I'm sorry for the slow update! A combination of assignments, writer's block and sheer laziness kept me from writing this! I suppose it's a good thing it's almost the end, huh? LOL. For some reason, I've been unable to receive reviews in my inbox which is really inconvenient because I can't use the review reply thingies and just when I discovered it too…Ah well…

Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I swear- it makes me feel a whole lot better when I see positive feedback! I really, really, reaaaaaaaaaaally appreciate them so thanks!

Disclaimer: Yeah, right.

Scene 15-Would my love for you be enough to make you stay?

"Yes, it's true. Now get lost."

As Yuki slammed the door for what seemed to be the sixth time that day, he groaned, massaging his temples. He was beginning to regret his little display of emotion at school.

Ever since then, countless teary-eyed fan girls had been ringing his doorbells nonstop, mournfully asking him if he was really going to quit.

Stalking into the kitchen to grab a cold can of beer from the refrigerator, Yuki groaned again. It was only nine in the morning. How many more times did he have to slam the door before his students-former students- got the hint?

It wasn't as though he hadn't had enough problems without adding them to the equation.

Throwing himself into the couch, he eyed the bedroom door in irritation. Shuichi had locked himself in the room a few hours ago, when it hadn't even been early enough to be considered morning, insisting that unless he, Yuki, went to school, neither was Shuichi.

Personally, Yuki thought Shuichi just wanted to sleep in. He snorted. Served the brat right.

He had warned him not to touch the alcohol K offered. Shuichi, retaliating against the phrase 'too young', had of course, chugged the entire mug of vodka down. Which was why he had spent the night puking.

Yuki had been amazed; he knew Shuichi's tolerance for alcohol was probably weak but he still hadn't expected Shuichi to fall dead drunk the moment the mug touched his lips.

From now on, he was forbidding Shuichi from going near anything alcoholic, even if he was armed with a ten-foot pole. Even alcoholic chocolate.

It was simply far too dangerous for Yuki's sanity.

The point was, Shuichi was currently hiding away in the bedroom, probably still stoned, and Yuki was having a very nice headache kindly hammering his brain inside out while trying to think clearly.

Probably the only good thing that came out of the whole thing was that Miaka had been found guilty, effectively clearing any suspicion against Shuichi.

Although it had been mostly thanks to K who had ultimately wrapped the case up, Yuki was still never going to allow K to set a foot into his house again. Not unless the Magnum was in his hands.

Ding-dong.

Yuki continued sipping his drink. Maybe if he ignored it, the doorbell would just die from negligence and shut up. Hopefully forever.

Ding-dong.

Damn. Guess it wasn't smart enough to know how to commit suicide.

Yuki growled and unwillingly got out of the couch, tossing his now empty can into the waste paper basket on his way out to 'greet' his victims-ahem- visitors.

XXX

Shuichi blearily opened his eyes. And instantly regretted it.

"Urgh, I feel sick," he mumbled to himself as he fought to keep his throbbing head from actually exploding.

Maybe he should have listened to Yuki's advise against finishing the entire bottle K offered. Still, it was Yuki's fault for calling him a kid. He hated being called that.

Shuichi couldn't remember much of what happened after that; he could vaguely recall being amazed at how loud Yuki's voice could get and also how incredibly sexy it had sounded even while spewing death threats at K.

Shuichi blinked in bemusement. Sexy? Where did that come from?

Shuichi sighed melancholically as he washed his face in the connecting bathroom. Maybe he was still drunk. Oh well.

Feeling decidedly better after he had taken a quick shower and changed his clothes-the world was spinning only slightly now, in contrast to when he couldn't even tell his right from his left-Shuichi tossed himself on the bed again, brows furrowing in thought.

He had woken up extremely early with the hopes of forcing Yuki to go to school.

He had tried everything he could think of to get Yuki to wake up- from pinching his cheeks to pulling the blanket off him to decorating his face in cold squiggles with green toothpaste but Yuki had just grumpily brushed everything aside and went back to sleep.

