♫-flashback
♪-scenes switching in the present
Italics-thoughts or important words
Chapter 7:
Eiri woke up to complete darkness. He wondered why he was in his room. Wasn't he supposed to be back at the university…? How come it was so late already? He looked at the time, it was ten pm. He slipped out of the covers and attempted to stand. His head was throbbing. He slipped out and found Shuichi sitting on the couch and watching TV.
"Why are you here?" he asked, looking at the younger boy curiously. The last thing he remembered was him and Shuichi talking in the corridor. He frowned…no wait…he'd remembered Yuki. He must have had another attack.
Shuichi was staring at him worriedly. "Actually, I got you here after class. We were talking and you had some sort of attack…you were a little hysterical. How are you feeling now?"
Eiri rubbed his head. "Better…I guess. I have a bad headache, but that's all that's wrong with me just now."
Shuichi moved aside a little and patted the spot next to him. "Come sit with me Eiri…please." Eiri hesitated a little before sitting down next to the pink haired man.
Shuichi got up and padded over to the kitchen. After a while he came back with some hot chocolate. "Here you go. This should help some." Eiri took it and smiled at Shuichi gratefully. Shuichi almost skipped with joy…Eiri had actually smiled at him. He turned back to watch the TV which was on low volume.
Shuichi glanced at the blond who was silently sipping on his chocolate. He realized that Eiri had eaten. "Would you like something to eat? I can make you a cheese sandwich… I'm not too good at cooking."
Eiri shook his head. "No I'm fine." He finished the cocoa and they just sat there in the dark, the only light coming from the TV. Shuichi suddenly put his arms around Eiri. Eiri stiffened a little surprised, but all Shuichi did was to get him to lie down and lay down next to him. He snuggled into Eiri's chest and continued to watch the TV.
"I was worried." He said in a low voice. Eiri almost didn't catch it. Shuichi turned to face him, switching off the TV. "I was really worried. You really are ok, now aren't you?" he threaded his fingers through the blonde hair.
Eiri nodded, actually welcoming the close contact for once. Shuichi just continued to stroke his hair. "I'm glad you're ok. Come to me if you need any help ok? You know I'll be there for you…"
Eiri didn't know whether to push Shuichi off and run, panic rising in him steadily, but then again one part of him was too exhausted to have another argument and another flood of emotion. So he just lay there and let Shuichi talk to him.
Shuichi sighed. Eiri looked so vulnerable, for once he just looked twenty two, instead of like a mature full grown adult he pretended to be. He also looked like he needed some air. Shuichi couldn't stop stroking his head, soothingly. "Eiri…do you want to go for a walk? You know we could just get some air…?"
♫
Shuichi came bounding on to Eiri happily, not caring that the older boy was asleep. "Eiri! Eiri, wake up!" he screamed into Eiri's ear. The blond boy opened his eye, wearily staring at Shuichi.
"What do you want, gaki?"
"It's so pretty outside! I want to go out, come with me." Shuichi yanked him out of bed and got him a coat.
Eiri protested. "Shuichi I'm in my pajamas. I can't go out like this!" the smaller boy had pouted.
"I'm wearing my pajamas too. And I'm thirteen, I don't care that they're Kumagoro pajamas. So you shouldn't care too! Come on!" he pulled Eiri out and they snuck out of the house quietly. It was ten in the night.
It was a full moon and Shuichi took him to the park. They had sat down on one of the benches and Shuichi had cuddled up to him. Then he sang a sweet song 'just' for Eiri.
Eiri held the little boy close smelling the yummy strawberry scent that was Shuichi. He loved to listen to the boy sing. It was a NG song he guessed. Something about being worlds apart and all. Shuichi was singing the slower version and it sounded really good.
Then Shuichi got up and ran around, twirling in the moonlight. Eiri smiled and wondered how the boy could let go like that. He had never been able to do that, after all he was the eldest son and had to be responsible. Then Shuichi had jumped back into his arms. "I love you Eiri…I'll be there. Come to me when you want to ok?"
