Wolf- I am SOO SORRY! It shouldn't have taken this long, but my computer stopped working on the internet. This chapter was only done in a couple of days, too! I am soooo sooooo sorry! Please forgive me! I promise that the next one will be out super quick! On Monday or Tuesday, I promise, and today's Friday!
I do not own Gravitation. I do own the manga, and am working on getting the DVDs.
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Haunted
Long lost words whisper slowly to me
Still can't find what keeps me here
When all this time I've been so hollow inside
I know you're still there
Tohma had been looking into Akuma Seti's death to try to learn all the details ever since Akuma had died. He couldn't believe that he had turned a blind eye to all that had happened between his cousin and Akuma Seti. If only he had been less preoccupied with his starting company.
Sighing, he tapped on the keyboard to scroll through some more information. He ran a hand through his hair, the leopard-print glove that covered it snagging in the knots.
He had been thinking about it more lately, about what had happened. From what he had been able to gather, Akuma had been getting increasingly stressed out about his music career. It had always been his way to use physical violence to express himself, but Suguru had been so young... He still couldn't believe he hadn't noticed that they were sleeping together. Suguru hadn't understood, had thought it was his fault. It had piled on him until his wrists were slit, even though they had reconciled just a month before. And Akuma had followed him to the death.
'Maybe it really was love...' Tohma thought with half-lidded eyes. His fingers stopped moving when he saw the news report about Akuma's death and Tenshi's disappearance.
Tohma's heart had always been held by Eiri, but he had never wanted to burden Eiri with it too much. That was why he understood. It was also why he understood Hiro, about the matter of Shuichi, despite all that had happened between them.
Tiny signs of stress in Akuma had started during the first tour Fallen Angel had given. Tohma had noticed it somewhat distractedly. During those days he had barely had time to pat Suguru on the head in passing.
'I can't keep doing this,' Tohma thought, firmly closely the documents that had been opened. 'It wasn't my fault. If I had just had the time to see them act together, though... No. I can't blame myself.
"Tohma." It was the little violinist and pianist who had been assigned to Bad Luck, Quatre. He used Tohma's first name with far too much familiarity to make Tohma comfortable.
The blonde looked up at Quatre with barely-concealed unease. "Yes, Quatre?" People had said that Quatre and Tohma were alike. They were exactly alike, which was one of the reasons that it unsettled Tohma to see the boy.
"Tohma, I want to talk to you about Fujisaki-san."
'He respects Suguru at least,' Tohma thought wryly. He tilted his head for Quatre to go on. The heir to Winner Enterprises Incorporated, the young teen was spoiled and vain, but he was a gentle boy at heart.
"I've thought over the best way to ask and have decided that it would be easiest just to do so. Why did Fujisaki leave Bad Luck? If I am to be his successor, I should know."
Tohma smiled that cool, meaningless smile that he used for business meetings. He would have to lie. This was Suguru's secret to tell and Suguru's alone. Not that he minded lying. He was used to it in his line of work.
--
Watching me, wanting me
I can feel you pull me down
Fearing you, loving you
I won't let you pull me down
Suguru had been thinking about Akuma more, lately. It was because he had started up Fallen Angel again. The problem was that he couldn't finish his new CD, couldn't even start a new CD, without at least one more member.
'Since Seti isn't an option, who should be my bandmate?' he wondered, feeling the familiar ache inside at Akuma's name. 'I know a lot of people in the business, but they all already have bands. The only one I know that doesn't is...'
Taki. Suguru had somewhat admired that Taki would do anything for his band, even if he didn't like the ways he chose to implement it. The man was psychotic, dangerous, and a damn fine musician. Maybe Taki would be the one to be in the band with him. Tohma had made him seek counseling, even though Taki had told him where to stick his advice. He might be better. He certainly fit the Fallen Angel bill.
Could he do it, though? Let someone try to take Akuma's place? He didn't think he could. A new place, maybe? A new person? The dueling keyboarding had always been Fallen Angels trademark, but he hadn't wanted it to be the same. It still hurt too much. It always would.
"It might work," Suguru whispered into the empty room, eyes fluttering closed. Resting his hands behind his head, a long, slow sigh was released. The 'might' was the part that was worrying him so greatly.
Hunting you I can smell you-- alive
Your heart pounding in my head
A few days later Suguru was puzzling over a song, wondering why he couldn't manage to get the words he wanted out. It had always flowed easily, coming from him in a flood of pain and more pain. When Tohma had told him that he could have a 'normal' persona and his real self on stage, he hadn't wanted to. Lately, he had been trying, though. He just couldn't separate himself completely.
