Disclaimer: I do not own Gravitation!

Warnings: Same as chap.1

Summary: Same as chap.1

Author Notes: I promise to try to make the chapters shorter from now on. Bear with me . Chapt.2…enjoy!

(Chapter 2: Sayonara Kyoto!)

The morning came, though he hardly recognized it by its appearance. While lying on his side, he peered through his window, but was only able to see the sky. It was clouded and gray. Tatsuha turned to face the ceiling and stretched his arms above his head, knocking over the alarm clock that was on the floor next to him.

"Mmmm…Wha-?"

Tatsuha laid his head on one of his arms, and used the other to pick up the alarm clock. He stared at it and waited for the numbers to come into focus.

"8:00! Too early!"

He snatched the comforter of his futon and covered his face, leaving his long legs bare. His black hair spread over his pillow. He tossed and turned from side to side while trying to block out the sound of birds chirping outside. The comforter wrapped itself around his body.

"Ugh! Why can't I go back to sleep!"

He sat up quickly, and the comforter fell to his waist. He grabbed his pillow and drew it into his arms. He pressed it against his chest and, squeezing it, he buried his face into it. The sound of birds chirping again caught his ear. He lifted his head and turned it towards the window.

From this position he was able to get a better view of the outside. The sky was dim and the air was thick, as if a heavy fog had descended upon the house. Tatsuha's black eyes squinted, but all he was able to see were the dark silhouettes of houses and trees. He turned his attention to his cluttered room

Clothes, magazines, and C.D.s were scattered all over the hard-wood floor along with the occasional bits of trash and soda cans. Nittle Grasper posters decorated the walls, but only one wall had one poster… the one directly in front of him.

Tatsuha turned to where he was able to face forward and a smile spread across his tired face. To the poster in front of him he said, "G'mornin' Love."

Ryuichi Sakuma looked as handsome as he did every morning, noon, and night. But for some reason, knowing that he was going to have a concert in Tokyo made Tatsuha think that his god looked twice as hot as usual. The large poster covered most of that wall and it was of Ryuichi during his last concert tour. He was wearing torn up blue jeans and a leather vest with no shirt under it, revealing a toned and very sexy body.

Tatsuha was very proud of his Nittle Grasper collection, even if his father made it a priority to tell him daily how distasteful it was…"Especially for a growing monk". The poster of only Ryuichi was his favorite. Tatsuha gave it its own wall, after all…"A singer as great as he should NEVER have to share the spotlight, so why should he share a wall?"

Tatsuha stood up and stretched his legs. Feeling a little groggy, he headed towards the bathroom across the hall while managing to step over the junk on his floor.

In the bathroom, he gazed at his reflection in the mirror. Drool stains were on his chin and his eyes were weary. His hair was extremely messy, and a lot of it covered his eyes. The stained, white T-shirt and yellow boxers he was wearing made him look even more un-kept. Tatsuha brushed his teeth and headed down the stairs without bothering to brush his hair. About half-way down he realized…

"Hey… today's Monday! Today's the day of the Katsumi wedding! Yes!"

He happily ran down the rest of the stairs.

"Yes! Yes! The old man's going to perform the wedding service today. I get the house to myself! Ha ha!"

But his feeling of excitement quickly changed to confusion and disappointment when he saw his father in the kitchen cooking breakfast.

"Good morning son", Uesugi-san greeted with a smile, "Breakfast is almost ready. Take a seat at the table."

Tatsuha's nose turned up and his eyes widened.

"Don't be that way, Tats-kun…just sit down. Be good, please."

Tatsuha stopped making faces and made his way to the table to sit down. Uesugi-san walked over to him and placed a bowl of creamed rice and a small plate of sliced pickles in front of him along with chopsticks. He then sat down and looked at his son from across the table. They both ate in silence, Tatsuha slurping his rice and Uesugi-san munching on sliced pickles. Tatsuha could feel his father's eyes on him and looked up a few times to see that they were.

"Tatsuha?"

"Yes?"

"What's happened to us? What's happened to you?"

"What do you mean?"