He hadn't even cracked an eye open.

Feeling that desperate times called for desperate measures, Shuichi had produced a bottle of neon green nail polish, complete with purple sparkles and everything.

Unfortunately for Shuichi, Yuki had learned to recognize the dangers of manicures and jolted awake instantly.

Obviously, Mika had been very bored as a child.

Needless to say, Yuki had almost eaten Shuichi alive if not for Shuichi pointing out that Yuki just wouldn't wake up. There had been yet another row over the academy thing and Shuichi had finally gotten fed up. He had pushed Yuki right out of the bedroom and locked the room door.

Shuichi heard Yuki stomp off after letting out a string of intelligible curses and he too, let out his own rather wide vocabulary of foul language that he was proud off and promptly went back to sleep.

Sighing as the doorbell went off for what seemed like the billionth time to him, Shuichi decided to unlock the bedroom door and let Yuki in. Someone had to be the adult in this childish argument.

Besides, he was hungry.

XXX

Yuki stared at his most recent guest in shock. Sure, Tatsuha had warned him. Still, he hadn't expected his father to actually personally drop by.

"Are you going to just stand there all day long without inviting your guests in? I thought I taught you more manners than that. And close your mouth, boy."

Yuki snapped his mouth shut and growled at the stranger who was supposed to be his father out of pure habit. "Shut up, old man."

Nevertheless, he moved out of the way and allowed his father to enter. It was only then Yuki realized his father had another person with him. Yuki closed the door as he eyed the silent man curiously.

Funny. He hadn't known his father was normal enough to have friends.

Seated in the living room, Yuki's father was just about to say something when the bedroom door burst open. "Yuki, I-"

Yuki inwardly winced as Shuichi came barreling out. Honestly, his day was getting from terrible to supremely terrible. Any efforts he would have made to keep Shuichi from meeting his father were now completely disintegrated.

XXX

Shuichi shifted uncomfortably as Yuki's father stared at him with an unreadable expression. That icy look was all too familiar. How many times had he seen it on Yuki? Still, it had been ages since Yuki actually used it on him.

Ignoring that, Yuki's father looked familiar for some reason. It wasn't because he looked like Yuki or anything; in fact, there wasn't a trace of similarity between them. Shuichi was pondering on that when Yuki's father spoke to him.

"You…must be Shindou Shuichi."

Shuichi nodded slowly, trying to squash his anxiety down.

Yuki's father paused for a while before smoothly continuing. "As you may have guessed, I am Eiri's father. You may call be Uesugi-san."

Shuichi stared at him for a moment, mind racing. "Uesugi? I know where I've seen his face before! But Uesugi is…"

"You're the academy's chairman!" Shuichi blurted out in surprise before clamping his mouth shut with a hand.

Yuki's father merely arched an eyebrow elegantly at him before saying, "Yes, that is correct. I suppose my son didn't tell you? I'm not surprised; he never did like people knowing. Says it's to prevent 'stupid, fat blubbering fools' from 'kissing him up'."

Assuming he could speak normally now, Shuichi removed his hand. "But Yuki's name is well…Yuki."

Yuki sighed, not caring anymore. If Shuichi was going to find out, he might as well tell him everything. "'Yuki' is not my real name, Shuichi. It's an alias. As misfortune would have it, I was born Uesugi Eiri."

Shuichi's eyes were on Yuki, though his mind was somewhere else. The pieces of the puzzle were clicking together now, giving the whole big picture.

No wonder Yuki never had to worry about anything; not being late, not skipping school, not living with his student. Nothing. If figured-he was the chairman's son.

Shuichi couldn't help feeling a little hurt. Yuki had never willingly divulged information about himself; it had always been Shuichi who had to bug him over and over again before Yuki would tell him anything.

And this…this was big. And Yuki had not deemed Shuichi important enough to tell. Or was it that he didn't trust him enough? Whichever one it was, Yuki had chosen to keep Shuichi in the dark. The more Shuichi thought about it, the more his throat constricted. He felt like he couldn't breath.

