Disclaimer: Gravitation does not belong to me. Ne, I doubt Gravitation would be as good if I owned it anyway. I'm not making any money out of this either and am just borrowing its characters….
A/N: A long while, a long wait pain. I'll have new pic for this series fic up at my username profile soon, so check it out. Also, I'm really working on my website now so.. yeah… sooon‾ Finally, a version of sixteen I'm relatively happy with. Though I think I did it with the price of my OC's OOCness…. It's unedited as is common with my works. Also, posting my works at Gurabite has been a pain – Word 2000's HTML programming is not liked very much by the upload thingie there ;-; sigh
And so, I gamble with sixteen. XD
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Sixteen: Lost Complex (2)
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Sock-clad feet padded across the wooden floor, their owner making sure he made no sound as he entered the apartment and closed the door behind him with much care. The boy discarded his backpack and left it against the wall before curiously peeking around the corner and into the living room. His lips curved into a small, amused smile suddenly at the sight of the man hard at work on the piano and he crept towards the man and stopped right behind him before finally opening his mouth to break the silence.
"Tadaima." The boy greeted quietly in a voice that was almost a whisper. The man at the piano whirled around and was startled for a precious few moments before finally breaking into a wide smile and replying in the same manner.
"Okaeri, Eiri-kun."
The smile on the boy's lips widened and he stood there, smiling proudly about such a small feat before wrapping his slender arms around the man's shoulders and peering over his shoulder to look at the half-filled page of music paper on the piano stand. "Working on a new piece?"
The man looked at him once and then the picked the piece of paper, glancing quickly at the whole written on it before showing it to the boy with a confirming smile. "Yes…. it's not finished yet though."
The boy leaned forward and examined the notes on the paper. Moments later, he narrowed his golden eyes and furrowed his eyebrows and turned to the man with a questioning look that made the man chuckle lightly.
"You want to hear, don't you, Eiri-kun?" The man asked in a slightly amused tone and the boy put on a mock-look-of-annoyance before breaking into a wide grin and nodding eagerly.
"I'm Tohma-kun's number one fan, aren't I?" The boy said with a laugh and then let go of the man's shoulders. The man moved a little and the boy sat himself beside him even as he returned the music notebook back on the stand.
The boy watched carefully as the man placed his delicate fingers professionally on the keys, meaning to watch every move they took to create the sort of music he knew the man was capable of creating with them. The man began playing then and a simple, yet promising, tune, was created. It was nothing like the fast, very much synthesized music the boy knew the man usually worked on and was more on the traditional side, perhaps. It was simple, yes, it didn't employ the synthesized special effects but it was beautiful, happy, bright. Hopeful.
He could have thought about more adjectives to describe it had it lasted longer but as it happened, before he knew it, he was watching a pair of still fingers on the keyboard. He looked up, from the hands, to the face of their owner and the man smiled.
"It's not done yet," the man told him quietly, "I'm still working on it. But…did you like it, Eiri-kun?"
The boy jumped off the seat and stood facing the man. "It was nice and simple. I really liked it, Tohma-kun."
"You did, hmm?" The man narrowed his eyes and looked the boy suspiciously, "You're not just telling me this so I don't ship you back to Mika, are you?" The man's voice dipped, turning menacing but the boy was unfazed as he broke into light laughter and began shaking his head.
"Promise, Tohma-kun, I'm not!" The boy blurted out before breaking into a mischievous grin. "… so, who was it for?"
"Who was it for?" the man echoed, arching an eyebrow as he did so. The boy nodded quietly and edged closer, golden eyes widening a notch. "Kitazawa-sensei told me artists often draw inspiration from other things. People, songs, places, memories... all that… So who are you making it for, Tohma-kun? It really felt like it was for someone…."
At this, the man only smiled. "It's for someone special."
The boy's mouth opened in an 'O' and he stood up and planted his hands on the man's shoulders. "Is it for Mikarin?" The boy asked inquisitively.
The man continued smiling and then broke into chuckling. "Hi-mit-su." He said simply, purposely slurring the simple Japanese word and laughed when the boy's handsome face creased into disbelieving frown.
"It's a secret, Eiri-kun. Maybe… I'll tell you when it's done. Maybe."
Maybe.
