For what you are to me
Chapter 5:
New York, New York
A few weeks later Yuki was once again greeted by his ever-famous editor, Kanna Mizuki. She tucked her brown hair behind her ears and scrutinized the second part of Yuki's manuscript carefully.
Yuki was lounging in his desk chair smoking a cigarette. A few times Mizuki glanced up at him and Yuki's heart skipped a few beats. He was sure that she would throw the manuscript back at him and declare it incompetent.
When Mizuki had finished however her face broke into a wide grin. "Brilliant Mr. Yuki! Simply brilliant!" She handed the manuscript back to him, and he snatched it from her with a wary look in his eyes. "Yeah." He responded.
Mizuki sat down a few paces away from Yuki and folded her hands together. "Here's what I suggest. We could turn this novel into a popularity event. Send you to the states. Do a few interviews even. We'd have to double check with your publisher of course but there's no reason to why he'd say no..."
Yuki frowned. "Popularity? Are you saying that I'd have to talk to interviewers and tell them about the book?"
Mizuki shook her head. "Not necessarily. For right now, all you'd have to do is, go to the U.S and make a few hints about your up coming novel. Your fans would be ecstatic and your popularity would skyrocket."
"The third part hasn't even been thought of!" Yuki protested.
Mizuki looked thoughtful. "Hmm. Perhaps you could go about thinking of this as a vacation instead of a promotional tour."
Yuki leaned back into the chair and stretched out his arms. "Shuichi would have a shit fit." he mused.
"Take Shindou with you." Mizuki countered.
"He can't speak English."
"So speak it for him."
"Your really determined for me to go aren't you?" Yuki asked.
Mizuki smiled. "I only want the best for my top notch novelist."
"Hm. I guess I'll talk to Shuichi about it within the next few days." He glanced at Mizuki sideways before adding: "Where exactly would this little vacation of mine be taking place?"
"The Big Apple, Mr. Yuki; the Big Apple."
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"What! You're going to New York for two weeks! You bastard! How do you think I'll survive that long without you! I crave you everyday! I won't let you go! I won't! I won't! I won't! I won't!"
Yuki placed his thumb and forefinger on the bridge of his nose and rubbed hard. "Shut up already will you!"
"Why are you telling me this now, when you're leaving tomorrow! It's not fair! I didn't even get to come up with a good argument on why I should go with you!"
Yuki looked up at him. "Since when did I say you couldn't come with me?"
Shuichi's head snapped up. "W-what?"
"You heard me." Yuki responded.
Shuichi could barely contain the grin threatening to split his face in half. "Seriously Yuki! You mean it! I can come with you on your trip to New York! This isn't a sick joke?"
Yuki shook his head. "As much as I wish it was, it's not."
Shuichi tumbled off the couch in shock. "REALLY?"
Yuki nodded. "Really."
"REALLY, REALLY!
Yuki's brow twitched. "Yeah."
"REALLY, REALLY, REALLY?"
"If you don't shut up, I can easily take it back, and just check you into an insane asylum instead."
Shuichi let out a squeal and flung himself at Yuki. "Oh, Yuki! This is just to cool! A trip for just me and you! You and me! EEEEEEK!"
Yuki averted Shuichi's attempt at glomping and headed towards the phone in the hallway. "Get packing punk." he said.
While on the phone he called Tatshua and Tohma, alerting the two that he and Shuichi would be on a trip to New York for a few days. Before disconnecting the call he reminded Tohma to tell K that Shuichi would not be there for at least a week, and not to come to the house searching for him.
Tohma politely said that he would. Yuki disconnected the call and trudged to the bedroom that he and Shuichi shared. He flinched as he neared his destination and heard Shuichi singing at the top of his lungs.
"OOOOOOOOOOOOOH! I'mmmm! Going to New York! New York, the big city! Yuki's gonna take me and I feel pretty! To see the lights and to watch the show, who would have known that YUUUUKKKI, could be so niceeeeeeee! I love YUUUUKKKKKIIIII and I think he loves MEEEEEEEE, since he's taking me to New York, its plain to seeeeee! Yuuuukiiii! Yukiiiiii! Yukiiiii! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
Yuki entered the bedroom to find Shuichi flitting around throwing miscellaneous objects into a suitcase.
