Disclaimer- Gravitation is not mine.

Warnings- They are the same. I don't want to repeat.

Author's notes- Hello! Its been a while. Yay! I'm so happy I get to write! I wanted to update sooner, but a lot has happened and I didn't get a chance to until now. Forgive me? Ok, we're picking up right where we left off. Hope you like it. Enjoy!

(Chapter 6: Tatsuha's vanishing act)

Tatsuha had been scolded many times before; perhaps too many times considering his young age. He did have a tendency to repeat his own mistakes…but then again, was there ever a young "trouble-maker" who hadn't experienced an occasional slap on the wrist?

Nope, Tatsuha wasn't worried. He'd heard it all before, and neither Tohma nor Mika could do anything to intimidate him…

…so he thought. But early that morning, when Mika woke him up and told him to come downstairs, his confidence was rattled a bit. Normally, his sister wouldn't wake him up herself. She'd either have a maid do it or call for him from downstairs. So for her to be standing over him when he first opened his eyes was quite a shock.

"M-Mika?" he yawned.

Tatsuha sat up in his bed, still half-asleep. He rubbed his tired eyes so he could see better, "It's early sis. It's only dawn!"

Mika stepped back from the side of his bed and faced the door. As she walked towards it, she paused for a moment and then repeated herself without bothering to turn back around. Her slow and eerie way of speaking was completely unexpected, "Come downstairs, Tatsuha…Tohma and I need to talk to you." As she passed through the doorway, she glared at her brother. "Brace yourself," she warned. Her fierce eyes made him shiver a little, as if she had splashed him with ice-water, and for only a few seconds she reminded him of Eiri.

After she left the room, Tatsuha crawled out of his bed and threw on some clothes. "Judgment day," he sighed, and as he walked down the stairs, he thought of the punishment he would be receiving. Surely it would be a phone call to his father. All he had to do was find a way out of it.

The young monk was sure he could get out of anything. This "punishment-thing" was so second-nature to him now, that the very idea of Mika even trying to scold him was almost laughable. But funny as it seemed, he couldn't shake his un-easy feeling. It was as if the worst to come was just around the corner…waiting for him in the next room.

He took a few deep breaths as he approached the large room where both Tohma and Mika were expecting him. This beautiful part of the house was about to turn into a battlefield…and Tatsuha would step into enemy territory as a samurai warrior, fully prepared to fight any battle.

"No matter what," he thought to himself, "I'm going to defend myself. There's no way I'll loose!"

When he entered the room, he was met with complete silence.

Tohma sat in an expensive-looking armchair facing the doorway in which Tatsuha stood. His legs were crossed and he wore his usual suit and hat. His smile, however, was nowhere in sight. Mika stood next to the armchair, and one of her hands rested on Tohma's shoulder. She was to play the role of supportive wife, and she was ready to agree with whatever decision her husband made.

Mika motioned for Tatsuha to sit in the chair directly across from them. He followed her instructions, and as soon as he sat down the sentencing began.

"You know why you're here?" Tohma asked calmly. His voice was smooth and it carried a great deal of authority.

"Yes. I think I do." Tatsuha answered, with an amount of strength that could easily match up against his brother-in-law.

So which would win? Strength or authority?

"So," Tohma continued, "You know what you've done?"

"Yes. I know good and well what I've done." Tatsuha leaned back in his chair and a huge grin stretched across his face, "Whether or not it was a 'bad thing' is a completely different story."

"You must be joking! Of course it was a bad thing!" Tohma accidentally raised his voice. Usually he did an excellent job of keeping himself poised and under control, but the smug-look on Tatsuha's face was making it a lot harder for him to do so.

"Tatsuha," Tohma continued, in a much calmer voice this time, "you know what you did was wrong. You completely distracted Ryuichi-san from what he was supposed to be doing. I don't know how you did it, but you did. He ended up missing a meeting because of you!" Tohma stared directly into Tatsuha's eyes. Unlike Mika's icy glare, his was sharp, and Tatsuha felt twenty knives piercing his skin, "I know you like to flirt but, when you kissed Ryuichi-san, you crossed the line." As he spoke, the image of Tatsuha suddenly grabbing Ryuichi by the waist appeared in his mind. The kiss replayed over and over in his head, refusing to be erased. "Your behavior was inexcusable, and I simply won't allow it!"

"What's the big deal?! I didn't hurt anyone, and besides…Ryuichi liked it."

Tohma's eyes narrowed, "You're pushing it, kid."

"Don't call me kid."