Eiri nodded and took his hand, leading the boy home.
♫
They pulled on their coats and headed to the park in a comfortable silence. There weren't too many people out and the park was empty and quiet. Eiri looked up at the moon…it was full. They sat down on one of the benches and Shuichi leaned on the older man.
"It's so beautiful ne, Eiri?" Shuichi whispered his violet eyes, widening. "It makes me want to sing." Then he suddenly smiled at Eiri. "I'll sing just for you…like I used to do!" he began to sing softly, the same one he'd sung all those years ago. He finished and found the blonde looking at him strangely. There was a look of utter longing and sadness gracing his features.
The tall man stood up and went over to the rail, the moonlight making him a silhouette against the night sky. Shuichi watched enthralled before pulling out a bit of paper and hurriedly writing something on it. Then he held it up to look at it and a sudden gust of wind snatched it away. Shuichi cursed and tried to catch it, but Eiri caught it first. The blond read through it and looked at Shuichi. Those deep golden eyes held him, Shuichi found himself falling fast, for the brooding young man that was Eiri.
"Is this your writing?" the older man asked.
Shuichi looked a little surprised. "Uh…Yes."
"Worse than an elementary school student! You shouldn't try to write a love song with your lack of skill." He let go of the paper and walked up to the boy. "You've got zero talent. Give it up."
Shuichi looked at Eiri for a moment, before glaring at him. "Eiri! You don't have to be so mean about it! If you're so awesome, then why don't write a song for me huh?"
Eiri just smirked and started walking away. Shuichi followed him, with a pout. Eiri watched him stalk ahead of him, watching those hips sway…Shuichi was just so beautiful. He looked away…it was not for him.
♪
Eiri walked into class. They had given in their assignments and he'd graded them. He had a feeling he was going to enjoy this class a lot. He started handing out all the twenty five assignments with special remarks to each of them.
Shuichi watched with a frown, as Eiri reduced everyone to a blubbering mass of worthlessness. Not everyone…there were only one or two who actually were saved from his sarcasm.
Eiri smirked at the girl. "Ms. Kato, if your style of writing is at this level then I'm surprised you are in my class at all. Awful work, your views have absolutely no basis. You're getting an F. I expect you to redo it and hand it in by Wednesday." He turned to the next person and delivered a more biting comment. Half the class had got F's and the highest in class was a C.
Shuichi waited for his turn. It came at last and Eiri turned to me. "Mr. Shindou. Your views surprised me…you don't seem like a person who can have such mature views. But you aren't able to put across one tenth of them, in a style that is acceptable, much less understandable by anyone. It took me hours to understand your handwriting and after I did, get to the end of your report I had a throbbing headache. I do not understand what you are doing in a literature class when you cannot even present you thoughts in an accurate manner! You should really give up writing, I tell you. It will save everyone from a headache and a waste of time. And you should get your band a lyricist."
Shuichi glared at him, as he took the report. He'd gotten a D, which wasn't too bad considering the fate of some others. But he knew it definitely wasn't favoritism that had gotten him that. He seethed with fury through out the rest of the lesson. Which of course resulting in Eiri noticing that he wasn't paying attention and picking on him all the more.
He got booted out of his 'kill Eiri right now' thought by the blond himself. "Mr. Shindou…would you kindly repeat what I said, for the benefit of the class?"
Shuichi sighed and glared at Eiri. "I'm sorry I wasn't paying attention." Everyone gaped at the way he spoke to the man. "I was too busy thinking of your comments about my writing skills and was thinking of ways to become better so I can rub your pompous face in it."
Eiri held back a laugh. Shuichi looked so cute standing there. But then the little brat had dared insult him in front of his students. He glared, hiding his amusement. "For that, gaki you will write 'I suck at writing and will not insult my teacher for saying so.' Four hundred times and give it to me by Wednesday. If you act like a brat then you'll have to be punished like one!"
Shuichi glowered at Eiri, but didn't dare say anything else. After all Eiri was a teacher and Shuichi could be sent to the dean if he answered back. He stiffly nodded his head and sat back down. He waited for the lesson to end and then walked up to Eiri.
