Assjuice: Why, thank you! Update's here! Heh heh.
Saint German: Thanks! Hmm…I like Takiko from Genbu Kaiden better than Miaka.
Beevosteethos: Thanks for reviewing!
Kenzan: Of course Yuki will make it better! That's the reason of his existence in this fic, no? Lol
Ellen: I know I shouldn't pick on Shuichi so much but…he's so cute, I can't resist…thanks for reviewing!
Rynn: Thanks for reviewing!
shy boy: Thanks very much!
Daisuke Captain Oblivious: Thanks for reviewing!
XxTypoMasterxX: Like I said I like Takiko better, but each to their own taste, huh? Thanks for reviewing!
Nari: Thanks for reviewing!
MuffinKitty: Lol, your wish is my command-here's an update!
DemonicDragon666: Don't worry, Shuichi's not going to suffer for much longer…I think. Heh heh thanks for reviewing.
ever lastling pain: Now that you mention it, Shuichi does kind of have a psychological problem….:sweats:. Thanks for reviewing!
Loveless19: Thank you, chapter 5 is here!
YuShu: Thanks for reviewing! I feel honored that you're making an exception. .:grins happily:.
Hokage: Yup, we're definitely evil .: laughs maniacally:. Thanks for reviewing!
kiki : Thanks for reviewing!
Kamiko-Miha: I seem to have made her too twisted...haha...thanks for reviewing!
Disclaimer: Ayame does not own Gravitation. If she did, Shuichi would be tortured beyond the normal human limit.
Scene 5-Would it set me free if I dare to let you see?
Things were pretty quiet the first few weeks after Shuichi received his first ever hate letter. As Yuki didn't question Shuichi on either his injuries or his mother, and Shuichi didn't care to explain, the tension between them -if any at all- eventually dissipated. Yuki went back to picking on Shuichi when he thought no one was watching and Shuichi went back to putting maximum effort at annoying Yuki; both succeeded very well in their respective objectives. Best of all, Shuichi's mother had followed her boyfriend to Kyoto to do who knows what; Shuichi wasn't interested in finding out.
However, following the rules of Shuichi's life, peace –naturally- did not grace him with its presence for long.
"Ouch!" Shuichi instantly pulled his hand away from the book, sucking his finger.
Lunch break was over and his math's class was starting now. Shuichi figured it was part of his life to find sharp blades cleverly hidden within the pages of his textbook at least once.
Shuichi felt more irritated than intimidated by whomever it was that had been playing cruel pranks on him. Oh yes, even he was smart to know that it was a someone that was to blame for making his already miserable life even more miserable. After all, anyone would know after having their books coincidentally go missing just when they needed them most, or finding their shoes taking a swim in a slimy toilet bowl, or glue magically smeared all over their chair, or -the list just when on.
At first it had been little, harmless pranks and so, Shuichi ignored them. Lately though, they had been getting more vicious.
"Whatever." Shuichi was practically immune; in his opinion, his mother's boyfriend posed a slightly more serious problem.
XXX
The bell couldn't have ringed sooner. The students, joyful that it was Friday, cheerily left the class, chattering happily as they did.
"Shuichi! What's going on?" Hiro and Ryuichi worriedly looked at Shuichi where he was plucking out rusty nails from his shoes with a bored expression.
Shuichi shook his shoes to make sure none were left and casually slipped them on. "Nothing much. At least, nothing worth worrying over."
"But, Shu-…"
"Hey, let's go eat! I'm hungry. Your treat, Hiro!" Shuichi poked Hiro, attempting to distract them.
"Sorry Shuichi. I have a date today."
"Ehhh? Again? With who this time?"
Hiro smiled sheepishly. "Same as last time, Ayaka."
Shuichi was in shock. "Did Hiro just BLUSH?"
"Congratulations Hiro! You've evolved from being an immature, weird, insensitive, moronic-…"
"…Sounds like you're describing yourself…"
"Hey!"
Ryuichi watched Shuichi and Hiro exchanged insults. He wasn't fooled; Shuichi had some explaining to do.
XXX
"I'm full already…" Shuichi gazed at his strawberry Pocky sadly, "but I still want to eat…why was I cursed with such a tiny stomach?"
Ryuichi, walking next to Shuichi as they strolled through the park, only shook his head incredulously. "Shuichi, you had two bowls of ramen. Two. Not to mention the extra large okonomiya…it's a miracle you didn't throw up."
