Sunday, November 23, 2008

Gravitation

Buoyancy vs. Gravity

Chapter 20: Sailing into the Sunrise

It has been two months since Shuichi's rescue; he and his pirates have been recovering in the Seguchi manor from the battle and their wounds.

Everyone has been taking advantage of their temporary peace and rich living offered by Tohma. The Bad Luck pirates have been running rampant around the estate and wrecking havoc on his staff, but no one complained. Every mess they made, Shuichi, Rumiko, or Maiko made sure they cleaned it up and apologized.

Everyone seemed to be happy and content to rest in the spacious and overflowing house. The pirates had been granted sanctuary by the crown while staying in Seguchi Manor; no doubt the work of Mika Seguchi, who was reaching the final stages of her pregnancy.

Perhaps the only occupants that were not completely content were Eiri Uesugi and Shuichi Shindou.

When Eiri awoke aboard the NG, some three days after the battle and explosion, and learned of the true extent of his injuries, he had closed himself off from every one.

Learning that he will forever be scared, branded him unacceptable. It didn't matter how many times Shuichi cried and begged him, Eiri refused to think of him self of anything other than deformed.

The scaring on his face, though gruesome now, will fade with time and only leave behind faint lines of discoloration and puckering along his hair line and at the corner of his left eye.

His back was severely more grotesque. Ugly puckered, red scars lanced up his back in a mixture of burn aftermath and neatly healed incisions. He retrieved no muscle damage and his body healed nicely during these passed two months, but he refused to let anyone touch him and viewed himself as gruesome and grotesque.

No matter how many times Shuichi pleaded with him and screamed and cried he could not convince Eiri that he didn't care about his deformity; that no matter what, Eiri was still the most beautiful person he had ever known.

After a month of failed attempts to help Eiri see passed his scaring, Shuichi gave up and contented himself with whatever Eiri was willing to give. Shuichi convinced himself that he had gone without Eiri's touch for all his nineteen years and he could continue without it as long as the blond loved him.

It had been a little over two months and Eiri still had yet to allow Shuichi more than a brief embrace or a kiss on his left cheek. No matter how many times he tired to convince him self that Shuichi would never leave him for his scars, he still couldn't bare the thought of letting the man he loved more than life see them, much less touch them.

He didn't want Shuichi to be tainted with his ugliness; didn't want his scars to burn his Pirate King like they burned him.

His heart ached with separation and the sight of Shuichi's pained, longing gaze, but Eiri's own self loathing wouldn't allow him to give in and run into his little lover's open arms.

It is at mid morning in the second month of the pirates' stay that found Eiri and Tatsuha standing in their brother-in-law's office.

Tohma sighed and propped his elbows up on his mahogany desk as Mika lounged in the reclining chair to his left with her hands rubbing circles on her kicking belly.

"My lawyers have finally finished going over every inch of the Uesugi estate and have come up empty handed. It would seem that Old Man hadn't even written a will."

Both Eiri and Tatsuha flopped simultaneously in their respective chairs and gave a deep sigh. "So what is to become of the estate, the money, the land?" Eiri finally asked.

"It would seem," Tohma leaned back, "that unless his rightful heir doesn't step forward and claims the whole of the estate, it will be dissolved and sold off. Generations of Uesugi money and belongings sold to the highest bidder."

"Can't Mika just claim the rightful owner ship?" Tatsuha gestured to his pregnant sister with one hand while the other raked through his deep brown bangs.

Mika sighed and shifted in her plush arm chair. "I am a woman. I may be independently wealthy, but I am still not allowed to inherit without mandate from a will."

"But sis!" Tatsuha protested, "I'm sure you're smarter and more capable of handling the estate than either of us."

Eiri lifted a fist and bopped him on the head. "Baka! Speak for yourself."

The platinum blond business man sighed again drawing all three siblings' attention once more. "We must have this issue resolved." He took a breath. "Until we have figured everything out, I'm afraid that you both must stay here. As the remaining Uesugi men, you alone have the power to sort this mess out."

Tatsuha grew pale and Eiri glanced down at his hands, guilt and pain weighing him down.

Though he had been keeping his love at arms length for over two months, the thought of not being able to even see him was enough to make Eiri's heart ache for the intimacy of touch. He had wanted to spare his love the pain of seeing just how scared and deformed his lover was, but now that seemed like a poor excuse for his self inflicted celibacy.