Eiri looked at the man standing in front of him. Uh-oh… Shuichi had that determined look again. "What do you want brat?" he waited but Shuichi didn't say anything. "So? When is your concert?"
Shuichi looked away. "Tomorrow, the 17th, Zepp Tokyo"
"You want me to come? And listen to that crappy love song?" Eiri smirked. "What, aren't you going to deny it? You aren't serious about wanting me to come then?" (1)
"That's not right!"
"Well, go find someone else to come then. I don't make it my hobby to hang around with whiny pink haired guys…" Eiri walked away towards the door.
"Wait!" Shuichi followed him to the elevator, the hall way was deserted. He stopped the elevator and stood in the way of the closing doors. "Who told you to come to my concert? Don't get any wrong ideas…I don't give a shit about what you said! Talking such crap about my song! Do you even understand my song? If you think its garbage then you can just forget it. You have nothing to do with it!"
He clenched his fists and glared at Eiri. "Why do you have to say such things? Do you get off on being mean? Why do you have to say such provocative words…" he trailed off as Eiri looked at him. Eiri began to walk towards him.
"Shut your mouth." His beautiful golden eyes locking with Shuichi's. He looked really pissed off. He cornered Shuichi against the wall, the elevator doors shutting, making a creaking noise. "You're pissing me off. You keep asking 'why, why?' he asked me the same thing. Indeed why are you asking me why? Why do you keep coming to see me again and again? All our past ties are gone now…why are you looking at me like that?"
Shuichi stared at him wondering where this was going. This didn't seem like the Eiri he knew…suddenly the blond looked like he'd made up his mind. "Oh well." before Shuichi could understand, lips were descending up on his. The elevator doors 'pinged' as they slid open. And Eiri walked out leaving a shocked Shuichi behind.
What the fuck?
♪
Shuichi stretched, he was dressed in his black tank top and shorts with a jazzy yellow coat with an orange collar. He wondered if Eiri would turn up, most probably not. The bastard had been the cause of all his confusion! Sakano-san called to them and Shuichi walked up onto stage. He had all ready met the ASK assholes and wanted nothing more to do with them.
He smiled at everyone. "Hello, everyone! We're Bad Luck and we're going to be the opening act." He talked about how great his band was, none of the boo's and groans fazing him. He looked at Hiro. "Ok, Hiro…lets…" he trailed off, his eyes locking on to golden ones.
He came…the bastard…I'm so confused… Shuichi forgot about the audience and everyone, just drowning in those golden depths. Suddenly he heard singing. He frowned, wondering who it could be….he knew that voice, but it couldn't be…could it? A man heaved himself onto the stage.
Shuichi stared at him awe struck. "Sakuma…Ryuichi?"
The man suddenly grinned, making his intense look fade into a stupid one. "Yay! Ryu-chan here, listen please. This is my Kohai and I'm sure his song is awesome."
Shuichi stared as the crowd started to murmur. Ryuichi looked at him. "Shall we?" Shuichi nodded. He began, forgetting about everything, just two golden eyes engraved in his mind.
Dokonimo…tomaranai!
Eiri watched his Shuichi sing and smiled. So his dream's come true…he's singing with the legendary Sakuma Ryuichi…he wondered whether he should stay. He could see Tohma and a big blonde man standing a little away. It looked they had followed Ryuichi. Tohma looked at him and smiled.
"You came, Eiri-san. I'm glad…it is after all Shuichi. They sound good together don't they?" the lighter blonde asked him.
Eiri nodded, when those violet eyes caught his again. Shuichi swayed with the music and the song came to an end. He couldn't look away, until the gaze was broke when Hiro hugged Shuichi. Eiri felt a bit jealous watching Shuichi in Hiro's arms. He was about to leave when Tohma caught his arm.
"Eiri, come with me." He yanked the blonde backstage. Eiri frowned; he didn't want to see Shuichi right now. When they got there Shuichi was drying himself off with a small towel.
