Title: Scars

By: Aizawa Sakura

Disclaimer: Gravitation, and all its characters, belongs to Maki Murakami. That's not me.

Summary: Shuichi loses his will to live. Tatsuha falls in love with him and is prepared to do anything to save his life. Even send him to Japans no.1 Casanova.

Authors Note: Special message to all my wonderful reviewers at end of this chapter. Make sure to check it out. Also, I think someone asked for beer, well you'll get it! No coffee or smoker, though.

Italic equals memories.

Chapter Five

The room had a very convenient size. It was not too small, nor too big. There was a bed in one corner, a book case and a wardrobe along the wall, and a big drawing desk in front of an equally big window. The walls had a bluish colour and the furniture was made out of dark wood. Shuichi carefully put his bag on the bed and moved over to the window where he reluctantly touched the warmly multicoloured curtain.

"This room was my brothers, from his artistically dark period. However, I thought you would prefer colourfulness" Tatsuha said from the door.

Shuichi wanted to nod, but didn't. The room seemed both inviting and somewhat depressing, he thought it would suit him.

"I'll get us something to drink. Some hot chocolate perhaps? Take some time to get settled in here and then I can show you the house."

Shuichi didn't seem to hear him, and Tatsuha reluctantly left. Once alone, Shuichi sighed and pressed his forehead against the cold window. Then he realised it was raining outside.

Tatsuha was shamelessly proud over his hot chocolate. Really, he was the best by far when it came to hot chocolate. It took some time to prepare, but it was worth it. And he was quite convinced that Shuichi was a hot chocolate person. When he came back to the room, he found the pink haired boy still standing where he had left him, looking at the rain with his head lending against the window. That made him smile.

"Watching the raindrops fall as spring turns to summer and summer to fall?" Tatsuha said while slowly walking across the room. Next moment he wondered why he had said it. Had he just come up with it right then and there? No. He had heard it before. He couldn't remember when and where though. That is, not until Shuichi slowly turned his head to look at him. Then he recalled it. It had been a similar situation.

"Eiri? What are you doing?"

The boy standing by the window turned his head slightly.

"I'm watching the raindrops, Tatsuha. I watch them fall. And I will continue doing so. As spring turns to summer and summer to fall".

Tatsuha offered Shuichi the one of the cups he was carrying. The boy didn't take it, so he placed it next to him instead.

"My brother used to do that too" Tatsuha said.

…………….

Hiro didn't end up going to a bar, instead, he got a vast amount of beer from a vending machine before going to the karaoke bar. Once in the soundproof room, he emptied the one bottle after the other. He knew it was a really stupid thing to do. He hadn't eaten anything since breakfast and had felt somewhat dizzy even before he had started drinking, but didn't really feel like caring about it. They talked a little and sang a few songs and Hiro suddenly started to wonder how in hell Maiko could suggest to go singing karaoke when her brother had recently lost his voice and wouldn't ever be able to do something like that again. Thinking about Shuichi made Hiro feel even worse and he quickly emptied the can of beer in his hand. But alcohol was not much of a comfort, and it made him do stupid stuff. Maiko left when he started to giggle like a hysterical lower teenage girl. He didn't blame her. However, being left alone wasn't very nice, since it gave him the time to think. Just the fact that he was in a karaoke bar, a place which focused on singing, made him feel bad. Guilty. Like he had betrayed Shuichi. It was so unfair. So totally unfair. He didn't even like singing. Didn't have much of a voice either. If he had lost his voice it wouldn't have mattered, he would still be able to play the guitar and Shuichi would be able to do enough talking for the both of them. Hiro decided to go home. If he was lucky, maybe his mother wouldn't ask for the test result. He left the remaining beer cans in the room together with the empty ones, and aimed for the exit. Almost there, he bumped into someone and, somehow, managed to knock both himself and the other one over.

"Sorry" he mumbled, while trying to get up from the floor.

The other one was already back on his feet, apparently sober.

"Don't be…" he said in a voice Hiro thought he recognised and reached out his hand to help Hiro get up, "…it was my fault. Should have looked where I was going."

Hiro took the hand offered and, once he had regained his balance turned his head to look at the person he had knocked to the ground. He got the shock of his life; the guy looked exactly like Shuichi. His head began to spin and his vision got unclear, and then he thought he fell.