Uesugi-san sighed and watched as his son lifted a pickle slice to his face with his fingers and dropped it into his mouth. The old monk slowly shook his head at his son's bad table manners.

"You were such a good boy. Just two months ago you were so polite. You were responsible. You always did what I told you to."

Uesugi-san obviously did not know his son had a reputation before two months ago.

Tatsuha kept eating. Uesugi-san kept talking.

"You listened. You would always listen to me. We never had any problems. You were so good. I never got any complaints about you, NEVER. And your training, you never skipped your training. You were so excited about taking over and becoming a mo-."

Uesugi-san saw Tatsuha clench his fists and cringe before he could finish his sentence…before he could say the word "monk". He was immediately taken back to a similar conversation he had with Eiri, in which Eiri did the same thing. Realizing Tatsuha's true feelings on the subject, Uesugi-san firmed his speech.

"Tatsuha", his voice deepened, "Do not change your mind." Tatsuha's hung his head low as he looked down.

"You will become a monk. You must. It is your duty now. I know what this is about. It's your brother isn't it? He's put all types of thoughts into your innocent mind, hasn't he? He's such a bad influence! I knew I shouldn't have let you visit him! Listen to me. Don't make the same mistakes your brother-"

"So, what's going on with the Katsumi wedding?" Tatsuha interrupted, quickly changing the subject.

"I got Shohima-san to take over for me."

"Oh."

Uesugi-san looked at him, and both were silent once again. He decided to take a different approach to speaking with his son.

"So…do you like Tokyo better than Kyoto?"

Tatsuha's eyes lit up and he responded happily.

"Yes. I love Tokyo. There's so much to do there. Oh! And my favorite band is having a concert there this weekend!"

"There you go again with that 'rock music' or whatever it is. Honestly, Tats-kun, when will you get over this little 'Nipple Graber' phase of yours?"

"It's NITTLE GRASPER!"

Tatsuha was so annoyed and Uesugi-san knew he had messed up again.

They were silent again. Tatsuha picked up his empty dishes and stomped towards the kitchen to wash them. Uesugi-san watched him leave the room. He then picked up his dishes and joined him.

In the kitchen, Tatsuha was scrubbing dishes at the sink. Uesugi-san walked up to him and placed his dishes in the sink for washing. He then backed away slowly and watched his son from behind. "Tatsuha", he whispered. Tatsuha continued washing dishes. "Tatsuha", he said, a little louder. Tatsuha began to scrub harder. "Tatsuha!"

"What! What do you want! Could we not talk right now! I'm tired!" Tatsuha yelled, his face flushed with anger and there was a horrible look in his eyes. Normally, Uesugi-san would not have stood for such behavior and would have yelled back. But he realized that he was partly at fault for his son's frustration and instead walked up to his son's side and placed one of his old hands on Tatsuha's shoulder. With the other, he patted his son's back. Tatsuha put down the dishes.

Uesugi-san looked up at his son's face and with puppy-dog eyes he spoke.

"Tats-chan", he wined, "I'm OLD!"

Tatsuha gave his father an extremely confused look.

"Tats-chan", he continued, "I'm OLD and SENILE!"

Tatsuha smiled and listened to his father continue.

"Tats-chan! I'm OLD, SENILE, and BALD! Don't yell at me! Please!"

Tatsuha busted out laughing. He laughed and laughed and Uesugi-san succeeded in his goal of calming him down. Pleased with himself, Uesugi-san smiled at his son. "I know you're young and you want a little more freedom," he said, "But you also need to be a little more responsible."

Tatsuha stopped laughing and looked at his father. He was no longer angry, but he did wonder what the old monk was trying to say.

"Tatsuha, I did some thinking last night, and I decided that you should go to Tokyo for the remainder of the summer. You seem to need some space. Maybe Tokyo will be a good change of scenery. Are you o.k. with that?"

Tatsuha was so happy he could barely hide it.

"I get to go to Tokyo? For the rest of the summer? Yes! Yes! I get to be away from home! I don't have to listen to my father! I get to see Shuichi. I can go to the concert!"

Tatsuha said yes and asked when he would be leaving.

"Tomorrow."