At Shuichi's silence, Yuki shifted his attention to his father, glaring at him. "And? You still haven't told me what you're here for. If it's about going back to that damned school, you can just eat your words because I'm not doing it."

Yuki's father calmly watched Yuki, assessing the situation before speaking up. "Don't worry about that. I'm am not here for that."

He heaved a resigned sigh before saying softly, "No matter what I do, you never understand that it is in my best interest for you. Fine, from today onwards, do as you please…Your father…can do nothing more for you."

Stunned, Yuki searched his father's expression for any sign that he was cooking up some big plot. He could find none. With shock, he realized that he really meant what he said. He was no longer going to try to control him. He was letting go of him.

And Yuki….Yuki was free.

Yuki's father was watching his son silently when a polite cough startled him out of his reverie. Chastising himself for forgetting the purpose of his visit, he turned towards his friend, who had been a silent spectator so far, his eyes apologetic.

Yuki's father straightened up. "Actually, I'm not here for Eiri today. I'm here for you." As he said that, he looked at Shuichi.

Shuichi eyed him warily. "Mr. Chairman-"

"Uesugi."

"Uesugi-san, if you're here to expel me, then don't worry. I'll leave without any fuss."

Shaking his head, Yuki's father said, "No, I'm not here to expel you. It's a different matter altogether and carries much more weight. First things first, I would like to apologize."

Shuichi stared. And stared. He couldn't have heard that right. "What do you mean?"

"As much as it pains me to admit it, I do make mistakes."

A snort from Yuki.

Yuki's father gave him a warning look before continuing. "And because of this mistake, I seem to have caused you suffering for many years, if what I heard from Tohma and Tatsuha is correct. This is a long story, so let me start from the beginning…."

"Many years ago, when I was but a child, I had two best friends, a girl and a boy. The three of us were never apart, sharing all smiles and tears together. But as we grew older and entered our late teens, disaster struck. I fell in love with the girl," his eyes grew misty. "Unfortunately, so did my other best friend. We drove her nuts for years as our friendship grew sour and turned into bitter rivalry."

He paused for a while as if he realized something, "I suppose even then, I was a bit pompous."

Another snort from Yuki.

His father ignored it and continued, "I believed I was better than him. That was why, it came as a huge shock the day we finally blew up at each other and I made her choose."

Yuki didn't snort again, he just stared at his father in disbelief.

Reading his look accurately, Yuki's father smiled at him sadly. "Yes, she chose him. Over me. The both of them pleaded with me to calm down and renew our friendship. I was stubborn as my pride had been badly damaged and I was angry. I left the country."

"Years later, after I had met and married your mother, I heard that they had gotten married. One day, the girl came knocking on my door. She was in a sorry state, begging me to help search for her husband that had gone missing during a business trip. At that time, I still hadn't forgiven her yet. I did the worst thing I could have ever done; I laughed at the girl I used to love-and turned her away."

Tense silence filled the air as they digested his story.

Yuki asked in confusion. "Not that it isn't nice to know you're human and all, but what has this got to do with anything?"

Yuki's father merely have him a condescending look, "What makes you think I'm done?"

"Many more years passed by and I forgot all about her. Then, a few years ago, I suddenly remembered her again. I wondered if she ever found her husband again and so, I started searching for the both of them. When I finally found him, I was shocked to discover he had amnesia. After a while, the memories came back to him and he started asking for his wife."

Shuichi interrupted, "What happened to her?"

As Yuki's father opened his mouth to answer, his friend lifted his hand up, signaling he would take over narrating. Shuichi gave a little start-he had forgotten all about the silent figure.

His voice was deep. "She died in a fire a few months ago."

His eyes were shimmering with emotion; sorrow and pain laced his voice. Suddenly, Shuichi realized who he was.

"I'm sorry. I should have introduced myself earlier. My name is Ishiharu Kai. My wife…was Shindou Nanri."

Shuichi gasped in surprise; Yuki's eyes merely widened-he never gasped.