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Eiri glared up at the neon signboard, as it seemed to loom ominously above him, the English word 'Nocturne' on it in bright neon pink only making him even more uneasy than he already was. Behind him, Tatsuha reluctantly broke the lip-lock with his lover and stepped out of their car and began walking towards where his brother stood. Tatsuha knew his novelist for a brother was already regretting deciding to put up with whatever Ryuichi had in store for him but now that they were where Ryuichi wanted them to be, and that was after several clubs on the way, there was certainly no turning back.
"Oi, Aniki!" He called out, grinning, as he walked towards the older Uesugu with grin, his hands planted on the back of his hips almost deliberately and suggestively for the Nittle Grasper vocalist in the car behind him. The award-winning novelist turned sharply and regarded Tatsuha sharply before reaching for the pack in his jacket and lighting a cigarette. Tatsuha swallowed, obviously his older brother was not pleased but he was sure an angry Eiri was a tad better than an angry Ryuichi in this situation. Shuichi had once told him the sofa was not a nice bedmate and he seriously didn't think their expensive sofa back home was any more friendlier than his brother's.
"This is the last club we're going tonight, isn't it?" Eiri asked quietly after taking a short drag from his cigarette. The blond watched his brother, blond eyes shining through the thin screen of smoke from his cigarette. Tatsuha nodded and reached for the pack still in his older brother's hand. He plucked a stick out and then asked for the lighter, which Eiri produced from his jacket and handed to him.
"Yup, it is." Tatsuha replied finally as he lit his own cigarette.
"You've been here." Eiri stated calmly in between drags and Tatsuha nodded again.
"With Ryuichi." The younger Uesugu said and then looked back. He grinned when he found his favorite vocalist leaning against the hood of their car, arms folded as he watched them, or rather him, with a predatory grin.
"So… care to tell me why you wanted me here?" Eiri asked finally and the sarcasm in his tone of voice was definitely not lost to Tatsuha. The dark-haired Uesugu turned away from his lover and grinned at his older brother.
"Ryu-chan didn't tell me, but I don't think he's out to pair you up with some hot blonde chick." He paused and then continued a little hesitantly, "At least I don't think so…"
Eiri was silent, staring ahead listlessly and Tatsuha watched him a bit worriedly. Ryuichi's words echoed in his mind then and he smiled inwardly, almost relieved. No, Ryuichi would certainly not do that, especially given how much Shuichi mattered to Ryuichi.
"Actually, Aniki—" The younger Uesugu placed an arm on his brother's back and grinned, "I don't think Ryu-chan would do that, so you're safe…. And besides, how long has it been since you went out partying?" Eiri rolled his eyes. "You… need a break…" He looked over his shoulder and grinned at Ryuichi. "Ne, Ryu-chan?"
Ryuichi took that as his cue and, grinning, he unfolded his arms, stood away from the car, and began sauntering towards them. Tatsuha licked his lips as he ran his eyes up and down the vocalist, finding it hard to repress himself from thinking dirty, dirty thoughts. Especially when said vocalist was sporting skin-tight, deep red leather pants that hugged every curve of his shapely legs and an unbelievably tight black, zip-up tank top that refused to cover his well-toned abdomen. He swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat and made one final attempt to shake the thoughts off; he did not want to spend any more time in the restroom acting like bunnies in mating season tonight, no matter how hot his bunny-partner was, and that was that.
"Ne, Ta-chan, you're looking flushed." Tatsuha stiffened suddenly and the NG vocalist let out a short amused laugh before turning to the novelist, deliberately brushing provocatively at the younger Uesugu's lower regions and completely ignoring the tiny whimper that escaped the boy's lips as he did so.
"Yuki-san—" Ryuichi began, grinning impishly, "You have to do me a favor though, na no da…."
The novelist immediately arched an eyebrow before creasing his eyebrows and eyeing the older man suspiciously. He discarded the cigarette in his hand, letting it fall to the ground before stubbing it and then folding his hands. "What and why?" He asked simply and the redhead laughed.
"Be‾cause, na no da…." The vocalist began, giggling before blurting out, "Kumagorou's holding your laptop hostage!"
Tatsuha's jaws dropped and the withering glare his brother shot him made him squirm uncomfortably. He quickly edged closer to Ryuichi, carefully placing his hands on the artist's shoulders. Nervously, he tried to reason to his lover under the watchful eyes of his older brother whose mind, he was sure, was slowly filling with murderous thoughts aimed at him.
