6. Haze.
T: Yay! I managed to pull myself away from watching Iceman Pv's long enough to get this chapter typed out! Warnings: See the first chapter, Disclaimer: It's not mine, Arai is. Also bomb shell number one occurs in this chapter, thus beware the cliff-hanger!
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He decides to walk back to his brother's apartment despite the distance and the sudden change in the weather. It is a decision made by the desperate need in his heart to find some form of ground, the want to have something real to focus his mind away from the disorient chaos that Ryuichi has left his mind in. As he had hoped the bite of the wind, the chill of the rain and the harsh ache both of these elements place on his chest focus his mind away from that hurt and he is just loosing himself within those sensations when a hand settles onto his shoulder.
Turning he is met with his brother-in-law's lying smile and the enquiry of,
"Should you be out in weather like this with a condition such as yours?"
He has no want to face Toma, to face anything at all and, without giving the other so much as a reply, he turns back onto his original path. Toma catches him again a moment later,
"I can not allow you to make yourself sick, Tatsuha." The other remarks, a force now in both his eyes and his voice that he can not but respond to with an enquiry of,
"What do you want?"
"To get out of this rain." The other responds as, with a gentle hand, he guides him towards the warmth of a little backwater bar.
The bartender has only to see Toma's face before he leaves them to their own devices, a whispered word in the older man's ears as the only form of verbal communication between the pair.
In the warmth of the bar the ache at his chest becomes more an agony than a comfort and, though the action feels a little as a weakness, he reaches for the inhaler in his pocket.
Once his breath has returned to a sensible pace Toma enquires,
"What could have driven you to do such a foolish thing?"
"You already know the answer to that question."
"I know that Ryu invited you out for a meal this afternoon, that that meal was interrupted, but I can not understand why such a thing has driven you to this."
"I did something foolish, said something to drive him away from me." The words pull from him the bitter ache of self loathing and, despite his best efforts; he can feel tears stinging at the corners of his eyes.
"You have not driven him away, Tatsuha, that much I can tell you without hesitation." Toma's voice is softer than its usual want, this inflection making the words impossible to doubt despite the cynicism in his heart.
There is a moment of silence and then his brother-in-law says,
"I wish to tell you something, Tatsuha, a truth that has no baring on your current situation and that I give to you because I believe, with the heart of me, that you are meant to be a significant part of Ryu's life. This truth is that Sakuma is actually ten years younger than the public believes."
"Why lie about something like that?"
"'Who would wish to have a naive sixteen-year old as the leading force in a band?' This was Ryu's thought when he began searching for band mates and, fearing that his age would prevent him from realising his dream, he garnished the truth a little."
"Why keep the matter secret after it became clear to him that his age wasn't a concern?"
"The oddity of a man in his twenties acting as though he was still a young teen, or rather the impression such an oddity gave the media of Ryu's grasp on reality, became as a useful tool to ensure that certain aspects of Ryu's private life were kept secret."
"In other words you made the media believe that he was stupid and, buying into that lie, they asked Ryu only very simple questions?"
"That's it precisely."
He allows this information a moment to seep into his mind and then he enquires,
"So where can I find him?"
"I'm right here." This last comes from slightly to his left and, turning, he is met again with the sight of Sakuma Ryuichi awaiting some form of invitation.
As with the last occasion he says, "Kon ban wa, Sakuma-san," despite the fact that they are well into the evening and that their interaction has long since moved past such nervous formality.
Ryu smiles at the words and, glancing across to Toma, he enquires,
"Can I steal your seat?"
"Be my guest," the other remarks as he vacates the stool and settles himself onto one of the sofas at the opposite end of the bar.
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T: One/two more chapters to go before we reach the conclusion of this madness! Next chapter tomorrow avo. Review?