Kai's eyes bored into Shuichi's. "And you…You are my son."

XXX

Dinner was a tension-filled event that night for both Yuki and Shuichi. They had ordered pizza and were now eating-or rather, they were repetitively picking up a slice of pizza, frowning distractedly and putting it down again without actually biting it.

Eventually, Yuki gave up. He shoved his chair backwards and left the kitchen, muttering that he was full. Shuichi didn't stop him.

Switching on the television, Yuki wearily sank into the couch. He stared at the moving pictures, mind still whirling over the day's unexpected revelations. He remembered-what was his name? -oh yes, Ishiharu Kai's,-Shuichi's father- offer and felt sick.

Yuki resolved it by turning the volume louder.

XXX

Back in the kitchen, Shuichi nibbled his bottom lip as he too, gave up trying to eat and chucked everything into the refrigerator, even the tissue paper. The numbness shock had inflicted on his mind was finally going away. Shuichi sat down again and recalled his…father's-what a foreign word-offer.

He had been a perfectly nice man and Shuichi had taken to him instantly, something that didn't happen very often. His father had apologized profusely for missing out on most of his life and had promised to do all he could to make up for it, if Shuichi would let him.

Ishiharu Kai was a wealthy businessman, almost as rich as Yuki's father, even. Still, what Shuichi wanted -and needed- wasn't money and the man instinctively knew it. Therefore, he had offered Shuichi exactly what he had always yearned for. He had told Shuichi to take his time, think it over carefully , that they could spend more time getting to know each other, before giving him an answer

Ishiharu Kai had offered him a home.

Shuichi closed his eyes, and silently wept. The kitchen had never felt so cold and lonely before.

XXX

That night, Shuichi couldn't sleep. He lay awake in bed, still mulling over the day's happenings. Deciding to get a hot drink, Shuichi silently slid out of bed, hoping he wouldn't wake Yuki up.

"Shuichi?"

Shuichi froze, though he wasn't really surprised. It figured that Yuki would still be awake. "Yes?"

Yuki was silent for a moment before finally saying, "He asked you to stay with him, didn't he?"

Shuichi stared at the lump that was Yuki and cursed the darkness for not enabling him to see Yuki's expression. Hesitantly, he answered, "Yes."

More silence.

It was the most awkward situation Shuichi had ever been. Infinitely times more. He desperately wished Yuki would start shouting, call him a brat, smoke, anything! Anything other than this damned silence. Anything that would give him a sense of normalcy, of security.

"You should go."

No, no, no! He couldn't have heard right. He didn't want to!

"Yu-"

Shuichi started to protest but was immediately cut off by a nagging feeling gnawing at his insides.

Why was Yuki asking him to go? Didn't he want him anymore? Maybe he never wanted him in the first place. Yes, that was it. After all, he was such a bother, always causing trouble for Yuki, always a nuisance. Maybe it was better this way. If he left, Yuki could go back to school; he could get his job back. That way, Yuki's life wouldn't be ruined by malicious gossip and lies.

He only wanted Yuki to be happy.

And Yuki was happy without him.

XXX

Yuki had always prized himself to be a cold, heartless bastard. If he was cold, nobody could hurt him; if he was heartless, nobody could steal his heart; if he was a bastard, nobody could love him.

And he could love nobody.

So why was it that he felt that he just wanted to curl up and die at the thought of waking up without Shuichi? Why did he feel like he wanted to howl like a baby who would never laugh again at the idea living alone in an empty, lifeless house? Why did he feel as though his world had crashed down on him, shattering into a million little pieces with just one word?

But he had brought it upon himself.

Yuki Eiri had always believed he would die alone.

He never believed he would cry.

But that night, cry he did. He screamed and wailed in his heart as it bled tears. Cried at the soft final whisper.

"Okay."

By morning, Shuichi was gone.

Err...the end? .:hurriedly sneaks off before she is murdered:.

LOL, just kidding! Till the next chapter! Do you want a happy ending, or a sad? I'm still undecided…