"Yeah! I'll go pack my bags!" But before he could run out of the kitchen, Uesugi-san stopped him.

"Wait," he said, "We need to set some ground rules."

Tatsuha let out a very upsetting groan.

"Now, now, just hear me out." Uesugi-san went into serious mode. "You get to go to Tokyo, but the whole point of this is to learn some responsibility. You will work at a temple and continue your studies. I know the monks who run it. They are good people."

"What!", Tatsuha objected.

"I'm not finished. You will not be staying with your brother or that… that thing he keeps in his house."

"His name's Shuichi." Tatsuha claimed.

"Whatever, you can't stay with them."

"Why not?"

"Because he's a bad influence Tatsuha. No, no, I won't have it."

"This trip doesn't sound like fun anymore." Tatsuha thought. Uesugi-san kept going.

"Instead, you will be staying with your sister, Mika. Do not cause trouble for her or Tohma. You will be good the entire time, understand? She will be keeping a close eye on you and she'll report back to me if you do anything stupid. Don't do anything stupid Tatsuha, please. I will take you home if I have too." With that said Uesugi-san waited for a response.

Tatsuha thought for a minute. He wanted to say no. He wanted to tell his father that none of what he was just told sounded like he was getting any space. But the idea of seeing Ryuichi Sakuma lingered in his mind and he didn't want to give up that chance.

"O.k., I'll go pack now."

He ran up the stairs to his room and grabbed his bags. Then he began packing.

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"Who will be staying with us!"

"Tatsuha!" she answered, "I told you two times this morning. Were you listening?"

Tohma Seguchi put his pen down next to a stack of already signed important papers and sighed into the phone. He was wearing his patented smile.

"I'm so sorry, I guess I was so busy dealing with the contracts for NG's newest artists my mind must have been somewhere else."

"Well, Tatsuha will be here by tomorrow afternoon," Mika replied. She could hear her husband breathing into the phone on the other end of the line.

"Why is he coming?"

"My father called last night and asked if he could."

"Uesugi-san?"

"Yes, who else would it be?"

Tohma paused. Mika sat in a chair in the Seguchi house and rubbed her manicured toes against the carpet. She moved the phone from her left ear to her right and raised her left hand to massage that side of her neck. Tohma knew what he wanted to say, and when he finally thought of a way to say it without upsetting his wife, he spoke.

"Tatsuha, huh? I wonder if they aren't getting along. To be honest Mika, Tatsuha isn't the easiest person to handle. And I for one would rather not deal with having him in our house."

"That's not fair, Tohma! Eiri can be just as unbearable at times but you don't complain. Tatsuha isn't bad. He's just…he's just." Surprised that she couldn't even come up with a good word to describe her youngest brother and afraid that she had just proven her husband's case, Mika quickly started a new sentence.

"Come on, Tohma. My father's been very stressed over Tatsuha lately. He's so worried about him. He needs a little alone time, so he can relax. He wants to give Tatsuha time, too. That's all he asks for."

"So he's going to dump his problem on us? Mika, I love you and your family, but I don't have time. There's so much to do in the office and the concert's coming up fast. It's this weekend!"

"I know, I know…but you don't have to worry about him," Mika persuaded, "I'll keep an eye on him and make sure he stays out of your way. You won't have to deal with him." Mika was beginning to believe that she was trying to convince her husband to let her have a puppy.

"I--"

"Seguchi-san," the secretary's voice came in through the desk's speaker, "Your 12:30 lunch date is here."

"Good," Tohma said, "Send him in."

The door to Tohma's office opened. He covered the phone's speaker with his hand. "I'll be right with you in a sec, just make yourself comfortable on the couch," he whispered.

Tohma spoke into the phone again. "What was I going to say? Oh yes, I guess its fine with me if he stays…if it's fine with you. Will you be o.k. watching over Tatsuha by yourself?"

"I'm sure I can handle it. He's my brother after all. Besides, I won't do it by myself. I'll have help from the monks of a nearby temple." Mika was a little unsure of her answer.

"O.K., I'll see you tonight. Goodbye." Tohma hung up the phone.