"You are a kid, Tatsuha. You're a kid staying under my roof. Don't forget that!"

"Well then, maybe I should go stay with someone else! Maybe Aniki will take me in! Or better yet, Ryuichi will let--!

"Stop it! That's enough!" Tohma had heard all that he could stand, "I can't take anymore of your ongoing nonsense! For you to even suggest that Ryuichi-san would--"

"Ryuichi would!"

"That's Sakuma-san to you! And he wouldn't do any such thing! When will you stop playing these games, Tatsuha? When will you grow up?"

Tatsuha didn't say anything. He could tell that Tohma was really pissed off. To make it worse would probably mean a harsher punishment than what he would already be receiving.

Tohma sighed heavily in his chair, "Oh my…this is too much to deal with. I have the right mind to just go ahead and send you home to your father."

Mika didn't say anything throughout the entire conversation. The whole time, she watched her husband and brother go back and forth without interfering. But when she heard Tohma threaten to send Tatsuha back home, she thought of her father and her grip tightened on Tohma's shoulder. Tohma looked up at her and saw her worried expression, and then he quickly changed his mind.

"Tatsuha…Mika and I…will not be sending you home."

The young monk hadn't realized that he was holding his breath but, after hearing that he wouldn't be sent home, he let out a huge sigh of relief.

"However…Mika and I feel like you haven't been putting enough effort into your monk duties…which, by the way, is the whole reason you're even here. So, as punishment, you are to quit your job and put all of that extra time into studying at the temple."

Tatsuha folded his arms, "…fine."

"Also," Tohma added, "you are not to go anywhere near N-G."

"What?!"

"I mean it! You are not to enter the N-G building from now on. Only if you are accompanied by an adult chaperone, who will watch you 24/7, will I even consider letting you back into that building."

Tatsuha objected immediately. N-G was his only chance of running into Ryuichi again,

"You can't be serious, right?" He turned to his sister, "You guys aren't serious, right?"

Mika turned away from her brother without saying a single word, but Tohma didn't have a problem answering his questions. "Of course we're serious. We've given this a lot of thought and the decision we've made is final."

With that said, Tohma stood up from his chair and gathered a few of his things together. "Now that that's settled," he said, "I must be off to work."

Tatsuha bit his lip to keep himself from speaking. As Tohma headed for the door, the teen turned away from him. He was determined to avoid any eye-contact with his brother-in-law and, after hearing Tohma's footsteps leave the room, he gripped the cushion of his seat with both hands.

Mika escorted her husband to the front door and gave him a short kiss goodbye, but before Tohma could walk to his car she quickly wrapped her arms around him and gave him a big hug. She squeezed tightly and whispered into his ear, "Thank you."

"…Mika."

"Thank you, Tohma," she repeated, "thanks for not sending him away. Thanks for giving him another chance. He's a handful, but a good kid. This will work out, you'll see. It's only a rebellious phase."

Tohma wrapped his arms around Mika and returned her hug. "I know he's a good kid…I know," he replied, "Even if he's a pain, I'll try to bear it for a little longer."

They separated, and Mika waved goodbye as she watched Tohma get into his car and drive off. When she walked back inside, she remembered the look Tatsuha had on his face as she left him sitting in the room.

"Uh-oh," she sighed, "This won't be pretty."

She re-entered the room where her brother still sat in his chair. His back was turned to her and he hunched over a little. She could hear him gritting his teeth. "Oh, stop pouting ya big baby!" she yelled jokingly. Tatsuha didn't think anything was funny, and when he didn't say anything Mika spoke again. "What's this? No smart-ass comeback?" she smiled, "Has the great Tatsuha finally been subdued?"

"Shut up. Leave me alone."

Mika was surprised at Tatsuha's reply and she quickly became serious in response. "You brought it on yourself, you know. These things wouldn't happen if you'd just behave. What Tohma said to you was right."

In no way could Mika have ever realized that the last sentence she spoke would spark a fire so heated that she could barely control it…until she and Tatsuha began arguing.

"What?! I can't believe you're siding with him!"

"It's not my fault, Tatsuha! It's yours!"

"Spare me! I don't even want to listen to you!"

"Damn it, Tatsuha! We're just trying to help you! Don't bite the hand that feeds!"

"I don't need your help!"

Tatsuha ran upstairs to his room and Mika called after him, "Don't run from me! We're not done here!" She thought of chasing him, but changed her mind after a little bit of thought. "…no. I better leave him alone for awhile."

