Hey guys! Yeah, I know, I haven't updated in awhile. But I made this one a bit longer to make up for it (a bit). Yeah, this is the REAL chapter three. The last part I decided to just add to the second chapter. Gomen! It was just too short for me! I have to have something 2000 words or more to think of it as a chapter! Well, here were are, with 43 reviews! Awesome! I hope you guys continue to enjoy this story! Oh, and reviews are the most encouraging part of this. I'd rather you review this story than fave it. Kay, here's the next chapter! And it just leaves you with more questions! Haha!
Disclaimer: I don't own Gravitation. -cries- If I did, I'd let my mom retire with the moneyI'dgetand leave her evil girlfriend! -growls-
Chapter 3: Some Things Never Change
Yuki Eiri was confused, very confused indeed. His eyes were glued to the laptop screen, but his mind was elsewhere, wandering into the depths of his memory. He had never heard Shuichi talk about his father before. Why? Yuki was getting a bit worried….
'Maybe his father didn't want to talk to him after that little confession on live TV…' Yuki thought, remembering the incident quite clearly. He knew it was stupid, and he obviously hadn't been thinking clearly when he said that. But at least that took a lot of weight off his shoulders. He no longer had to hide his relationship with the singer after that.
'That would make sense' Yuki thought. 'And now his father is finally coming to his senses and is trying to rebuild his relationship with his son. Or maybe he just wants some money… Well, it doesn't matter…Yes, that's it. Hmm… Why was he so quiet and afraid then? Maybe he didn't know what his dad was going to say? Well, duh… Ugh, I guess I should check in on him. After all, it's almost time for him to get up for work.'
Yuki stretched and yawned. He closed his Word document and turned off his laptop. His story was almost done, and he thought the readers would really like it, even if it was sappy romance. It had good characters, and a good plot, or so he thought.
The characters were in love with each other, but it was forbidden because they were of different ranking in their country. It was a strange place to live in, almost like walking into the past. Yuki hadn't decided whether it took place in a foreign, little, isolated country or in the past. It didn't really matter. The story was still sappy and pathetic no matter where it took place. Yuki snickered and stood up. 'What a stupid story' he thought with a chuckle. He walked into the living room where the couch was.
Shuichi was indeed there, but something was wrong. Yuki just couldn't put his finger on it. He casually walked over to the couch and poked Shuichi lightly. He almost gasped when he realized that Shuichi was awake. But his eyes looked deceiving. They were cloudy and distant, something Yuki couldn't grasp. It was something Yuki didn't entirely understand either.
"Oi Brat, you awake?" Yuki asked with a growl. There was no response. Shuichi looked like he was dead to the world. He was in his own world, and obviously didn't want to be bothered by the other one. Yuki didn't really care what Shuichi wanted at the moment. He was worried, and he wanted an explanation to Shuichi's behavior.
"Hello, Shuichi?" Yuki asked again, his voice escalating. Shuichi blinked and finally looked Yuki in the eyes. He blinked again and rubbed his eyes. Was he still dreaming?
"Yeah?" Shuichi mumbled. He looked a bit pale, and he was shaky. "What is it Yuki? Is something wrong?" Darn, he still had that distant look in his eyes, like he was somewhere else entirely.
"What the heck is wrong with you?" Yuki demanded. "You've been so darn quiet. It's unnerving!" Shuichi winced.
"But you always tell me to be quiet…" Shuichi mumbled. He stared at Yuki with a bewildered look on his face. He was actually bewildered at himself, too. He was never quiet, unless something really bad and life-threatening was happening. No, even then he screamed and whined…
He was only this quiet at funerals. He had only been to one, that of his great-grandmother. But he hardly knew her. He remembered her by the white teddy bear she gave him for his birthday. He still had it in his room back at home. Maiko took care of it. He called it Birthday Bear. It was a stupid name, but it stuck to the bear like the pin attached to his chest.