"Eh.. um.. Ryu-chan…" He drummed his fingers on his lover's shoulders nervously, "I don't think it's a good idea to play with uh.. Aniki's…preci—" Eiri's eyes narrowed and if it was possible, the gaze sharpened, making the hair on Tatsuha's back stand, "…I mean, laptop…."
Ryuichi giggled and turned to him, moving one hand to tug at the sheer, transparent shirt he wore innocently. "But Kuma-chan won't do anything to it…" his lips curved into a small devilish smirk, Tatsuha was sure, Eiri saw, "…if Yuki-san follows what I want him to do, na da…"
"And just what do you want me to do…?" The tone in the novelist voice was dangerous but Ryuichi only turned to him, smiling innocently while Tatsuha cowered behind his lover.
"I want you to meet someone, na no da!" Ryuichi readily answered readily and Tatsuha's eyes bulged out.
"It's not some blonde chick is it!" Tatsuha blurted out suddenly with wide eyes and Ryuichi giggled childishly. Eiri, on the other hand, looked visibly displeased as he let his face scrunch into a bitter frown that made Tatsuha very, very worried.
"Sakuma…" Eiri all but growled and the vocalist giggled more.
"You'll see! You'll like my surprise—" Ryuichi grabbed Tatsuha's left arm and began leading him towards the entrance, all the while giggling and skipping. "And Kumagoro's good – if you follow Ryu-chan, Kuma-chan won't hurt your laptop!"
Grudgingly, Eiri complied by keeping his silence and followed the duo. Minutes later, he found himself plunging into an almost unsettling darkness. When the first of the many blinking lights hit his eyes, he had a distant feeling he would be getting more than just his laptop's safety once the night was over.
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He closed his eyes and leaned against the stalls wall, one hand easily pushing the lock close to prevent anyone from entering his stall, the other holding a cell phone to his ears. He waited in silence, busying himself by listening to the sound of water dripping from one of the faucets and the faint music from the club outside, while his cell phone projected nothing but monotonous ringing as it waited for the other line to pick up.
"Yukito?"
His eyes shot open and he relaxed, shoulders slumping slightly while his lips curved into a small smile. "I'm at Nocturne right now..." he paused and looked up, eyes focusing on the ceiling, "With Sakuma-san but… ah.. I was calling because I finished the song."
He was silent for a few moments, "Yes, I want you to hear it. We were working on it and Takumi's gotten a hold of the tune and all we can…"
"Oh?" He mumbled moments later, disappointment etched on his face. He ran a hand through his bleached-blond hair and then managed a smile later. "Then I'll just call you later?" The smile widened as the speaker on the other end of the line continued and he finally laughed, "It's okay, I know you'll want to hear it anyway. I'll just have it recorded or something if you can't find the time, ne..?" He bit his lower lip and then continued in Englsih,
"Take care then, ne? Tohma-kun…"
Yukito hung up and in slung the lock open before walking out of the stall. He stopped and stared at his reflection on the mirrors lined up in the bathroom and wondered, for the briefest moment, just how important the other man was to him. It felt so wrong to be like this and yet, right.
With a shake of his head, and a smile, he slipped his cell phone into his unbuttoned shirt's pocket and began jogging towards the bathroom exit.
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It was probably a step above the semi-organized live performances at the Pelshana which he, occasionally, attended simply because he felt like it. However it was, Eiri refused to feel comfortable with the organized atmosphere or to enjoy the entertainment – amateurish or not – offered. He was seated at one of the front tables beside the dance floor, and, to his amusement, right beside the table with teachers, whom he was told, actually organized these gigs for the students' grades. It was an odd system, one that probably made public school official's faces scrunch at the thought. Ironically though, it seemed to work, that or it was simply because almost all, if not all, of the students enrolled in the school hailed from rich, and influential families.
They were 'escorted' to this table by the redhead, who was seated just beside them busy scrutinizing the act onstage with narrowed eyes, who met them at the entrance. He had introduced himself as Ruka then, a third-year high student who had apparently known Ryuichi before this and was in whatever Ryuichi had planned.
Noriko, who arrived earlier than they did with the Nittle Grasper guitarist, was seated beside Hiro, busily chatting about the possibility of schools like these yielding positively bright futures to the music industry. While Ryuichi, to his utter disgust, was busy 'riding' Tatsuha's lap 'innocently' while watching the ongoing act. Finally, unable to take in anymore of it, he slammed his drink down the table, effectively catching their attention, before sharply addressing Ryuichi.