He had made it to the chorus of the song and was waiting for what he wanted to fall out onto the paper. He read over the last line he had scrawled, idly scanning it just to try to figure out what the next verse would be. 'I won't let you pull me down', the last line read, but wasn't that what he was letting happen?
Somehow, he couldn't bring himself to care. That wasn't the point, though. The point was that he didn't know what the verse should be. It was going to be short, two lines, maybe, or three. Yet...
Groaning, he slammed the folder closed and crossed his arms over his chest. The pout on his lips would have been childish if his silky dark green hair wasn't falling all over his shoulders, spilling over his bare chest.
Sometimes he hated being an angel and trying to live up to perfection.
He was tired, and the bed looked inviting. He didn't want to think anymore, so it was time to go to sleep. Standing, he walked over and crawled into bed.
--
Tatsuha looked over the star-spangled night sky over the Buddhist temple longingly. If only he could fly with the birds, be free to wander... His duties lay here, with his family, though. His father was becoming ill again, not that he believed the old man would croak off in a million years. The temple was a family thing, but Tatsuha didn't want to be what he was. He didn't want to be a monk.
Lonely, shattered brown eyes came to him, breaking through his other thoughts. He guessed he now knew why Suguru always looked so sad. He was Tenshi. His lover had suicided.
Fujisaki Suguru's face was achingly beautiful. The soft curve of his cheek, a pointed chin that was almost elven, and softly sparkling brown eyes. The hair that was so long now was so deep a black it seemed green most of the time.
Tatsuha had felt lust before, of course, but he had never felt such a need to protect someone in his life. More than anything, he wanted to escape from being a monk and just do what he wanted to do with his life.
'Might as well visit Eiri again.' Then he thought, amused, 'Maybe the old bastard will croak off on my way to see the wonder writer and his gorgeous, Ryuichi-like boy toy.'
He got up and got the bags he hadn't even had time to unpack yet.
--
Watching me, wanting me
I can feel you pull me down
Saving me, raping me
I won't let you pull me down
Tohma was looking over the files again, Ryuichi perched in his lap with childish curiosity clear in his gaze as he looked at the screen. "Kumagorou wants to know if you're ever going to stop working!" he said, laughing. His eyes narrowed when he looked at Tohma more directly. "And so do I. It can't be good for you, Tohma-kun!"
Tohma sighed. "Sorry, Ryu."
He hadn't the heart to throw the singer off his lap and tell him that, once again, he was behaving more like an American than a Japanese man. Or a five-year-old. Besides... he rather liked having Ryuichi in his lap. He liked close contact with those he loved, but Mika rarely touched him. In fact, most of the time they didn't run in the same circles. They didn't even live together.
"Just a few more minutes." His eyes scrolled down the screen one more time at the news one of his agents had given him. And his heart began to pound. "Holy shit..." was his soft murmur.
"What is it, Tohma?" Ryuichi demanded. He peered at the screen, but could barely understand more than one hirigana in a page.
"It's about Akuma," Tohma murmured. "Suguru is going to... Gods, I don't know if he knows or not."
"What is it?" Ryuichi demanded. Tohma ignored him.
--
Watching me, wanting me
I can feel you pull me down
Fearing you, loving you
I won't let you pull me down
Tohma's pale golden hair was tousled when Suguru saw him, and it wasn't intentionally. The normally neat, stylish man looked like he hadn't slept much and had thrown on the first clothes he saw. As such, he was wearing a ratty T-shirt and ragged jeans.
"Suguru..." the voice was quiet, intense. Standing beside him were his bandmates, almost as if they were emotional support for whatever was going on. Hiroshi was there too, hovering beside Fujisaki on the couch.
"Cousin?" Suguru questioned, looking up from the folder and the song he had been working on once again. He had been trying to work around the missing verse, and it wasn't working quite right. His heart was pounding right now, and he was sure the others could hear it. He wasn't sure why he was so scared.
"I received some information early this morning. I... I don't know if I should..."
"Tell him." Noriko's voice was no-nonsense. She flipped her lavender hair over her shoulder as she stared the man down. For once, he looked nervous. He seemed so off-balance it was making Suguru off-balance.
"Akuma's alive."
The cold... so penetrating. Dark. Light. Dark. Light. Where...? Alive! I didn't...
All he could feel was numb for several moments, but then he began to laugh hysterically, so hard he cried. Sliding closer to him, Hiro's arms wrapped around him in a comforting embrace. And all Suguru could think was that now he knew what that lyric for his song should be.
'Hunting you I can smell you-- alive...'
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Wolf- So wha'dya think? I've been planning this little gem since forever! Please review, if only so I know that someone missed me! Kisses and review.
K- (raises gun) Or die.