Shuichi wasn't listening to him; he had spotted a nearby swing. He dragged Ryuichi towards it and started swinging. "Push me higher, Ryuichi! Higher!"
As exasperated as he was, Ryuichi couldn't help feeling amused. Shuichi was such a kid sometimes… "Oh well…at least it's almost night. There's no one here to witness two high school boys behaving like five-year-olds."
"Higher!"
Ryuichi obliged and obediently pushed Shuichi higher.
Up.
Shuichi squealed happily.
Down.
He closed his eyes, enjoying the gust of wind.
Up.
Ryuichi figured this was the best time to wring the truth out from Shuichi. "Hey…Shuichi…"
Down.
"Yea?"
Up.
"…Is there something going on that you need help with? I mean…you always seem so troubled…."
Down.
"…"
"It's nothing I can handle. Thanks for asking anyway. It's good to have a friend like you."
Up.
Ryuichi was getting angry. What did Shuichi mean by that? How was he supposed to be a good friend if he was so unreliable that Shuichi couldn't even share his problems? He had let Shuichi evade his probing for far too long; it was time to put his foot down. "Shuichi, I've seen your bruises…and I want to know what they mean."
Creak.
XXX
Shuichi was aghast. "No! Ryuichi knows about them? I can't let him find out what's happening. I cant! He and Hiro will be so disgusted, they'll never want to speak to me again…wait –does Hiro know too?"
As the swing creaked to a sudden stop, Shuichi kept silent for a moment, his back facing Ryuichi. "Does Hiro know?" The voice that finally sounded was hoarse.
"…Yes."
"…"
"It's late. I'm going home. See you tomo-…"
"Shuichi! Stop already. Why won't you tell us?"
Shuichi flinched; Ryuichi sounded angry. Was he finally fed up with him? Shuichi knew that he was a difficult friend to have, always so secretive and never letting anyone get too close. To be truthful, he was amazed they had been able to put up with him for so long…but now, it seemed that Ryuichi had reached his limit. No doubt, Hiro too, was tired of him.
"It was inevitable…I always knew that someday…someday, I would lose them…" Shuichi tried to fight back what felt suspiciously like tears welling up.
As Shuichi got up without answering and silently began walking away, Ryuichi just snapped. He ran in front of Shuichi, blocking his way.
He was feeling extremely frustrated. "Why can't you understand, Shuichi? No matter what has happened, is happening and will happen, Hiro and I will always be your friends. We've known you for so many years and all this time, we've never forced you to tell us anything…all this while…we waited for you to come to us…waited for you to feel comfortable enough to confide in us… Why, Shuichi? Why…why can't you trust us?"
Something inside Shuichi crumbled away when he heard Ryuichi's voice go softer and softer, ending in a tired whisper. The weight of all the trouble and worry suffocating him suddenly felt heavier, every shard of his painful life stabbing him. He was tired…so tired…tired of pretending, of lying, tired of smiling when all he wanted to do was wail like the broken person he was.
Today, Shuichi finally allowed himself do just that; he broke down and cried. He cried so hard, he couldn't breath. He couldn't think, only vaguely knew that his body was wracking with sobs.
Ryuichi pulled Shuichi's shaking body into a hug. Syuichi was stiff and unresponsive for a moment; Ryuichi stroked his head and shushed him comfortingly. "It's all right. Don't cry…I'm here…it's all right…"
Shuichi's body relaxed and for some reason, discovered he no longer had the strength to stand. "Ooh… my legs are made of jelly…how come I never knew?" He began giggling hysterically through his tears as he sank to his knees, unintentionally dragging Ryuichi down with him. "Peanut butter and jelly…yum…"
"…."
"Make up your mind if you're going to cry or laugh..." Ryuichi held Shuichi tighter, "you dummy..."
His voice betrayed the intense relief he felt. Relief that Shuichi's mask had finally cracked. It wasn't completely gone; that would take more time but…it was a start…a very good start.
The two of them stayed like that for hours.
XXX
"Eiri, are you listening to me?"
"…"
"Eiri!"
"…No, I'm not listening. Will you shut up now?"
Yuki was in a dark mood. He had been enjoying a quiet night at home when his sister had shown up, insisted they needed to talk and demanded he had dinner with her. He stared out of the passenger seat window without really seeing, determined to be as uncooperative as he could be.
