Disclaimer: I do not own Gravitation. I like to buy things related to it, though.

A --- indicates a scene change. Text without quotations is not spoken.

Italics are internal dialouge/thought.

"Quotations are spoken dialouge."

---Chapter Three- Simple Songs---

Open-ended questions answer my calls

for credibility, for peace of mind

I seek for a home to rest my soul,

but in the lateness of the day,

the doors are already shut

and the people hidden away

His eyes opened slowly, trying to focus on his surroundings. That song… it was beautiful… but he had never heard it before. Whoever had sung it had a beautiful voice, just as good as Shuichi's. He didn't notice when he fell back asleep, or the hand that was gently intertwined with his.

---

Lovely colours paint my sky

somewhere between sunrise and set,

my heart yearns for company

though its beats go on in uncaring silence;

lives I've touched and never seen

are too readily accepting my compliance

That beautiful song… that wonderful voice… someone was singing to him again…

Take me high, show me the heaven

that we've been taught exists

Tear off our wings of hope and tell me

that we only need to be as we are

Regret is the precursor of despair,

and despite the fact my mind is heavy

it goes on believing in fairy tales

even though I know it's a childish idea

it's the only consistency I've ever known

an escapist's version of utopia

Blue waves come up with the tide in time

a steady rhythm, I devote my life to it

gently the wind carries away our sense of self;

don't tell me there's more to this

reveling in a sea of forgotten dreams

I try to recapture my innocence

Take me high, show me the heaven

that we've been taught exists

Tear off our wings of hope and tell me

that we only need to be as we are

Take me high, show me the heaven

that we've been taught exists

Tear off our wings of hope and tell me

that we only need to be as we are

"Suguru, can you hear me?" That voice was familiar… Hiro?

"Y-yes…" His eyes opened again, this time focusing right away to stare at a blank white ceiling. Where was he?

"Suguru! You're awake!"

"Obviously…" He slowly tilted his head in the direction of the voices, careful to not move too fast and knock himself out again. He remembered hitting his head very hard and having a splitting headache… "Where am I?"

"Hiro's apartment! You passed out in Seguchi-san's office, so we brought you here to make sure you got up okay." Violet eyes came into his view with unabashed concern and worry in their depths. "You're feeling alright, aren't you?"

"As well as I can, I suppose. What's going on with the tour?" he asked, suddenly remembering fragments of what had transpired before he lost consciousness. "Is Tohma really going to…?"

"Nope, he called your school and they agreed to let you go, on one condition. You have to do all the work you're going to miss before you leave." Hiro's voice was kind and understanding. He knew how hard it would be for Suguru to do that, especially since he was in many honors programs that assigned extra work as it was. "Tohma apparently thinks you can handle it all."

You're wrong, Hiro- he wants to see me crack under pressure. Well I'll just have to disappoint him again, won't I? Out loud he said "That's fine, I can do it. How long have I been here?"

"Less than a day. You have a mild concussion, which isn't bad, but I'll be running all sorts of tests on you to see if anything's impaired. Don't worry- any damage you've undergone will fix itself. Nothing's permanent." Hiro patted his band mates' shoulders before excusing himself to go outside and call Ayaka- she had left a message on his cell earlier. The bandages around his head muffled the words Hiro spoke to Shuichi, but Suguru could tell the singer was annoyed by them, waving his friend off like he was a persistent fly. Hiro simply shrugged and left the two of them alone, where they sat in silence for a while, not sure of what to say. Finally, Shuichi spoke.

"Suguru, I had an idea…"

"Speak up. I can't hear you."

"I said I had an idea…"

"Really, what a first. What is it?" Why was he being so mean? The poor guy hadn't done anything to him! He tried to ignore the knot of guilt that formed in his stomach as Shuichi's eyes grew watery. Too late- he'd have to apologize…

"I-I'm sorry, I don't know why I'm acting like this. Please continue."

Shuichi nodded and went on: "Well, I was thinking, since Yuki kicked me out and I have to find my own place, I'd like it if you shared the house with me. I know you ran away from home," he said quietly, but still loud enough for his friend to understand what he was saying, "so how about it? Hiro said we could crash here at his room until we agreed on a place. Besides, when he was studying to be a doctor, he learned a few things, and that's why he pretty much made sure you didn't get hurt any worse or anything, so he wants to watch over you for a little bit. Anyways, would you be willing…?"

