Eiri's home to check he was coping all right. However, although he secretly knew that his old friend would not be fine, he was unsure of how bad it really would be.
He approached the front door to find it unlocked, almost as if Eiri was waiting for Touma to arrive… or maybe he was expecting someone else. In any case, he pushed the door open and went inside, shutting the door as he entered.
The sight that met his eyes was most certainly a tragic one.
In front of him, sat Eiri typing furiously at his laptop which he had moved into the living room. The cold hearted novelist's eyes were deep in concentration, but as he looked up Touma could definitely notice the effects that three days without Shindou had had on him. The man sitting before him was a lost soul, with no guidance to the light. His eyes had lost their usual fire and spark and simply stared at Touma, emotionless, although Touma was sure that, had it been anyone other than himself visiting Eiri, they would've seen his eyes as the usually did and not with the hidden sadness Touma could see. His hair was a complete mess, and it didn't look like he had slept well or even at all since Shindou left. The clothes he wore smelt unwashed and in fact Eiri himself smelt like he hadn't bathed at all in the time Shindou had been missing. Blinking, his eyes tried to cover up his misery but Touma could see right through it. Eiri was a complete wreck, and the sight was killing him.
"Eiri… have you been writing all this time since Shindou left?" Touma asked, staring at the mountain of text on the laptop's screen. Eiri nodded, a pang of loneliness echoing in his heart at the mention of his lover's name. Looking at Eiri, Touma noticed too. He felt compelled to sit beside Eiri and hold him close, like a mother might hold a child. Eiri didn't move or flinch as he might usually. He didn't cry either like Touma had expected. He simply sat there and wished someone would take the pain away. Then, shifting away from Touma once more, he returned to typing.
Cold and alone, he lay on the snow, curled up into a tight ball. Tiny drips of water that were flowing freely down his face fell onto the snow. In a way, he wished death would just carry him away. It would be better than this loneliness and pain he felt. But he would not give in. Not to the darkness. Not until he solved the mystery of the snow. He was the single spark of light shining in this world…
"… the only one who can heal the snow," the voice continued, as if able to read his thoughts. A flicker of light caused him to open his eyes and sit up. The light twisted and moved to form the slender form of a young man. And the light dissipated and scattered, leaving the form behind. Rising to his feet, he pointed an accusing finger.
"Y-You!"
Staring out of his apartment window, Hiro wondered where Shuichi could have possibly gone. They'd checked all of his favourite hiding places and even called his parent's home to see if he had gone there. K had even gone to the extreme of checking all flights leaving Tokyo in case he'd planned to run away. But nothing had come out of that. It was almost as if he had disappeared off the face of the earth, not to be seen again.
He put his head in his hands. They'd been best friends so long that surely if something was going on, he would've told him, right? But no. Shuichi was gone. He had left them and there was nothing they could do about it. Nothing.
They were blind to his pain and now facing the ultimate price. They were helpless… helpless and powerless…
However hard life was right now, life always continued. It was a lesson mankind had always had to learn and deal with. But the city of Tokyo seemed to have stopped dead. No longer did the bright neon lights of the city shine out, nor was there anyone about. The roads were deathly silent. The snow had brought both joy and pain. The citizens of Tokyo were now experiencing the latter. The snow fell heavily from the sky.
Day seven of the snow came to a close.
A/N: Oh how I loved writing this chapter! You just like seeing Eiri sad 'Kari! Well, no actually, seeing Eiri sad makes me sad. But he just seems to be better written when I make him sad. –sticks tongue out at Hikari- Anyway, that was Chapter VIII. We really do love writing this story and your reviews give us more cause to write faster. We hope to be back tomorrow with Chapter IX, which I wrote the beginning to today. And I hope to write the ending of it tomorrow. Until next time! Ja ne and review!