Shuichi raced into the closet and began to toss out random articles of clothing.
Yuki headed over to where the suitcase lay on the bed and peeked inside.
Yuki shook his head and walked to the closet where Shuichi was frantically sifting through piles of clothing.
"You realize that you have twenty pairs of underwear, two pairs of socks, three shirts and a pair of pants, all jumbled in a heap inside of your suitcase right?"
Shuichi looked up. "Uh...do you think I'd have anymore room to pack this?" He held up several more pairs of underwear.
Yuki put one hand on his hip and raised an eyebrow. "Is this how you pack when you leave on your tours with Bad Luck?"
Shuichi frowned. "I never have to worry about that stuff. Usually N-G Productions provides my wardrobe for me. The only things I have to pack are the things I want to bring along to entertain myself..." he trailed off then, blanched. "Wait! What kind of fun things should I bring! Help me Yuki!"
Yuki shook his head. "I don't think you have anymore room in your suitcase."
Shuichi's eyes filled with tears and he hung his head in despair. "Oh, no. What am I going to do for thirteen hours on a plane! I'm gonna be soooooo booooooored."
Yuki crossed his arms. "Heh. For starters, you could consider rearranging all the stuff in your suitcase so that things might fit better."
Shuichi stared at him, and the tears held in his eyes twinkled in the closet light. "I don't know how."
Yuki sighed. "We'd better get started then."
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"Wow! Get a load of this Yuki! The seats vibrate! Whoa!"
Yuki sighed tiredly.
"Yuki! Yuki! Barf bags! My own little souvenir!"
Yuki closed his eyes. Perhaps if he continued to ignore him, Shuichi would just disappear.
"Look! Look, if I pull this lever over here this little mask thing comes down! Isn't it neat-o?"
Yuki sighed and opened his eyes. Obviously this approach wasn't working, and Shuichi was making an ass out of himself as usual.
Yuki turned and looked at Shuichi finding now that he was fiddling with the food tray, pulling it up and down.
Yuki whacked Shuichi on the back of his head. "Would you cut it out?" He hissed.
Shuichi rubbed his head and frowned "What's the matter? I'm just having fun."
Yuki glared at him. "Your 'fun' is causing other people to stare at you like you're a freak!"
Shuichi opened his mouth to protest but Yuki beat him to it.
"Not that it matters, because you are."
"What! Yuki I'm not a freak! I'm just...loud."
Yuki smirked. "You got that right."
Shuichi blushed, but before he could say anything else a stewardess came forward to greet them.
"May I get you anything?" She asked politely.
Shuichi cocked his head. Because he was horrible at speaking the American language, he found what the woman was saying to be a lot of gibberish. He tugged on Yuki's sleeve. "Eh! Yuki! What's she saying?"
Yuki ignored him and turned to the stewardess. "We don't need anything." He said, the English words rolling off his tongue.
The stewardess nodded and without a backward glance left the two men alone.
Shuichi continued to pull on Yuki's sleeve. "Yuuuuki! Yuuuuki! Yuuuuki!" He whined.
Yuki gritted his teeth. "What?" he growled.
Shuichi promptly let go of the older man's sleeve. "I'mmm booooooored."
Yuki shrugged. "So read a book."
"I didn't bring anything interesting to reeeead."
Yuki looked at him. "What about all those books we had to stuff in your damn suitcase?"
"Uh! They're all booooring! You were the one who told me to pack books! I wanted to bring my voice recorder, but nooooo; you said I would make too much noise and disturb the other passengers."
"I should have known that would have been inevitable." Yuki grumbled.
"What am I gonna do? Yuki..." Shuichi faced the older man as his eyes widened with innocence.
Yuki cocked an eyebrow. "Hmm?"
"Let's have a meaningful conversation..."
"You really are a pussy."
"I am not!"
"Yes you are. Look, Shuichi they're getting ready to play a movie. Why don't you watch it? I want to take a nap anyway..." He shifted in his seat so that he was facing away from his lover.
Shuichi stared at him, slightly bewildered; then glanced at the screen above. While Shuichi soon became engrossed with the movie on the screen, Yuki was captivated by the movie that was playing in his mind, reliving the memories of his beloved tutor, and first love Kitazawa, Yuki...
