The Ghost of Kitazawa Yuki
Vignettes on Kitazawa Yuki
Disclaimer: Gravitation is not, by any stretch, a work that I own or have any part in. It is the brainchild of Murakami Maki, as are the characters which these vignettes focus on. These works are merely part speculation, part imagination on my part and are not to be taken as a true back-story for any of the characters (except, perhaps, for parts where the manga might be directly referenced). Nor are they, for that matter, meant to be taken as true representations of the characters; these are my interpretations based on the actions of the manga and anime series.
O N E : S E N S E I
There was no mistaking it; Seguichi Touma eyed the paperwork once more. No matter how many times he examined and cross-examined it, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. He frowned, eyeing the carefully assembled credentials as if some vital clue would pop out from the page. He couldn't seem to find anything out of place, despite his efforts, and he shook off his feelings.
This wasn't about him and so, feelings be damned, he would give his all to insure the best for Uesugi Eiri.
"Kitazawa-sensei, is it?" Touma carefully programmed the number into his cell phone, "Yes, you're clearly the best option for Eiri-kun."
"Touma-san?"
Seguchi Touma smiled fondly down at his ward and close friend; and, really, if he were to be frank with himself, the most important person in the world to him. Eiri-kun was a beautiful boy, his unusual coloring exotic with his Asian features. He was too beautiful, Touma reflected, hiding his scowls at the looks his ward gathered behind all-too-bright and all-too-fake smiles.
"Yes, Eiri-kun?" his smiles for Eiri, however, were always real.
"Where are we going?" Touma swallowed when Eiri pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. It was an innocent enough action, but the older man couldn't deny the shivers it sent down his spine.
He forced himself to think of other things, swallowing the surge of emotions and hiding them behind his cheerful smile.
"I've found you a tutor, Eiri-kun," his smile never faltered, "this way you can keep from falling behind while you adjust to America."
"Oh," Eiri blinked and then smiled up at Touma, "that was very thoughtful of you, Touma-san." If he hadn't already been before, Seguchi was now somehow sure that Uesugi Eiri would one day be the death of him. "Are they nice, Touma-san?"
Touma blinked, coming out of his own thoughts, "Hmm?"
"My new tutor, are they nice?" Eiri pushed up his glasses again, "It'd be good to have another friend here."
"That's why we're going to meet him together," Touma winked at the younger boy, "If you don't like him, just tell me and we'll find someone else. Okay?"
Eiri nodded, "I understand."
Touma chuckled, ruffling the boy's hair affectionately, "You're a good boy, Eiri-kun."
Touma felt like an old pervert at the warmth that filled his heart watching Eiri's face slowly turn red.
"Touma-san," the distressed boy hissed, "we're in public!"
"Relax, Eiri-kun," Touma smiled as if he hadn't a care in the world. "This is America."
Eiri had been a bit surprised when Touma sprung the news of his new tutor on him. He wasn't sure that he was at all comfortable with the idea, despite his polite words. Everyone was a stranger here, and while he stood out far less than he had in Japan, there was still a cultural gap he felt keenly. Touma had assured him that would fade away, but Eiri wasn't so sure. Perhaps he just fit in nowhere.
He was too un-Japanese for Japan, the children tauntingly calling him a "gaijin." But, as he gazed at the skyscrapers of Manhattan, he was hard-pressed to feel like he fit in here in America either. He sighed, wishing that for once, just once, pieces would fall into place in his life without feeling forced.
Perhaps that was why he was so easily and quickly taken in by one, Kitazawa Yuki. Or perhaps it was merely Kitazawa's skill as an inherent liar. Whichever it was, it only took one gaze for Eiri to be convinced that his new tutor was nothing short of an angel. His eyes lit up as, for the first time, he was graced with Kitazawa's carefree smile.
And somehow, Eiri felt that a piece had fit into the puzzle of his life without having to be wedged.
Author's Note: I must admit, I'm not especially pleased with Touma's characterization in this piece. But, as consequence of these stories focusing more on Kitazawa I don't really have the room to eleborate on it without a huge digression, thus Touma comes off almost like a pedophile. However, I trust Touma to be controlled enough to never act on his thoughts; I just wish I could convey that strength a little better (he still sounds a bit like a pedophile, doesn't he?)! As for his thoughts themselves? I'm sure you noticed that he doesn't have completely platonic feelings towards Eiri, especially by the the end of either the anime or manga. I don't, however, believe that Touma had ever truly intended to act on his feelings in more than a platonic way, even before Mika came into the picture. Is it odd to say that I consider him too honorable for that? Or that Eiri is too special to him for that?
But yeah, I just feel like I wasn't really true to his character the way that I could have been or maybe should have been. There's not really too much to go on for their past selves, and I'm sure that even Touma has changed over the years between Kitazawa and Shuichi. So I guess it's probably best if I just leave it as is.
If you didn't know, "gaijin" means foreigner. I had so much trouble keeping from incorporating Japanese into their dialogue! Like, I wanted to write: "Kitazawa-sensei, da sho?" or "wakarimashita." I settled for their English equivilants. In this case, I feel that using Japanese so sporadically would weaken the writing rather than strengthen it.
The Japanese really are strict about displaying affection in public (which is why you always see such dramatic reactions to a lot of the hugging scenes in Gravitation and other manga, like when Ryuichi greets Touma upon his return from America, or when Touma greets Eiri when he returns in volume nine). To be honest, I don't know if they're quite as strict as Eiri's actions may imply, but young Eiri always struck me as being a bit shy anyway, so I don't really feel that I could overdo that bit.
My author's note is nearly as long as the story itself, this is kind of sad.