Suguru was lost for words. His biggest dilemma had just been solved! Even though he was a little leery about sharing a home with such a klutz, it was still better than having no idea where he was going. He could split the rent and live in peace, away from his insane family…

He gulped and nodded slowly. Salvation had come in the form of a pink-haired idiot.

"Great," said Shuichi happily, but there was still some sadness in his voice. "You're probably going to be really tired today, so we can start looking tomorrow, if you're ready." Shuichi's eyes were misty. He didn't want to admit it to himself- it was too soon after he had broken up with his lover, after all- but he thought he was falling for Suguru Fujisaki.

"Shuichi, who was singing that song?" Sugurur asked, suddenly remembering. He wanted to know, he wanted to know who had written it and sang it. The lyrics sounded familiar, but that wasn't a big issue since they were pretty generic. Yet the melody that they had been put to had been so amazing, he felt calmer just remembering how it went.

"You wrote it," Shuichi said, slightly embarrassed. "There was a manuscript book that fell out of your bag, so I helped myself… sorry about that… but I saw all the arraignments that you did of our songs, so I kept flipping through, and I found this one all the way in the back." He paused, then said almost inaudibly "Why didn't you show it to us? It's amazing."

He himself had written it?

That might be why the lyrics sounded familiar… but to be honest, I hadn't thought it was all that great when I finished it. I forget what it's called even!

"What's the title for it?"

"It doesn't have one; it just says 'Untitled'. Did you have one in mind?"

"No…"

"Oh. Well, um, it's a really amazing song. I don't think I've ever heard one so beautiful."

Shuichi Shindou, the master songwriter who had been compared to the legendary Ryuichi Sakuma, thought his song was the best he had ever heard? Unreal, he thought. I feel… so happy. Though I'm not sure why… it doesn't matter. Someone likes what I write, and they don't say it just because they expected it to be something amazing before they even heard it.

"Th-thanks…" Beautiful song or no, it took an equally beautiful voice to make it that way. "But who was singing?" He knew instantly as soon as Shuichi flushed and looked away. "You sang it?"

"Yeah. Sorry if it was off… I wasn't sure I could do it. It's a challenge to get it just right."

"No- it was perfect, or at least it sounded that way. It made me feel at ease…" They fell silent again, neither of them sure what to say. Suguru felt himself drifting off again- even though he had just slept for half a day-, and struggled to remain awake. There were still more questions he wanted to ask now that he was awake and had heard what was happening! How would they split the rent? Could they get an apartment that was easy for him to commute to and from school? The most prominent one involved the pink-haired baka sitting next to him. Why was Shuichi being so kind to him? He gave up, however, when a sympathetic hand was put over his eyes and another gently placed itself over his heart, telling him without words that it was okay to fall back into the welcoming darkness.

Shuichi… thank you…

The singer watched as his friend's breathing evened out, his facial features relaxing as sleep claimed him. He stayed there for a while, trying to sort out the turmoil of emotions inside of him. Okay, so he might have fallen for the synth player. But how could that be? It hadn't even been two days since he and Yuki had parted ways. He was supposed to be sad, brokenhearted, and feeling very worthless, just like every other time. Maybe it was because he had called it off and not the novelist, but that wasn't happening this time around. He felt almost… relieved. Stranger still, he found himself growing more and more attached to the boy lying on the makeshift bed in front of him, soundly asleep with a content facial expression. Love wasn't allowed to be replaced that quickly- it had to be a small crush, or a replacement love to fill the gap that was left after Yuki had been thrown out. Not completely of course- he still had strong feelings when he saw or heard anything that reminded him of the man. If that was true, then his feelings for Suguru weren't real, and it would be best not to act on them.