He heard the sound of springs squeaking and laughter. Tohma shifted in his seat and looked around his clean and extravagantly decorated office. Across the room he saw a man bouncing on his couch, waving a pink bunny in the air.

"Ha ha ha ha ha! Bouncy! Bouncy! Bouncy! Bouncy!"

"Ryuichi-san, please don't mess up that couch. It's Italian leather," Tohma sighed.

"Hey, hey! Tohma! Who were you talking to, na no da?"

"Mika." Tohma got up from behind his desk and walked towards Ryuichi, who had a gleam of curiosity in his eyes.

"What about?" Ryuichi asked, hugging Kumagoro tighter.

"Nothing you need to worry about," Tohma answered, "Where do you want to go for lunch?"

Ryuichi acted like he didn't hear Tohma's last question. "Was it about the concert this weekend? Oh, I'm so excited, na no da!"

He got up from the couch and ran to the huge office window, from which he got a perfect view of Tokyo. Tohma smiled and wondered if he was ever going to be able to get his friend and band mate to be still for once.

"I'm excited too, Ryuichi-san. It is the last concert of our tour after all."

Ryuichi pressed his hands against the window, and a serious look reflected onto the glass from his face. His voice suddenly changed. It was deep, like in his songs. "It's not just that, Tohma. I've got a feeling. A very strong feeling, like something amazing is going to happen after the concert."

Ryuichi looked down at the pink bunny in his arms and his tone was cheerful again. "Kumagoro agrees with me, na no da. He feels it too!"

Tohma looked at his friend and felt an eerie chill go down his spine. "Yeah, Ryuichi-san, I think I feel it too."

Ryuichi looked back out the window at the busy streets of Tokyo.

"We're gonna rock, na no da! So get ready Tokyo!" he yelled excitedly.

Tohma joined his friend at the window and lifted his head. He looked at the buildings of Tokyo and softly spoke. "Yeah, Tokyo," he whispered, "you better get ready."

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"I'm gone, Pops!" Tatsuha yelled, running out of the house with luggage in his hands. It was the day when he would leave Kyoto and he excitedly headed towards the driveway. Uesugi-san followed him out the door quickly.

"Uh, where do you think you're going?" the old monk asked, adjusting his robe.

"Um, to Tokyo?" asked his confused son.

"Not on that death-bike, you're not!"

"Why can't I take my motorcycle?"

"Because, son, it's dangerous. Do you know how much traffic there is in Tokyo? It's an accident waiting to happen!"

Tatsuha rolled his eyes.

"Besides," he continued, "I won't have you riding about all over Tokyo by yourself whenever you want to!" Uesugi-san began to mumble to himself, "Letting a teenager loose in Tokyo! Hmph! It's like setting a lion loose in a meat factory! Letting teenagers loose in Tokyo, the very idea! It's nonsense!"

"Then how am I going to get there?"

"Your sister is going to drive you!" Uesugi-san beamed happily, "She should be here any minute now."

Tatsuha dropped his luggage and looked at the ground.

"Be grateful!"

Tatsuha lifted his head and his black eyes lit up. He smiled and approached his father. "I am!" he placed his hands on his father's shoulders and looked at him dead in the eyes, "And I'd be even more grateful if I could have some spending money."

Uesugi-san's wrinkled face contorted into a dramatic facial expression of disgust. He was appalled!

"You must think money grows in our backyard! Are you crazy!" Tatsuha loosened his grip and the smile disappeared from his face.

"Well, you would think that since we have such a successful family…"

"Successful for them doesn't necessarily mean successful for us, Tatsuha." Uesugi-san replied, "Lending you spending money? For Tokyo? Pigs will sooner fly out of my ass!"

"Didn't you have pork for dinner last night?" Tatsuha chuckled, "Ya know, sooner or later--"

"Don't be a smart-ass!" his father replied.

"How do you expect me to get some money?" Tatsuha asked.

Uesugi-san walked over to a large stone in the yard and sat down. "I don't know Tatsuha. You figure it out. I'm getting a headache." He sighed and held his head.