"Exactly" Yuki replied flatly. "You hardly ever listen to me. Why now?" Yuki paused and growled. "And what the heck is with your eyes?" He stared into Shuichi's eyes with slight annoyance.
"My eyes?" Shuichi repeated. He blinked again and his eyes returned to their normal state, bubbly and lively. "What do you mean?" Yuki growled and slapped himself, mentally and physically. It was a stupid question to ask, and he knew it. He had been thinking about it too much, and now he was really letting it get to him. He let out a sigh for being so easily annoyed.
"Never mind…" he mumbled. "Ya know, it's almost time for you to go to work." He pointed to the clock. The clock…. Shuichi shuddered. He decided he didn't like clocks anymore after his nightmare. Clocks only showed how much time he had left until… HE returned.
"Oh, okay…" Shuichi whispered. "Thanks Yuki…" He stood up and went to go fetch his clothes. "Wait…" He paused and turned around. He felt Yuki's forehead and frowned. "Are you not feeling well or something?" Yuki blinked and raised his brow.
"What do you mean?" Yuki snapped. "I'm fine! Where the heck did you get that idea from?" Shuichi rolled his eyes and sighed in defeat. Yuki seemed so clueless to the little acts of kindness he did. Shuichi decided to remind the novelist.
"You never tell me I have to go to work, because you never care if I'm late or not" Shuichi pointed out. Yuki gulped. He had been caught. "But today… You actually came in here, prepared to wake me up so I wouldn't be late…!" Shuichi suddenly felt all his energy come back to him. He smiled and glomped Yuki. "I love you Yuki! You really do care!"
"No I don't!" Yuki yelled. He put his hands into fists. "I only went to wake you up because I didn't want to hear your whining when you realized that you were gonna be late for work, again." Yuki sighed in relief, hoping Shuichi would buy it.
"Oh, okay…" Shuichi said with disappointment evident in his voice. He let out another sigh and looked at the clock with dismay. It seemed to be mocking him, even now. He growled and walked over to the bedroom to get dressed.
"Darn brat…" Yuki growled and he walked back into his study. He sat back down on his chair and turned his laptop back on. He re-opened the Word document, which he still had no name for. He couldn't think of another title. Maybe his editor would help him… Oh well. He didn't really care. It didn't matter to him what his book was called. As long as it got his editor away from him, he didn't care.
Shuichi let out another sigh and walked out the door, saying his usual farewells to Yuki and mentioning that he would be home late, who pretended to ignore him. Shuichi walked outside and went to work to sing, get shot by K, several times, get yelled at by Fujisaki, get counseled by Hiro on his love life, watch Sakano scream and faint ten times or so and get glares from Tohma. Ah yes, he couldn't wait…
Shuichi usually enjoyed work, but he now hated it and loved it. He hated it because it was just a reminder as to what would come after work, and he loved it because it was a safe haven for him to be at for awhile, if you call being in the same room as K 'safe'… Shuichi shuddered.
He looked outside, and only saw darkness overflowing the room with its hatred. Suddenly, Shuichi saw HIM in the darkness. HIS eyes moved around, looking at Shuichi with interest. Shuichi shuddered and slid back on to the wall. He closed his eyes for a moment, hoping HE would go away. When Shuichi opened his eyes, quite timidly, HE was still there, his eyes gleaming, a bottle in his hand.
"Hello Shuichi, my son…" HE said softly, his voice almost inaudible. "It's nice to see you again, after all these years…" Shuichi gulped and closed his eyes. He whimpered, and slowly opened his eyes again. He sighed in relief. The hallway had become light again, and no person was in sight.
"Whew, that was scary…" Shuichi whispered. He took a deep breath and stood up, quite shakily. He laughed at himself. "I'm so stupid…! I don't have to see him…until tonight that is…" He let out another sigh and walked down the stairs like nothing happened.
Meanwhile, Yuki was typing furiously on his laptop. He growled and erased about a page of his work. Something wasn't right. He couldn't seem to figure out what should happen next in his story. He rubbed his temple wearily. He was having trouble concentrating, but he didn't know why.