Unless I didn't really love Yuki… I mean, I fell for him so fast that even I had some doubts about it! It might stand to reason that because I've had a longer time to get to know Suguru, I actually took my time with it, figuring him out and watching him interact with others to learn about him some more. With Yuki I just forced myself on him, and demanded that he love me back… maybe I've been blinded by the bright light that Yuki cast, not noticing Suguru's softer glow, and separating with Yuki was what triggered my real feelings to come out. That might be it… or am I just saying what I want to hear? Is that a likely scenario or am I just fooling myself? I wish there was a clear, definitive answer here… if only I could talk like this with Hiro, or even someone else. People see me as unintelligent because I'm not good at thinking on the spot, but I'm not as dumb as they think I am. My mouth just gets in the way a lot… I think Suguru understands that, or at least he's starting to. That's why he's talking to me more often, and I love hearing his voice… it hasn't changed yet, but it's fine as it is… not high and annoying like a lot of other kid's his age are. He'd have be a decent singer with some training. Maybe I can get him to sing back-up vocals occasionally, just for variety. That would be great! But first he has to get better, and I am not going to move unless absolutely necessary.

---

Shuichi stepped out onto Hiro's small porch as sun started to go down, stretching and yawning a bit. The small breeze felt great after remaining inside all day, rarely even shifting position. His friend had come in a few times to try and get him to eat something, or simply move, but Shuichi had been obstinate and only got up once or twice to go to the bathroom. Other than that, he had remained loyally at Suguru's side lest his condition worsen in any way, and Hiro had eventually given up and gone out to get more food for his guests, talking to Ayaka and telling her what was happening. Shuichi was glad that the two of them were getting along so well despite the disapproval of her parents, though sometimes he was a little jealous that he had to split his time with his best friend.

That's why Hiro still treats me the the same- he's so wrapped up with Ayaka and himself that he can't see how much I've changed. I guess that's only to be expected, though, and I can't hold it against him for wanting to focus on his own life for once. I should be happy for him, and on some level, I am. It's just hard to get used to the fact that I have to share him, though… we've never had a romantic relationship, despite what the jerks at our highschool thought, but it doesn't change the fact that there's another hole- one for Yuki, one for Hiro, one for mom, one for dad, though I don't know why. My parents actually disowned me after I "came out of the closet"… but is that why I'm clinging on to Suguru? Because he's the last person I'm willing to trust and who hasn't left me in some way? Is this a dangerous thing to do? I can't let myself get carried away, because not only would I be hurt, but I might damage him in some way too. I have no idea how to go on from here…

Heartbroken and confused, Shuichi added a last verse to the song Suguru had written:

Take me high, leave my doubt behind

the world and the crisis it faces

is nothing compared to what we know

we only have to be as we are

Just as we're destined to be…

Hearing the verse in his sleep through the open door, Suguru inwardly sighed. Truer words had never been written, his dream-self said. Truer words have never been sung until now.

---

"Alright, let's get moving! We have to make up for those two days you had off and then some! We're not going to be shown up by Nittle Grasper on our tour, and I won't accept anything less than perfection from you!" Rage shouted, glaring at all three musicians in front of her. "I hope you've written something Shindou. If you haven't…" she left little to the imagination by fingering her control button for Pandamonium.

"I've written one," he said, earning a rare smile from their manager. "But so has Suguru."

The bandages over his ears had blocked out everything except for Rage's uproar, and when three inquiring heads turned to his direction, he looked around nervously. What had he done?

"He can't hear us, Shuichi. Write it down." Hiro handed him a spare manuscript book and a pencil, watching as he hastily wrote a summary of what was going on.

Suguru, I told them you had written a song. Can you show them?

"Oh, alright. Just a moment." He got up and unsteadily walked over to his bag, retrieving his book of songs. He just barely made it back to his seat until dizziness engulfed him, just as Hiro had warned him it would- apparently, Suguru would be woozy for the next few days or so, and his judgment would be slightly impaired for about that time as well. Personally, he couldn't tell the difference, but he was taking care not to act rashly any way. There wasn't any sense in him injuring himself again for something stupid.

He felt Shuichi take the book from him and knew he would present it to them. He cursed himself for being weak, but at the same time, he knew there was nothing he could do, except bow his head and wait it out.

A tap on his shoulder made him look up slowly after a few minutes of what sounded like (to him, anyway,) serious and heated murmuring, and Shuichi pointed to his keyboard to indicate that he was to play. The two of them walked over and set themselves up behind it, which confused Suguru because Shuichi didn't play the keyboard, he sang….