Mika was very tired after the fight with Tatsuha. It took a lot of energy to go toe-to-toe with her brother, so afterwards she was beat. She plopped down on the chair, threw her head back, and started talking to herself. "Oh, father…now I see why you needed time to yourself. How did you do it?"

As she began to rub her forehead, she heard Ryuichi Sakuma's voice singing to her from a distance.

"What the…?"

She looked around. It was a ring tone coming from Tatsuha's cell phone. Mika grunted a little, and then she called up to her brother again. "Tatsuhaaaa! You left your phone down here! It's ringing!"

There was no answer.

She tried again, this time yelling at the top of her lungs. "Tatsuhaaaa!! Your cell phone is ringing!"

There still wasn't an answer.

"Huh, he must be really pissed at me," she said casually, "oh well, I guess he won't mind me answering then."

She picked up the phone, "Hello?"

The small and timid voice of a young girl answered, "Oh…um…hello. Is Tatsuha-kun there?" The girl was surprised that a woman answered, and she seemed embarrassed to have called.

"Who, may I ask, is calling?" Mika replied.

"It's Kannagi, Komako."

"Oh! You're the daughter of Kannagi-san. Tohma spoke of you…but why would you be calling Tatsuha?"

"Um…I…well…he gave me this number and…"

Mika chuckled over the phone, "Don't worry. You don't have to answer that question. I'm kinda sorry I even asked. Hold on a minute, I'll get him."

She ran up the stairs to Tatsuha's room, cell phone still in hand, and she knocked on the door. "Tatsuha, you have a phone call."

No answer.

"Tatsuha, it's-a-woooomaaaan!" she said, in a teasing way.

Still no answer.

"Ok, Tatsuha, now I'm mad. It's rude to keep this girl waiting just because you're pissed at me."

She turned the doorknob and, as soon as the door opened, her jaw dropped from shock. Her entire body froze and the phone fell from her hand.

"Tat--Tatsuha?!"

The room was empty. Tatsuha was gone, and the window was wide open with tied up bed sheets hanging out of it. She rushed to the window and noticed that the bed sheets led all the way down to the ground. Then, she frantically looked around the room and noticed a few more things missing--his backpack, and some of his clothes.

Mika's heart rate sped up instantly. She sat on the bed, still stunned, and tried to steady her breathing. As she breathed in deeply, she heard Komako's voice coming from the phone. She picked it up, pressed it to her ear, and spoke.

"Komako-san …he's busy at the moment…I'll have him call you back."

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"Tatsuha…"

Ryuichi sighed, and he leaned against the wall behind him in a daze. It was early in the morning, and he stood in front of the N-G building. He held a small bag in his left hand and wore his usual disguise- a hat and sunglasses- to keep from being recognized. However, the pink bunny he squeezed in his right arm could've been a dead give-away.

Good thing there weren't too many people around the building to notice at that time of day. Most of them had gone inside and were busy doing their jobs. And while they were inside with their minds on work, Ryuichi was outside with his mind on one person only.

"Tatsuha." he whispered, with a smile on his face as he hugged Kumagoro closer to his body, "Tatsuha, Tatsuha, Tatsuha!" Each time he said that name, his smile grew wider. He chuckled and hummed it as if it were a song, and before he even realized it, he was grinning wildly with excitement. "Tatsuha…I love that name." He lifted his head towards the sky and pressed the tips of his fingers against his lips. "Never," he grinned, "I'll never forget it."

In all of his daydreaming, he didn't notice the small bag slipping from his grasp. He flinched when he heard it strike the concrete.

"Oh no! I dropped it!"

The singer quickly retrieved the bag from the ground and opened it. He checked to make sure nothing was broken, "Phew! It's ok!"

He reached in and pulled out a brand new C.D. player. It was like Tatsuha's old one, only much better, and Ryuichi even went as far as to have a new logo added on the front to make it "extra shiny". It was a custom made pink Kumagoro bunny wearing silver headphones, and little music notes circled its ears. It was one-of-a-kind.

"I hope he likes it." Ryuichi blushed a little, and he never stopped smiling. As he looked down, he caught Kumagoro staring up at him suspiciously.

"Wha-What?! Why are you staring at me? It's just a gift! An innocent gift! It's the least I could do for breaking his other one, right?! Don't worry!" He panicked a little as he explained himself. It was very hard to get anything past Kuma-chan, and the bunny still didn't seem to be fully convinced. Ryuichi nervously laughed it off, "Oh, Kuma-chan! You're a real joker, ha-ha!" Kumagoro ignored it, but he knew what was really going on. After all, no one knew Ryu-chan better.