"Sakuma" he hissed pensively, ignoring the looks Noriko and Hiro directed at him., "Enough of the games. What the hell do you intend me to do?
The brunette NG vocalist responded smiled impishly before turning around to face him, still seated on his brother's lap. It was to piss him, Eiri was sure.
"It's the next act after this." Ryuichi stated calmly and Eiri was momentarily distracted by the stage behind Ryuichi. "See? It's finishing, then Ruka—" The vocalist pointed at the redhead, who was watching him very closely, "and Takumi and Yuki-chan—" Eiri barely managed to hold back a wince at the name, endearing nickame or not, "will be up next. So just wait, ne Yuki-chan."
"What exactly am I to wait for, Sakuma?" Eiri asked darkly, folding his arms as he sat back. Ruka excused himself beside him while the announcer announced the closing of the current act and for the most part, Eiri ignored him. Dead laptop or not, he had a right to know just what the manboy was putting him up to.
Ryuichi grinned as he got off from Tatsuha's lap and leant forward, mouths moving to form words Eiri couldn't quite hear above the sound of music and voices mixed.
"What?" Eiri all but yelled and Ryuichi sat back down, a smile of deep satisfaction on his face.
"You'll see." Ryuichi merely said with an enigmatic smile and just then all the lights went out.
Silence swept through the whole club disrupted only by the sound of glasses chinking and quiet whispers, as well as the occasional loud laughs. And then, there it was, the melodious sound of piano resonating from the stage. Eiri thought it was absurd to have classic music in club like this but was later on struck dumbfounded when his mind began recognizing the tune. It was familiar, too disturbingly familiar though his mind drew blanks when asked where it was from.
He looked across their table and met Noriko's eyes with a deeply questioning look. The NG keyboardist responded with a simple shake of her head but the look on her face and the bewilderment clearly written all over it clued him in the fact it was just him feeling the odd sense of déjà vu. They was no time left to ponder about the eerily familiar tune though and in a matter of seconds, loud, digital sounds began erupting from the stage as beams of multi-colored lights seemed to explode from the ceiling, moving to the beat with blinding speed.
Screams and squeals began erupting from the crowd as the lights continued dancing around the silhouettes onstage and then the lights stopped, a myriad of colors, resting on, at first, the blonde at the back of the stage, flanked by two keyboards with which he was furiously moving his skilled fingers about. And then within moments, more beams of light – Eiri couldn't help but wonder just how many light fixtures the club was equipped with – danced their way to the keyboardist, which was none-other than the redhead that had been, only minutes ago, seating in their table with him. Vaguely, Eiri heard Noriko 'ooh', especially when the lights finally went to reveal the vocalist, a tall, long black-haired boy dressed in a simple tight-fitting black top, that was generously rolled up slightly in the mid-section to reveal a very much flat abdomen, and equally black and tight leather pants.
"kamitsuku OMAE no suhada ni ishiki wa tobasare
zawatsuita tsuki no umi de korogaru yume o miteta…."
Watching the dark-haired vocalist, it didn't take a long for Eiri to realize what Ryuichi might have in plan for him and he immediately shot the brunette NG vocalist a withering glare which the vocalist seemed to clearly be anticipating. Ryuichi responded with an innocent and questioning look before breaking into a wide grin and wagging his index finger at him.
'You'll see' was the unspoken message Ryuichi seemed to tell him and with huff, Eiri turned his attention back on the stage, agitated and, at the same time, partially interested with the distinctly familiar tune. At that moment, he felt like he was being exposed to a butchered version of an old nursery rhyme he knew but whose title he couldn't put a finger on.
"It's for someone special."
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It wasn't hard to spot him, he had done this so many times before the action had become something of a natural instinct. He hadn't been expecting him tonight, however, but he was there, standing quietly at the back stealing Eiri short glances while watching the band onstage perform.
"Mnmm. Tatsuha-chan." Ryuichi whispered as he nuzzled at his lover's cheek, "Have to go do something." He sat up straight on Tatsuha's lap and then smiled, both hands on the dark-haired Uesugu's shoulder, "Would you take care of my stuff for me, no da, Ta-chan?"