He must need to see the lyrics. That's fine; I don't mind him being near me. He'll catch me when I fall, he thought, just barely catching a childish giggle in his throat. Okay, he had to control himself a tiny bit better…

He started the introduction, hoping he was hitting the right notes. Soon after he felt the singer's breath on the back of his neck as he joined in. Despite himself, the teen got lost in thought, thinking about the warm body behind him while still continuing to play. He could hear a bit of what they were performing through the bandages- it was a soft, tragically beautiful voice mixing in perfect harmony with the lamenting piano. There were no other instruments. Without thinking, he added his own voice in, creating another layer to support the melody. Suguru didn't like to admit it to others, but he could sing when he wanted to, and this was one of those times.

Hiro sat in awe, listening as the two performed a wonderful song for them, voice matching piano so completely it was like they were one instrument with two distinct voices. He was startled when a more timid and younger voice came in, fitting in perfectly under the stronger vocals. Hiro realised, with some surprise, that Suguru was singing too, though he couldn't hear what he was playing. It only served to impress him more as the duo went into the last verse, their voices starting to soar with the emotion of the song.

Take me high, leave my doubt behind

The world and the crisis it faces

Is nothing compared to what we know

We only have to be as we are

Just as we're destined to be…

Even Rage was impressed as they finished, and the clapping and cheering behind her told her that the rest of NG Records felt the same way. Word had spread quickly that Bad Luck was trying a new song that Suguru Fujisaki had written- and it was even better than anything Nittle Grasper had ever put out.

Suguru looked up in confusion as high-pitched whistles reached his ears. Why were all those people there, crying and cheering at the same time? Even Tohma looked a little moved… he almost fell over when a lithe body hugged him from behind. In his glee, Shuichi had glomped him, forgetting that sudden movements weren't good for his head. Against his will he sagged in the singer's arms, who gently sat him down on the floor and let him lean against his body, literally vibrating in excitement. He couldn't help himself when he smiled and let out a small cheer too- Shuichi's zealous mood was infectious.

"Congratulations, cousin. You're becoming quite the rival." Tohma Seguchi was suddenly standing over the two boys with clouded eyes and face. He knew that Suguru couldn't hear him, but Shuichi certainly could. "I'm looking forward to facing off with you on-tour… if you can make it." He felt two pairs of eyes glaring daggers at his back as he walked away, issuing orders to the crowd to return to whatever they had been doing. To any one who knew him well- such as his cousin-, he would seem slightly nervous. To everyone else though, he was the same as always. Tohma would have to watch out to make sure his little relative didn't surpass him… well, it was unlikely he would be able to make the tour any way. He had seen to that.

"He's up to something!" said Shuichi angrily once every one had left. "I don't trust him."

"I don't think Seguchi-san's one of the most trustworthy people either, but we've got to work with him if we want to stay on the label." Hiro stood up and went over to his two friends who were still on the floor. "You guys are amazing! I had no idea you could sing too, Suguru."

Not being able to hear what was going on, the synth player simply relaxed and let his band mate hold him, drinking in his strawberry-vanilla scent. Tohma was a bastard, and whatever he had said didn't really matter- as far as he could tell, he had played his part perfectly, and that was all that mattered for the moment. He hadn't meant to start singing the harmony he had created while he had been waiting for dawn to arrive in the early hours of the morning, while everyone else was asleep, but it didn't seem as if it ruined the song either...

Maybe I should get some vocal training and do back-ups, he thought. I like singing with Shuichi; I just hope he doesn't mind that I want to help him out.

He blinked as he was poked in the side, another note in front of his face.

Everyone thought it was amazing! Rage wants you to do some voice training when you feel up to it, if you want… nice job on the harmony. By the way, Seguchi-san hinted that he had something up his sleeve for you- that you might not be able to go on-tour with us. I think it has something to do with your school, but all of us will help you wherever we can! You are SO coming with us!