He looked at Eiri and they shared another look. Eiri wondered what to say if Shuichi questioned him about that kiss in the elevator. He didn't know what to say, it had just happened. Shuichi came up to him and grinned.
"How was it, asshole?"
Eiri just smiled and shook his head. "The lyrics were crappy, but you sing well, I told you that a lot of times all ready. So you're dream came true huh?"
Shuichi nodded, and then he caught hold of Eiri's arm and pulled him to an empty room. Eiri wondered what the man was going to do now. There was a silence and then a squeal erupted. "I can't believe it! I can't believe it! Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god oh my god!" Shuichi jumped around and hugged Eiri in strangle hold. Then he squealed some more and then took a deep breath.
Eiri was staring at him with a bemused expression. He grinned at the blonde. "You're the only one I could squeal with. I can't believe I sang with Sakuma Ryuichi…do I look faint?"
Eiri stared at him for a moment longer before laughing. "No you are not looking faint…I can't believe you dragged me here to watch you have a squealing fit!"
Shuichi smiled and hugged Eiri again. "You know you're the only one of my family who I can be myself with."
Dark eyes widened when they hear the last statement Shuichi made. Tatsuha just smiled and walked in. "Hey, Shuichi-nii…awesome concert! I can't believe you sang with Sakuma-sama! Tohma smuggled him off…I didn't get a chance to see him." he pouted.
Shuichi laughed, "don't worry I'll fix up a meeting for you with him day after tomorrow ok? I'll try to get Tohma to agree."
"I love you Shuichi-nii!" Tatsuha hugged him. Shuichi laughed and patted him on the head. Then he looked at Eiri.
"Eiri, care to give me a ride?"
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Shuichi looked at Eiri, it was the second day after the concert and Eiri wasn't looking too good. He wondered what was going wrong. Eiri was being himself…arrogant and sarcastic, but then he kept coughing and stopping in the middle of a sentence, looking a little choked.
He went to the blonde after the class was over. "Eiri are you ok? You don't look to good."
"I'm fine." Eiri said, but he didn't seem to sure. He tried to walk out but staggered. Shuichi went up to catch him. "Eiri, come to my dorm will you? Just sit for a while…you'll feel better."
Eiri agreed. Hey walked to Shuichi dorm, Eiri looking a lot worse. By the time they got inside, he was ready to pass out, which he did, the moment Shuichi got him to the bed.
Shuichi worriedly, waited by his side until he woke up. Hiro still wasn't around, having had a lot of extra classes. He wasn't doing just music, but a medical course too.
Shuichi stroked Eiri's head. Three hours passed, Shuichi had skipped his classes and stayed right by the blonde incase he woke up. At last the blonde woke up.
"Shuichi…" then he frowned. "Aren't you supposed to be at work?"
Shuichi nodded. "But I wanted to make sure you're all right. You should eat something, Eiri. Here I got you some sandwiches from the cafeteria."
He watched Eiri eat. "I won't go work today…I don't have anything to do." though something at the back of his head, itched almost like he'd forgotten to do something.
Eiri stared at him. "Why are you doing this? Why don't you leave me alone? I'm being a bastard…Shuichi…I don't believe in anything we had before, ok? So you should just go!"
Shuichi sighed, and pulled Eiri's face towards me. "I do this because I care! I do this because you always were and have been, the most important person in my life! No one else matters more." then he kissed the blonde, softly. Eiri kissed back, and the kiss slowly turned more passionate.
♪
Tatsuha looked at his watch impatiently. He was feeling very annoyed. It didn't help that he'd fought with his father today. Even remembering really pissed him off.
(Flashback)
"Chichi-ue? I'm going to Tokyo today. Shuichi-nii promised he'd let me meet Ryuichi. I'll be back tonight ok?" Tatsuha smiled at his father.
The old man glared at him. "You have many priestly duties…what about them?"
Tatsuha scowled. "Chichi-ue, I'll do them tomorrow! You can cover for me, cant you? Please… this is a once in a lifetime opportunity." He'd been so happy when Shuichi had told him that it might work.