Mika sighed, keeping her eyes on the road as she drove. "Eiri, how long are you going to be stubborn? I don't understand why you're forcing yourself to be a teacher. I know it was Father's request but still…you've never really been bothered about what he wants. Why start now?"
"Request?" Yuki snorted derisively. "An order, more like it. And like I keep telling Tohma, mind your own business. It's annoying, the way both of you keep nagging at me."
Still, Yuki couldn't help wondering exactly what was motivating him to keep teaching. While it was true he had become a teacher because of his father, he was more than capable enough of quitting if he really wanted to, despite what his father said.
"I wonder why…" A certain brat with a mop of bright pink hair came to his mind unbidden. "What the-! Why am I thinking about him?"
Mika's voiced buzzed wordlessly in his ear as Yuki tried to make out the tangle of his unidentified feelings. "Because he's my student, of course. The most irritating and noisy out of them all…" Yuki knitted his eyebrows in a frown. Even if he labeled Shuichi as noisy, it wasn't really true. The other teachers had commented that Shuichi was pretty quiet and didn't really stand out.
"He's only noisy because I notice and pick on him…" That led to another question-why did he pick on Shuichi anyway?
"Because it's fun", the answer came immediately. Yes, it certainly was fun. After all, Shuichi's reactions when Yuki teased him were so cute…
"CUTE?"
Beeeeeeeep!
Mika accidentally accelerated too hard and almost crashed into another car.
"EIRI!"
"Sorry, sorry…"
Yuki semi-consciously muttered an apology, his mind still revolving around the shocking revelation that he found Shuichi cute.
Was it normal for a teacher to find his student cute? Yuki felt a migraine sneaking in. Really, he was probably over-thinking things. There was no way he had any other feeling than that of a teacher towards Shuichi.
"Definitely not."
Mika knew it was safer to keep her attention on driving but she couldn't fight the impulse. She turned to stare at her brother in despair. "I knew he was too grumpy for it to be healthy…and with all that cigarettes…he's finally lost it…"
Blissfully unaware of Mika's train of thoughts, Yuki continued looking -okay, glaring- out of the window.
Dusk had fallen and it was getting dark outside. The skies were clear, having rained earlier and the moon played hide-and-seek from behind the scattered clouds. The traffic light turned red and Mika's car obeyed it, slowing to a complete stop.
Yuki cast his eyes towards the park. And that's when he saw them. Shuichi sitting on a swing, with a friend pushing him higher. "How childish." A gentle smile graced his lips without Yuki realizing it. Shuichi's friend looked familiar. Yuki ran through his memory, searching for a name to match that face. Ah, he had it now. "Sakuma Ryuichi from class 3-B." Although from a separate class, he was more often than not seen with Shuichi and Hiroshi. Now that Yuki thought about it, Shuichi didn't seem to have any other friends besides those two. Well, he supposed it was better to have quality over quantity.
As he watched, Ryuichi stopped pushing. After a moment, Shuichi got up and started walking away.
Yuki continued observing them. "Probably going home now." Looks like he assumed wrong. Ryuichi suddenly blocked Shuichi's path and they spoke for a while, face to face. It was too dark to make out their expressions but for some unknown reason, Yuki felt his heart start to go cold.
The traffic light turned green. Mika's car was picking up speed .The last thing Yuki saw was Ryuichi enveloping Shuichi in a hug, both sinking to the ground.
"What the hell?" Yuki couldn't explain it. Sakuma had never given him problems in class, so why was he feeling so hostile towards him? After mentally replaying the scene for about the sixth time, Yuki finally understood. He was feeling upset…upset and angry, not to mention just a tad jealous. He was upset someone had hugged Shuichi, angry that Shuichi had hugged back and jealous that it wasn't him.
Yuki was in love with Shindou Shuichi.
Only one phrase could sum up this cataclysmic event and that was-
"Oh, shit."
Mika only sighed in resignation when he continued his apparently reasonless cursing with a parade of colorful swearwords. She was never going to understand how Yuki's mind worked.
Aaaand…chapter 5 is over! You know what to do guys, review, review and review! .:puppy eyes:. Please? Heh heh. Thanks! Btw, this time it's the lines that just won't show up...maybe I'm really being cursed? .:sobs:.