"As soon as I get these things off my ears I'll gladly work on my voice. If we're doing this as our new piece to show up Sakuma-san and his band, then I'll have to get it as good as I can. Whatever Tohma's planning for me will make itself clear in time, so we shouldn't worry about it until it rears its ugly head," he mumbled into Shuichi's neck. He didn't want to move… but soon enough, they had to get up so Shuichi could present his song.

"Well, it's not nearly as good as Suguru's, but I hope you guys like it." And he started to sing:

Close to you, intoxicated

I feel so alive ikiteiru

Sleeping under the eaves,

Loving and dreaming so sweet-

So many thoughts begin with you

Though they never end kierei na yume

Kimi no chikaku…

Blissful mornings at your side

Remind me why I never quit ganbaru

To be lying here

So close to your boundless energy

You don't harm me

With your gentle passion yawarakai ai

Kimi shiawase ni suru…!

Crystalline eyes, a tiny grin

Is all it takes to send me over sukkari

Forgetting my troubles in you

I'd gladly give anything I had

To have ourselves frozen

In time for eternity eien ni neru

Kakusu watashi ni itsumo…

I don't ever want to wake up…

Though reality comes howling fukai

Dreams like this are

Meant to go on forever

They transcend time and space

To let the hearts they capture move on kirei na kiochi

Tosu watashi ni naru…

Tosu watashi ni naru… kimi no mono…

Love lies and confuses the mind

Falling fast or falling deep akiraka

Those who suffer with no knowledge

Can't control what they're feeling

Fighting or crying for an answer

Waiting for someone to show them how mugon no shinri

Hiraku watashi no kokoro…

Homen suru watashi no ai… love like it's nothing

Kimi no chikaku…

"Shuichi…?" questioned Hiro worriedly. His friend had finished his song and started crying immediately afterwards. "What's…?"

"YUKI!"

"Oh, geeze…"

They all watched as Shuichi melted into a puddle of despair right before their eyes, blubbering and sniffing away at his ex-lover once more.

"Oh well… it was bound to happen sooner or later." Suguru sighed with indifference. "I was surprised that it didn't happen earlier."

Hiro glanced suspiciously at the synth player, who had an undreadable expression on his face as he continued to observe Shuichi rolling and writhing on the floor in his own tears, screaming for Yuki. For all the kid had gotten accustomed to Shuichi's wild mood-swings, he had never actually said anything about them, except the occasional reminder that they were once again behind production schedule. This time, though, it almost seemed as if he had said something just to cover up something he was feeling, if the slightly sulky tone of voice was anything to go by.

---

Hours later, Bad Luck (minus their manager) was holding an informal meeting in Hiro's room. They had gotten next to nothing done again, since one of of the three couldn't stop crying long enough to record something longer than ten seconds, while the other one spaced out so often that Rage had threatened to add another blow to his head. The guilty party was sitting on their makeshift beds on the floor looking ashamed. Hiro was reclining on his own bed, watching them before he decided to interrogate them for information. When Shuichi started to fidget, he spoke.

"Okay. Both of you were completely useless today, not just Shuichi. I'll give you some slack, Suguru, since you've got a head injury, but that doesn't explain why you two were incapable of work after Shuichi finished his song. Rage and I want answers! So… explain. Now." He was answered with silence. Growing irritated, he tried again.

"I don't want to have to be mean to you guys, but honestly, we've wasted three days so far. Two of them weren't really under our control, but today we should have been fine. What happened?"

"I-I don't know…" Shuichi said hesitantly. "I miss Yuki!" He instantly began to soak the pillow he was clinging to, biting and tearing at it as if he wanted to devour the cotton inside while wailing "Yuki, Yuki, Yuki, Yuki!"

"Fine, okay, I got that... you're already going through bastard-withdrawl after you broke up with him, because you're completely irrational." Hiro looked up to the ceiling as if he was seeking inspiration or strength before he moved on.

"Suguru? What about you? Don't try and play deaf either, I know you can hear me- you took your thick bandages off earlier." He inwardly grimaced as the younger boy twitched but still said nothing. Hiro didn't think he would intentionally use his injury as an excuse to get out of something, but he had been acting pretty strange the past few days…

"I'm just tired is all. I haven't been sleeping very well as of late. I promise not to let it interfere with our work again," he said, with the barest of snide looks to the still whimpering baka next to him. "You don't mind if I try and fall asleep now, do you? I want to be ready for tomorrow."