Suddenly, he realized what was bothering him. The brat was acting weird lately, and Yuki was getting worried. Shuichi was being too quiet, too calm and way too punctual. Shuichi was always late for work, but Yuki knew that he probably got there on time today. It was strange.
'It has to be about his father' Yuki thought. 'Is he really that worried about what his father will say?' Yuki paused and started typing nonsense just to calm himself. 'He's probably worried that his father will try to keep him away from me. Baka.' Yuki sighed and deleted all the nonsense he typed. He closed the document and closed his eyes.
Shuichi waved goodbye to K, Sakano and Fujisaki. He faked a smile and hopped out of the studio with Hiro by his side.
"So Shuichi, do ya wanna hang out or something today?" Hiro asked. He looked at Shuichi and smiled. "We hardly ever hang out anymore." He paused and laughed. "Then again, we're with each other most of the day, and whenever Yuki kicks you out… Heh, I'm being greedy, but still, if you're not doing anything… I'm sure Yuki won't mind. He hardly ever does."
"Well, actually, I do have somewhere to go today" Shuichi said. "I have to meet someone at the café. It's important, or at least I think so." Shuichi gave an apologetic smile to Hiro. "I promise I'll hang out with you this weekend. Yuki's gonna be working on a deadline anyways. Alright?" Hiro nodded slowly.
"Sure, but who're you meeting at the café?" Hiro questioned. "And why? Is it a famous person, a reporter, a lady…?" Hiro grinned mischievously. "Are you cheating on Yuki, like he probably does?" Shuichi turned red.
"NO, I'M NOT MEETING A GIRL!" Shuichi yelled. He glared at Hiro, his eyes red. "AND YUKI DOES NOT CHEAT ON ME!" Shuichi recovered his breath while Hiro looked at him skeptically.
"So, who is it then?" Hiro asked, watching his friend wheeze. "It's not a girl, not a reporter, and not someone famous. Who could it be? An old friend from elementary school or something?" Shuichi slapped himself and growled.
"No, it's a guy that I used to know" Shuichi explained calmly. "And no, I'm not going out with him or anything. He's just someone I know, an old…friend…" Hiro titled his head.
"So you know this guy from Preschool?" Hiro asked. Shuichi growled and banged his head against the wall. Hiro sighed and continued. "I don't know why you're acting so uptight, but I've known you since middle school. I've been your only friend since then, so if he isn't from Elementary school, he has to be from preschool. Am I right?"
"No" Shuichi said. "He was an adult before I even knew you…" Hiro snapped his fingers. He dragged his friend away from the wall and put a bandage on Shuichi's head. (It was bleeding.) He always had a first-aid kit when he was with Shuichi. Shuichi always happened to get hurt. Hiro was sure that Shuichi could hurt himself in a room made completely of fluffy pillows. Shuichi always found a way, or so it seemed.
"Oh, that makes sense" Hiro said. He and Shuichi continued walking out of NG. "Do I know him? Have I ever seen him before?"
"No, I haven't seen him since Elementary School" Shuichi explained. "That's why I haven't mentioned his name. You wouldn't know him anyways." Shuichi waved goodbye to Hiro. "I gotta go now! Have fun on your date with you-know-who!" He sang the latter part. Shuichi ran off before Hiro could yell at him for the teasing about Ayaka. He chuckled as he ran out of NG.
Shuichi slowed down once he realized where he was going. 'I'm gonna see dad' he thought. Just the thought sent shivers down his spine. 'It'll be fine. Why am I worrying so much?' One word made him remember why: Ritsuka. 'Bad Shuichi! Think happy thoughts! Dad has changed, he said so! It won't happen again! And besides, I won't see him often…'
Determined to not freak out, Shuichi walked down the streets. He put sunglasses and a hat on and continued on. He passed a jewelry shop, a bakery and a clothes shop before seeing the sign for the café'. He looked at his watch. It was 6:58PM.