He had packed a small bag with all his money and a change of clothes, incase he decided against coming home. Of course his father didn't know about that!
His father glared at him. "Do anything you want. I don't really care. Both my sons…avoiding their duties with no respect for their parents! Eiri can be forgiven! He has his reasons, but you have none! You're just a slob, who doesn't care for anyone or anything. A mistake that your mother made! Get out; I don't want to see you again!"
Tatsuha had grimaced. "Whatever. I'll see you tonight!" he hated how chichi-ue always found an excuse for Eiri's behavior.
(End of flashback.)
He waited an hour but Shuichi didn't turn up. He wondered what the hell had happened and walked to Shuichi's dorm. Maybe he had a late class…he always keeps his promises to me. Tatsuha opened the door softly and heard Eiri's voice.
"Shuichi…Aren't you supposed to be at work?"
"I won't go work today…I don't have anything to do."
Tatsuha's eyes widened. What the hell did Shuichi mean, had he forgotten his promise? Shuichi would never do that. He had told Tatsuha so many times that Tatsuha was an important person to him and he'd never break a promise to Tatsuha. Tatsuha opened the door a little more so he could remind Shuichi, but then he stopped, listening to what Eiri was saying.
"Why are you doing this? Why don't you leave me alone? I'm being a bastard…Shuichi…I don't believe in anything we had before, ok? So you should just go!"
Tatsuha frowned, why was Eiri always so mean to Shuichi-nii? Then he saw Shuichi grab Eiri's head and look into his eyes.
"I do this because I care! I do this because you always were and have been, the most important person in my life! No one else matters more."
Tatsuha stiffened as he saw, Shuichi kiss Eiri. His eyes widened, Aniki was Shuichi's most important person…not him. It was never him…it had never been him. Shuichi had lied.
Tatsuha left and walked away, bumping into Hiro, who was walking back from his next class. It looked like the red head wasn't going back to his dorm. Hiro smiled. "Hey, Tatsuha…how are you man?" Hiro noticed the tears forming in Tatsuha's eyes and frowned. "What's up? Are you ok?"
Tatsuha just walked away. Hiro shrugged and decided to ask Shuichi when he got back to the dorm later on.
Tatsuha couldn't help but keep walking. Everyone loved Eiri…when it came to Eiri it was like he had never mattered. Even when he was young, Shuichi and Eiri would go off leaving him. In Eiri's absence he'd some to hope that Shuichi really cared, but now that was a lie too. Aneki and Tohma worried about Eiri all the time. Eiri was the child that his father had wanted; Tatsuha was just a mistake, like his father told him so many times.
Sometimes he hated Eiri. But then he also loved his older brother and lot and constantly craved his attention. He remembered how Eiri had helped Shuichi move in, but when he'd shifted rooms, Eiri had refused to help him. Eiri did everything Shuichi wanted him to do. Tatsuha was just in everyone's way.
"Maybe I should just get out of their way…" he spotted a place, a small café and walked there. "I don't belong with them.
♪
Shuichi was happy that Eiri had decided to stay. They were waiting for Hiro to get back, because they could go for a pizza and drop Eiri off. It was almost nine 'o' clock, it sucked that Hiro had to stay so late, but then he took practicing the guitar seriously and often did it in the music rooms so as not to disturb anyone else.
Shuichi's phone rang and he picked it up. Then he smiled. "Yeah, Ojii, what is it? Tatsuha?"
Suddenly Shuichi realized. "Oh, shit, I was supposed to meet him today. No I didn't, I was with Eiri…no he couldn't have gone to Eiri's house. Eiri was with me."
Shuichi's expression turned serious. Eiri looked at him wondering what was wrong. "What do you mean, he's not home yet? He should have taken the six o clock bus and gotten home. But he isn't here. Did you try Mika's? Don't worry Ojii; I'm sure he'll be around here somewhere."
Then Shuichi turned to Eiri. "Um…Tatsuha's gone. He hasn't gone home…he isn't even in Kyoto. And he didn't even go to Mika's."
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