"Of course not. 'Night." The room grew oppressively silent as Suguru turned over and covered his head with his blanket, until only the top of his hair was peeking out from under it. The synth player had no intetion of falling asleep now- even if he could have, he would have missed out on the next part of the conversation. In the meantime, he'd have to wait until the guitarist thought he was asleep… though in all honesty, Suguru didn't know why he wanted to eavesdrop so badly. It was like a sixth sense was pressing him to put on the act, so he could uncover a vast mystery.

"Shuichi, you're lying, I can tell. Why did you really start to cry?" Hiro asked kindly after a few minutes.

The singer sighed, not sure how he was going to phrase his conflicting ideas. "Just promise not to interrupt me, alright? I'm only going to say this once." He then confessed what he had thought about when he was sitting next to Suguru all day, how he thought he had fallen for him but wasn't sure, especially since it was so soon after his break-up with Yuki, who he hadn't heard from yet by the way. He also told Hiro about how he was now questioning his own confidence, since he had been wrong about Yuki, couldn't he be wrong about Suguru too? And what if it was only a rebound-love to fill in the gaps left by the absence of his parents and Yuki? (He didn't want Hiro to feel bad, so Shuichi didn't mention the fact that he was feeling a little neglected by his best friend too.) He wanted an exact answer that left no room for doubt, but he just kept getting more and more confused. At the end of the song, though he had been crying for Yuki, Shuichi had also been calling out for Suguru too, and peace of mind, because it felt like both of them were tearing him in half day-by-day.

Hiro listened to it all, amazed that a seemingly vacuous person like Shuichi would think this much about something like love. He really had changed in a year. Hiro chose his words carefully after his friend had finished;

"Well, I can't answer that for you either… I guess love's supposed to look simple but really be complicated underneath. It's easy to say, but hard to write. As far as your feelings towards Yuki go, drop them for good. You yourself admitted that you were wrong about him, so there's no use in hanging on to them. Maybe you should try Suguru- you said he wasn't like Tohma, so see if it's true. And, I don't think he'd mind receiving some extra attention, even from the likes of you. From what I've seen and suspect, he has no friends at school or anywhere else besides NG- he's pretty much busy every hour he isn't sleeping… and from the looks of it, he's not even getting that. Not that I'm trying to insult you, but for now all we can do is assume he's straight... so it might take him a while to come around, if you know what I mean. But I- and I can't explain this, so don't ask- have the strangest feeling that he'd accept any love he could get right now, from any one."

Shuichi didn't respond for a while, mulling over his friend's advice. He found that he couldn't reach a conclusion at the moment, and he was really tired now too. He could figure it out later.

"I'll think about it. I just don't want to push him away, though… thanks, Hiro, I don't know what I'd do without you." Shuichi laid down and drew the covers over him, trying to fall asleep. They said their good nights and were soon deeply unconscious, with Shuichi's light snores filling the otherwise silent room.

In the darkness, Suguru's mind raced over everything he had heard. He also reflected that he might want to start ignoring that voice in the back of his head.

A/N: The little "" thingy is this: in Japanese, if you didn't know, the character for "ai", or love as in passionate attatchment or affection, is one of the really annoying ones. Just one character! But so many things going on with it that might as well be two or three. It's probably just because I'm a beginner and whatnot, but really… I find it hard and annoying to write. I'd imagine Shuichi would have trouble with it too, though maybe not, since he writes so many love songs. I guess we'll never know.

Speaking of songs, I wrote those lyrics. You may not steal/use them without my permission, though heaven knows why you would want to. I do have titles for them, but they have significance later on in the story, so their titles will be released later, if any one cared to wonder. And the random Japanese was intentional… mistakes were not… so if you find any, please politely notify me. I'm trying to teach myself…

Thanks again for the reviews! I'll keep trying to update at least once a week, but we have a lot of performances coming in various groups, so I'm not sure how much I can do to speed the process up. I'm currently stuck on Chapter 7.

Chapter Four- Bonding is next! The soap-opera continues! And my first real try at writing comedy!