Ryuichi gripped the C.D. player anxiously, "I can't wait to give it to him. He'll be so happy…but I wonder when he'll get here?" he sighed again, "I hope it's soon."

He was beginning to get restless. He had waited as patiently as he could for the teenager to arrive, but each passing minute was starting to get to him. Yes it was early, but he decided that early was the best time to wait. He was worried that Tatsuha would show up and he wouldn't be there. So, first thing in the morning, he went to N-G. That way, it didn't matter what time the teen showed up, they wouldn't accidentally miss each other. Ryuichi wouldn't mind having to wait most of the day, as long as he saw Tatsuha again.

But the longer he waited, the more uncertain he became. Many questions began to pop into his head, and he immediately asked Kumagoro for answers.

"Kuma-chan, what should I say when he gets here? What should we do? Where should we go? How should I act? What if he--?

Ryuichi was speaking too fast for Kuma-chan to answer, but suddenly, during his last question, he paused. His heart started racing and his cheeks turned bright red. "Wh-What if he…kisses me again?"

"…"

The thought of another kiss made him smile even more and for once, Kumagoro had no words for him. The bunny could only stare, and Ryuichi actually began to feel a little uncomfortable. "What?" he mumbled, "Don't look at me like that."

His uncomfortable feeling quickly changed to guilt. He thought of his age, of his girlfriend, of right vs. wrong, and then he began to question himself.

"What am I doing? …What was I thinking?" He lowered his head, "This is wrong. I shouldn't be here. I shouldn't--"

"Ryuichi-san!"

The sudden sound of his name made him jump. He almost dropped the C.D. player again, but he caught it in midair and quickly stuffed it back into his bag. When he looked up, he saw Tohma walking towards him.

"Ryuichi-san! I said good morning four times, but I guess you couldn't hear me." Tohma smiled.

"Tohma! I-I didn't see you there! Good morning, na no da." Ryuichi's voice was nervous and shaky, but cheerful.

"You're up early …that's a little strange, especially since you're on vacation. That's so unlike you." Tohma could see that his band mate was nervous, but he didn't know why and he started to get suspicious, "Ryuichi-san, why are you even at N-G? You don't have to work."

"Ummmm…I came to see you, na no da!"

"It's early. How'd you know I'd be here?"

"Ummmm…lucky guess?"

"Ryuichi-san," Tohma raised an eyebrow, "What's in the bag?" He began to feel like Ryu was hiding something.

"It's my lunch, na no da!" he shouted happily.

"…but its breakfast time and…never mind, I won't question it." Tohma decided to drop it. It was Ryuichi after all. He wasn't the type of person that made sense.

"Tohma!" Ryuichi shouted cheerfully, "Why are you here early? What's going on? Somethin' important happenin' today?"

"No. I just needed to get away from the house, so I decided to come to work early."

"You needed to get away?" Ryuichi looked concerned and he tilted his head, "But why?"

"It's Tatsuha."

The second Tohma mentioned that name, Ryuichi's eyes widened and he gave him his full attention. "What about Tatsuha?"

"Mika and I scolded him this morning. He didn't take it very well." Tohma looked at his friend with soft eyes, "Ryuichi-san, let me be the first to apologize for Tatsuha's behavior the other day. I assure you that such recklessness did not go unpunished, and it will not happen again. I'll make sure he apologizes to you properly, later."

Ryuichi didn't hear anything past "unpunished".

"So…you punished him?"

"Yes."

"Was it…harsh?"

"Well, I wouldn't say so. I think I went rather easy on him. He's not allowed to come anywhere near N-G."

Ryuichi's head lowered again, but this time he was disappointed.

"So, he's not coming."

"Of course not," Tohma answered casually, "He won't bother you again. You have no need to worry."

"…but I can't help it," he whispered, "I'm worried."

Tohma didn't hear Ryuichi's last reply. He opened the front door and motioned for Ryu to come inside. "Come on, Ryuichi-san. You didn't have to wait outside for me. Come inside and I'll order us some breakfast."

Ryuichi followed his band mate through the door and, as he stepped inside, he looked back one more time to see if a certain someone was there. When he didn't see anyone coming, a sharp pain struck his heart and he squeezed the bag in his hand. "I'm worried," he sighed, "I hope he's ok."

I did it again! I split up the chapter! -sigh- I can't break my habit.

Anyway, the first half is done...so, if you feel like it, go read the next half. Thanks for reading!