Tatsuha beamed at him automatically, wrapping his arms around the singer's slim hips and responding with a quick peck on his lips and smile. "I'll handle Aniki for you alright," Tatsuha paused and then his eyebrows furrowed. "What's wrong, Ryu-chan?" The Uesugu prompted suddenly and Ryuichi shook his head and grinned impishly replying, "It's nothing, no da. Just saw…" his grin widened, becoming more, positively, predatory while his voice took that familiar deeper tone, "..familiar."
Ryuichi wiggled out of Tatsuha's grasp and got off his lap, ignoring the pointed, scrutinizing looks Eiri directed at him when it became clear he was going somewhere else. He turned sharply to address the novelist with a defiant grin, "Going to the restroom, no da, unless… you were thinking of something else." The look that elicited on the novelist face made Ryuichi snicker inwardly and, without elaborating further on that, gave Tatsuha a wink before walking to the direction of the entrance, where he knew Tohma stood in waiting.
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"Where'd Sakuma-san go?" Yukito found himself asking as he emerged from the backstage door while Ruka stepped forward from behind him meaning to point out where the NG vocalist was, or on, only to find the vocalist gone, just like Yukito had found.
"That's odd, chibi, he was just there last I looked—" The guitarist shrugged and then seemed to be scanning for something – moments later he stopped and seemed to grin, "Ah, don't worry, I'm sure that boytoy—" Yukito's eyes widened and he stared at Ruka, who momentarily paused his sentence by defending his used of the word, "You think I haven't been noticing how Sakuma has that man wrapped all over his pinky finger?"
Yukito opened his mouth to say something only to close it again at the hint of a very, very amused and knowing grin on the redhead's lips, one that told him any word that came out of his mouth would ultimately destroy him. He shut up then and frowned glumly at the redhead for a few moments until he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Fujiwara." It was Takagi who greeted him with a smile and a pat in the back. "The song was excellent. The judges—" he slightly craned his neck to acknowledge the group of teachers in the special table, "—gave you 9s and 10s for that song. And the rest of the performance was superb too." Takagi paused and then seemed to look for something behind them, "Where's Takahashi?" The teacher asked suddenly. Yukito frowned and looked back, realizing suddenly the vocalist wasn't right behind them as he thought he was.
"Uh…"
"He's at the back fixing himself up—" Ruka supplied suddenly before Yukito could say anything else. He gave Yukito a grin that undoubtedly said 'leave this to me, chibi' and then continued. "You saw his get-up at the stage just now – it took a lot to make him roll his shirt up a bit you know, let alone get him out of that coat of his…"
Takagi grinned and then shook his head at the redhead, "I knew the show of skin there had to be your idea." He stopped and then turned his head briefly around, Yukito saw one of the teachers from the table – a female one- waving at Takagi, "Ah, anyway, I've got to go – you've got stuff to do with Sakuma-san too, don't you?" The teacher didn't wait for a response, "Well, get going – just remember you have classes tomorrow."
"God, Takagi, you just had to remind us—" Ruka grumbled while Takagi laughed. "Come'n chibi—" He grabbed Yukito by his arm and began pulling him away, "—Let's go and get things finished with Sakuma Ryuichi and Nittle Grasper once and for all."
Giving Takagi an apologetic look, Yukito allowed himself to be pulled away towards Nittle Grasper's table.
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Ryuichi took slow, deliberate steps and then stopped when calm, calculating amber eyes moved to acknowledge his presence by watching him very closely. With a cool smile and a small huff he place his hands onto his hips and returned the calculating gaze the man before him gave.
"Tohma." Ryuichi spoke in a sly low voice that challenged. "What are you doing here?" The question was crisp and clear and Tohma smiled at him.
"I'm watching." The NG President answered in quiet voice that was no louder than it needed to be heard by the vocalist.
"Watching Eiri-san?" Ryuichi questioned and then looked up, as if the corners on the ceiling had suddenly become intresting. He snapped his eyes back onto Tohma's dark form and then took several steps forward. Tohma was smiling, though his lips were thin and the smile was obviously forced.
"You're watching him, aren't you?" Ryuichi interjected quietly, nearly hissing as the words finished in his lips.
The music was loud and its beat maddeningly fast as Tohma very slowly turned to face Ryuichi.
"What do you want, Ryuichi?" Tohma asked in a mild, but slightly clipped tone. Ryuichi shook his head and smiled.