He wasn't sure, but thought he had fainted from the shock. Perhaps his diet had something to do with it too. He woke up and realised that he was laying, rather uncomfortable, on the floor. His eyes snapped open and the first and only thing he saw was the pale face and blond hair of someone kneeling beside him. The Shuichi look-a-like was gone. If there had ever been one. What exactly did those beer cans contain anyway? He felt like shit, and made a mental note never to buy alcohol from a vending machine again.

"How do you feel" the one beside him asked.

Hiro was a bit too busy trying to figure out the person's sex to answer.

"I realise it was kind of a shock for you to see my friend, however I would appreciate it if you didn't…"

"Sure was…" Hiro said, interrupting the other one and simultaneous pushed himself up to a sitting position. "…looked exactly like a friend of mine. Thing is, his voice sounded about the same too, and, well…my…this friend of mine he…" Hiro suddenly felt very weird, as if he was about to throw up. He quickly rose to his feats. That certainly didn't make him feel any better.

"Excuse me" he said and hurried towards the exit.

If you were to list the worst places to throw up at, then "open street" would score pretty good. "Dark alleyway" is definitely to prefer. However, "Halfway down dark alleyway in front of a complete stranger" isn't. Not like Hiro could do much about it, though. He didn't realise that the other one had followed him until he felt a comfortingly cold hand on his forehead and heard the calm voice:

"I think you need to eat something. Something which isn't a liquid"

"Don't think so. Besides, I have no money."

The stranger put a hand on Hiro's shoulder and started leading him back to the main street. "Then I'll treat you" the blonde suddenly said. Hiro was pretty sure it was a 'he' by now.

"Why would you do that?" Hiro asked, "You don't know me."

The other one smiled.

"I'm quite sure I've seen enough of you to realise you haven't eaten in a while, and I know the effects alcohol can have on an empty stomach by experience. I'm afraid you'll pass out in a dark alleyway and end up being gang raped. And I consider myself being an overall good guy, therefore I'll treat you to a meal."

Hiro didn't think he looked like a good guy, more like a creepy one.

"How did you know I'd been drinking?"

"Your breath."

"Really?"

"Well, not anymore."

"Oh."

"You may even have desert."

They ended up at a small, almost empty pub. The creepy guy ordered food for Hiro and apricot brandy for himself. He also forced Hiro to drink several glasses of water. When Hiro had finished his food they spent a long time talking. Talking about nothing in particular. The night ended when Hiro's companion convinced him to borrow enough money to be able to take a taxi and get home.

"Who are you?" Hiro asked before he left. Then he remembered his manners: "I mean,

what is your name? My name is Nakano Hiroshi."

The blonde hesitated. He glanced quickly at the taxi driver before leaning in towards Hiro and giving him a small peck at the cheek.

"Nice to meet you, Hiroshi-kun. I honestly hope we'll get the opportunity too see each other again" he whispered. Then he pulled back, turned around and left. And even though he wanted to, Hiro didn't manage to run after him.

……………..

Shuichi was asleep. Or, at least he had turned of the light in the room. Tatsuha had been standing right outside the closed door, tried to hear the smaller boys breathing. Other peoples breathing used to calm him, as long as it was people he liked. He remembered when he was younger, he had been having a nightmare, woke up screaming, and the bad dream kept coming back. Night after night. He had become afraid of sleeping. But then it was suddenly okay, because Eiri let him sleep in his bed, and even though the nightmares didn't go away, he felt secure. Eiri would reach out for his hand, and he could fall asleep again, while listening to his brother's calm and deep breathing.

But that was a long time ago now.

It wouldn't happen again.

Ever.

End Chapter Five

……………………..

AN: Took pretty long, did it not? I'm sorry. I'll try to write faster…

In the meantime, you can check out the Shuichi from Scars picture I made earlier. There's a link on my author page.

Hugs and kisses and hot chocolate and lots of love to everyone who did review the last chapters. What do you think about this one? Good? Bad? Did it suck? Best thing you've ever read?

But really, I love my reviewers! I wanna give you something. A gift. Know what? When this fic reaches 33 reviews, I'll make you some art! What do you want me to draw? The Hiro/Shuichi hugging scene from the prologue, or the Tatsuha/Shuichi chocolate scene from this chapter? Let me know (review!).

Bye for now. You are our sunflower.