Just then a beautiful, red Mercedes Benz drove up to the house. The expensive American automobile was so out of place in that part of Kyoto that it caught the attention of several neighbors. The car door on the driver's side opened and out stepped a woman wearing a designer mini-skirt, a designer blouse, and designer sunglasses. She wore black gloves that came up no farther then her small wrists, and red lipstick. Her long brown hair fell over her shoulders past the cleavage she was revealing. Her high heels clicked against the pathway leading to the Uesugi household as she walked towards the two men, and with a graceful smile she lifted her sunglasses off of her eyes and rested them on the top of her head.

"Mika! It's great to see you again!" Uesugi-san hopped off the stone and gave his daughter a hug.

"Has it really been that long?" she inquired.

"Oh, you just don't know how long!" the old man seemed over-joyed and he hugged his daughter tighter. Mika turned her attention to her youngest brother, who was facing the opposite direction with his head down. He began scuffing the sole of his shoe against the ground.

"Tatsuha!" Mika wore a big smile as she raised her hand in the air and struck her brother's back with a loud smack.

"Ouch!" Tatsuha turned around immediately.

"Tatsuha!", Mika beamed, "Is that how you greet your lovely sister? With your back turned to her?"

Tatsuha put on a fake smile and rubbed his back. "No, Mika,…", he mumbled quietly through gritted teeth, "…but I can think of another way."

Tatsuha's fist clenched and a vein throbbed in his forehead, but he still wore a smile. His father, standing next to him, heard his son's mumbling and nudged him with his shoulder. His son got the hint.

"It's great to see you, sis."

"Good to see you too." she answered

The old man decided to speak up, "Tatsuha, why don't you go put your bags in the car?"

Tatsuha picked up his luggage and walked over to the car.

Uesugi-san faced his daughter and they stared at each other for a while. Mika was the first to break the silence.

"I know what you want to say."

"What?"

"I know what you want to say," she repeated, "You just can't seem to say it. Don't worry, I'll tell him for you."

Uesugi-san put his hands in the sleeves of his robe while folding his arms and sighed. He stared off into the direction of the driveway and watched as Tatsuha struggled with piling his bags into the trunk of the car. He frowned at the many swear words he heard his son mumbling.

"Don't worry." Mika placed a hand on her father's shoulder, "Everything will be fine. I'll call you if there are problems. Just use this time to try and relax."

"Without you, Mika, I do not know what I'd do." Uesugi-san smiled at his daughter.

They both joined Tatsuha, who had just finished wrestling with the trunk. After short goodbyes, Mika and Tatsuha got in the car and backed out of the driveway. Uesugi-san followed the car into the street while waving goodbye. He stood there until the car was no longer in sight.

The old monk slowly brought the hand he was waving with down to his side and stared in the direction the car had driven. Uesugi-san felt an eerie chill go down his spine and he clutched his robe. In a soft voice, he whispered…

"… I feel so…cold."

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Tatsuha forced himself to sit through the awkward silence in the car. Afraid of bringing up any topics that would provoke his sister's natural tendency to nag and speak her mind, he just kept quiet. Instead, he fidgeted and looked out of the window.

At a stoplight, Mika finally had enough of the silence and spoke.

"So, Tatsuha…"she began, only to turn towards her brother and find that she was speaking to the back of his head. "… are you excited about your trip to Tokyo?"

Tatsuha turned his head while still avoiding Mika's gaze and responded in a brief, un-assuring grunt. When the car began to move again he snapped his head back in its original position and watched the outside scenery pass by.

Mika replied with an upsetting grunt of her own and then focused all of her attention on the road, determined to get back to Tokyo as fast as she could.

The car sped up along with Tatsuha's heartbeat when realization struck and the excitement of leaving Kyoto for Tokyo sunk in. He watched buildings fly by his window and caught a glimpse of Rei-Ookawa temple from the corner of his eye. As it passed, Tatsuha was able to see some of its features. It looked empty, about as empty as when he left it. And for some strange reason, he felt some sort of remorse for leaving it. His head turned towards it and his eyes followed it as it completely passed his window. He watched as the temple shrank further and further into the distance.

When he could no longer see it he faced forward in the car, looked ahead, and whispered: "Sayonara."

Thanks for reading! See you next chapter.