"What do you want, Tohma?" Ryuichi asked back, smiling wider. His eyes narrowed and he 'hmphh'ed then ran his fingers through his hair, ignoring the locks dampened by sweat. Tohma gave him a look, his own amber eyes narrowing before swiftly turning towards the exit. With the one step Tohma took closer the exit, Ryuichi answered with two rabid steps forward.
The vocalist immediately shot forward and grabbed the President's arm in his hand.
"To-chan," Ryuichi whispered, using an old affectionate name to somehow catch the man's attention, even break down through the ice that seemed to be between an old friend and him now. "What have you done?" Ryuichi hissed, the question coming slow in sold words.
Ryuichi heard the harsh intake of breath from the blonde's part and let go when Tohma shook his hand away. Tohma began scaling the stairs towards the exit while Ryuichi stood at the foot of it, watching him and waiting.
Finally, the NG President stopped and turned around to face him. His face was calm, devoid of emotion by Ryuichi knew the blank on Tohma's face meant more than any of his smiles sometimes.
"Say sorry to him for me, Ryuichi." Tohma said quietly and then looked away, breaking any form of eye contact with the vocalist. "I didn't mean for it to happen that way…." Then Tohma paused and seemed to contemplate on something… but finally, he spoke again, "I only wanted him to be happy."
Ryuichi frowned, realizing the brunt behind those words and yet, not quite understanding them. "Tohma." He called out to stop Tohma and maybe even implore the him to say more but the NG President merely smiled at him— a small, unreadable smile Ryuichi didn't know what to associate with.
"Don't tell him I was here." Tohma said with a smile, ignoring the 'Why's that formed on Ryuichi's mouth, and walking away, disappearing into the world outside the dark club.
Ryuichi stared at the empty space where Tohma stood for a few long moments, before finally turning around and heading back to their table. He smiled quietly, putting on his usual mask of cheerfulness back in its place and readied himself with his plan.
The nearer he got to their table though, the more he realized how things just got a lot more interesting. For one, even in the distant, the usually calm Yukito looked positively livid and secondly, the thatch of blonde hair on the floor was no ordinary thatch of blonde hair – it was Yuki Eiri down on the floor, where, Ryuichi thought, he'd wanted to see the man on for a few years now.
Ryuichi smiled, a wide, deeply satisfied smile that reflected the perverse pleasure he derived from the sight.
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Yukito was ready for anything. He had been mentally preparing himself the whole day for what Ryuichi had in store for him – and he wasn't expecting much, nothing, that is, that would make him deeply regret accepting the deal. But there it was; something he hadn't been prepared to see was sitting in the NG-reserved table looking very, painfully, familiar.
He took a slow, deep breath before letting the first word that came into his mind out of his mouth with the least contempt he could allow himself to say it with. He eyed the blonde darkly, very darkly as his eyes dangerously narrowed.
"You." He hissed slowly.
There was an awkward silence between the group, with Noriko arching an eyebrow to look at them back and forth. "You…?"
Finally, Eiri seemed to recognize him after a few moments of very confused staring. His eyes narrowed dangerously and he rose from his seat. "You." He echoed, though with less contempt and more amusement.
"Aniki?"
"Eiri?"
"Chibi, it was him?" Ruka asked quietly, sounding very much perplexed by the thick tension that had, somehow, suddenly materialized before clogging the air about the group.
"Yes, Ruka, that was him." Yukito said calmly, not once removing his eyes from the blonde.
Eiri arched an eyebrow and then suddenly grinned, he folded his arms and with what seemed to be relief, spoke. "So that's why the song was so familiar – it was the one you were working on."
Yukito visibly froze. Eiri stepped out of the table, "Tatsuha, he looks like Shuichi and certainly does have a gift –"
"Aniki…I think you should stop… eheh." Tatsuha whistled and began edging away from the novelist.
"—for bad lyrics but—"
Before Eiri could finish the statement, Yukito sprung forward agilely, springing his right arm before finally delivering a blow straight at the handsome novelist's face. Gasps sounded and, somewhere behind Ruka, Juni emerged, hands clasped at his open mouth in disbelief. Yukito couldn't be more proud of himself for having elicited that kind of reaction, but he had to show the arrogant blonde he wasn't easily stepped on like that. He'd had his share of fighting – more than enough, maybe, for someone like him – and he wasn't about to let the guy talk down on him, or anyone else, for that matter.
"I," Yukito began, "should have driven over your ungrateful, arrogant body, broken your bones underneath my wheels and left you for dead, on the road."