The café had all sorts of beautiful Japanese art on its walls and ceilings. It was a quiet place, and was simply called the café. It didn't have a real name, so that's what everyone called it. It was a very peaceful place and the owner was kind. His named was Kai. He was a foreigner, and that was all Shuichi knew about him. Shuichi stepped inside the café and entered a world filled with paintings and soothing music.
"Ah, Shuichi…" a voice said. It caused Shuichi to jump in surprise. He remembered that voice. It was none other than his dad…. "How are you?" Shuichi turned around and saw his dad. His dad had black hair and violet eyes that matched Shuichi's. He wore a green shirt with jeans and had already picked out a table. He was the man Shuichi feared, the one who caused so many nightmares… He gestured for Shuichi to sit down next to him.
"H-Hi dad…" Shuichi whispered meekly. He gulped and sat down on the chair across from his dad's. "H-how are you?" His dad made an eerie smile, one that would scare the heck out of even Tohma.
"Oh, I've been doing well" his dad replied. He looked at Shuichi. "How's the big life that you seem to be leading with your music?" He chuckled and Shuichi joined in nervously.
"It's good" Shuichi replied quickly. He wondered what his mother would say if she saw that he was talking to his father. He frowned just thinking of it. "We're releasing a new CD next month." Shuichi didn't know what else to say. He stared down at his shoes. His mind went blank after seeing the man who gave him the shivers.
"Oh, I can't wait!" his dad exclaimed. "I bought every one of your CDs. They're really cool." He smiled and continued like he had seen Shuichi yesterday. "They're all about Yuki, aren't they?" Shuichi froze for a minute, and everything seemed to slow down.
"Y-yeah, they are!" he said. "So, you like them?" He was amazed that his father tolerated the music, especially since he knew what it was about, Yuki. He wasn't sure if his father would approve... But that was the least of his list of worries.
"Yes, how could I not?" he questioned. "They're my son's own music, and they're about something real, not like other pop music I hear these days…" He trailed off when he noticed that a waiter was there to serve them.
"Hello sirs, can I get you anything?" the waiter asked. He had light brown hair and blue eyes. It definitely wasn't Kai, Shuichi knew for sure. Kai had very dark skin and a weird hat on. Shuichi often teased him about the hat, but Kai continued to wear it.
"Yes, I'd like a vanilla cappuccino" his father answered. "And what would you like, Shuichi?" He looked at Shuichi and smiled.
"The usual…" Shuichi said, looking up at the waiter. The waiter nodded. Shuichi had come to the café often when he was a bit depressed or in a slump. No one else knew about it though. Shuichi sighed as the waiter walked off to fetch the drinks.
An hour later, Shuichi said goodbye to his father and rushed out of the café. His father had offered to pay for the meal, so Shuichi also thanked him. After being far away from the café, Shuichi let out a sigh of relief.
"Well, that wasn't bad…" he murmured. "I worked myself up over nothing. Ha, I guess he really did change…" Shuichi smiled weakly and walked back to his apartment. A voice inside his head reminded him that, 'Some things never change, even though they may appear to, ya know...'
A/N: Was it bad? (and how can I improve?)Good? Enjoyable? Interesting? Did I make a mistake? I won't know unless you review ya know! Thank you reviewers! You guys make me soooo happy! Oh, and the big new question is: Who is Ritsuka and how does Shuichi know this person? Oh, NO FLAMES PLEASE! CC is always welcome though!
Deji: Wow, I got 43 reviews...
Shuichi: Well, that's good, right?
Deji: Heck yeah!
Yuki: How come you never swear, or at least let me swear in your story? I hate saying darn and heck. It's so pathetic.
Deji: Dunno... But it is funny thinking of you saying them.It amuses me, so I write them.
Yuki: Darn... Hey! Why can't I say darn? What the heck? No! I'm supposed to to heck! What? Ugh! Darn you to heck for cursing me, Deji!
Deji: My pleasure! -smiles- I love torchuring you so:p
Shuichi: Okay, plz review! Thank you in advance!