The novelist glared up at him, amber eyes dangerously narrowed while Yukito merely smiled, noticing the thin trail of blood down the blonde's nose. Behind him, Ruka was beginning the long process of getting him off this problem, but he didn't care. It was the least of his problems – his problem was right in front of him.
The blonde 'hmpph'ed as he picked himself up the floor and continued glaring, beginning a contest of sorts between them. The contest spanned for no longer than a minute. Ryuichi immediately came in between them, smiling widely, deeply amused.
"Congratulations, Yuki-chan!" The NG vocalist announced cheerfully, holding a snicker or two back, "You just punched the great Yuki Eiri-sama square on the nose!"
ooo
ooo
The lone notes from the piano echoed across the living room as he entered it, padding across the floor, carpeted and wooden, in silence, wary of disturbing the man on the piano. His wariness was for naught however, when the man stopped playing and placed his hands on his lap in dejected silence. He thought this was the man's way of acknowledging his presence, however he had determined it, and spoke.
"Seguchi…san?" He asked hesitantly and was slightly surprised when the other turned his head to his direction with a sense of disorientation. It became apparent to him that Tohma hadn't in fact noticed his presence until he spoke.
"Fujiwara, not asleep yet?" The man asked softly, turning around on his seat and giving him a soft smile.
"Can't sleep." Yukito whispered and then paused, hesitating.
"Nightmares again?"
Yukito nodded and then pushed a lock of brown out of his eyes. "The doctor told me I could increase my dosage – but I really don't want to." He looked down and eyed the carpet beneath his bare feet.
"Don't tell Ai, Seguchi-san." Yukito breathed.
"I won't." Tohma said reassuringly before standing up and then walking towards him. He stopped in front of Yukito and looked him in the eye before encasing him into a gentle hug. "I won't." The hug tightened but Yukito didn't complain a bit.
"That song, what was it, Seguchi-san—"
"Tohma.." The man interrupted suddenly, "Tohma-kun."
"Tohma-kun?"
"Yes." Tohma smiled and was silent.
"What was that song?" Yukito continued, finally asking his question. Tohma didn't reply for the longest time and Yukito tugged at his arms to remind him.
"It's a song.." Tohma began, smiling, before finally breaking the hug. "A song I'm doing for someone important." He laughed bitterly, "I can't finish it after all."
"Who is it for?" Yukito asked quietly. Tohma was thoughtful.
"Someone important." Tohma paused, "…Yuki."
There was a pause and then Yukito smiled. "I can help you finish it." The brunette offered, "Then you can tell me who it's for."
Tohma smiled.
Maybe.
-oooo-
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-o-
A/N: With more than six months of wait (has it been that long) I have reviews to answer to? I actually am v. ashamed of myself for being unable to finish this chapter for months, even with 2000 words into it when I posted fifteen. Bad me. But what is done, is done. I'm trying to straight the plot in my brain as I type this down. Let's do a recap of the baddies/suspects now, shall we? To refresh readers and my memory.
Tohma: He seems to be on the top of everyone's hate/suspect list. He obviously knows something we don't. And probably had something to do with it but whatever it is, and whether or not he's innocent, he's involved on some level, or so it seems.
Taki: Yup, second on the baddie food-chain. He was surprised to see Yukito – was he in any way connected to his death? Better yet, is he connected to what happened to Kyoko? He was around the area when it happened. He wasn't in good terms with Shuichi to begin with, what's to know he didn't decide to get back at the pink-haired-bundle of joy with something worse? He did orchestrate a rape before… so what's stopping him from committing murder? Tohma?
Kyoko: No really, why is she so hell-bent on finding out who killed Shuichi is, anyway? ;O
Ohya : He may not be the mastermind, but he's in the whole thing. He hid the footage for two years, almost. Why didn't he just destroy it? What did Tohma make him do?
Takumi and Setsuna: Why did they cover up the reality behind the 'accident' that almost killed Kyoko?
And the whole plot rundown so far?
…I'll get back to you all on that one later.
And finally, I know it sucked, but... suck : D I seriously am trying my hard on this so, everyone, be patient yet. :-) I haven't given up on it... yet.
(currently reading Somewhere in Between by Swordy whenever I can, Spiral Falling by Becca Amon -sp? I adore her :O- Animal X, which isn't a fanfic but a clever (shounen-ai) manga by Ami Sugimoto and... a ton more of other stuff.)
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