The youngest Uesugi couldn't believe it. He would have to be separated from his Ryu. He had been planning to sail out with the Bad Luck pirates and live his life on the seas with Ryuichi at his side. The realization that he wouldn't be able to do that was unimaginably painful.

Their brother-in-law stood from behind his desk and placed comforting hands onto his saddened brother's shoulders. "I suggest you take this time to say your good byes. I am truly sorry it had to work out this way."

Both brothers stood, Tatsuha running from the room, while Eiri seemed to be in some kind of a daze, simply standing there till Tohma squeezed his shoulder and said, "Eiri, I understand your reasons for keeping him at a distance, but it has hurt you both way more than you may realize."

Turning his golden eyes toward his brother-in-law, Eiri took in what he was saying. "Do not let Shuichi leave with a wall between you. I know you both love each more than physically possible and I would hate for you to keep that love caged as it is now."

Mika hoisted herself out of her arm chair and waddled over to her brother. "Eiri, he loves you and will always love you. Show him just how much you love him." She kissed his scarred cheek and gave him a gentle shove toward the door.

As the couple watched their brother leave Mika leaned her head on her husband's shoulder. The pirates' absents will be felt painfully.

Tatsuha ran as fast as he could down the stairs in the main foyer of the mansion and out the doors to the woods and creek where he knew he would find Ryuichi and Kumagoro.

When he broke through the clearing in the trees, he stood and simply watched as his pirate lover bobbed his hands into the mud and splashed water around with a child-like enthusiasm. The afternoon sun breaking through the leaves of the trees over head glinted in Ryu's damp hair like diamonds.

He was beautiful. Tatsuha just stood and watched till Ryu straightened and turned around to smile happily at his lover. "Hi Tatsuha! Come play with me!"

Tatsuha let out a laugh at the older pirate's silly grin and hyper wave then felt a single tear slide down his cheek.

The pirate stood up and rushed to his young lover. "Tatsuha! Are you alright? There's nothing to be sad about."

Suddenly, Tatsuha collapsed into his lover's arms and began to weep. "Ryu! I-... I can't go with you!" Tat was crying so hard his words were being forced out.

Ryu let them both sink to the forest floor as he hugged his young lover tightly. He stroked Tatsuha's dark silky hair and rocked them back and forth. "Where can't you go with me, Tatsuha, love?"

The youngest Uesugi's back gave a frightening shake as he gasped for air. "Father died and didn't leave a will. Eiri and I have to stay in Japan till the estate can be settled." He tightened his grip around his strong lover, making the smaller man gasp. "I don't want to be without you, Ryu! I love you, Ryu!"

Tatsuha's words hit Ryu like an anvil. His heart dropped out of his chest and Ryuichi tightened his own grip on his young lover. "It'll be alright Tatsuha, love. I promise."

Truly he couldn't promise such a thing, but as his lover cried unashamedly into his chest, Ryuichi couldn't bring himself to admit the inevitability of separation. He couldn't bring himself to really tell his lover that they would most likely never see each other again.

Instead he held his distraught lover tightly and rocked them back and forth till the sobs and tears died down. Then they made love in the forest like they'd never see each other again.

Shuichi had been sitting on the back porch watching the wind play over the tall grass of the estate and the afternoon sun sink slowly in the sky.

Like so many other times when he found himself alone without his lover, Shuichi thought of the blond haired man.

Shuichi couldn't have guessed how absolutely painful it would be to have your lover refuse your touch. It hurt deep down in his chest like his heartstrings being cut.

He knew why Eiri refused his caresses, except for the smallest least intimate of touches, and he couldn't blame him for it. Though he could never blame Eiri for his reluctance, it hurt Shuichi immensely to know that his touch was refused because his lover thought himself to be tainted and grotesque. No mater how scarred Eiri thought he was, Shuichi couldn't see anything, but beauty in him.

A shudder rushed up his spine as he closed his eyes and thought of just how it might feel to touch Eiri's soft skin, to caress his back, scarred or not, to kiss his face lovingly, and to make love with him.

The sound of soft hesitant foot steps snapped him out of his fantasies and he looked over his shoulder to see his blond lover standing just behind him. Patting the stone floor next to him, Shuichi asked Eiri to sit.

Eiri could feel his heart thud painfully in his chest as he looked upon his beautiful Pirate King. Sitting next to him they just sat in companionable silence till Shuichi hesitantly reached over and grasped Eiri's slightly scarred hand.

Eiri never sat with his right side to anyone if he could help it. It always made him feel like he was forcing his deformity on them and made him self conscious. Especially with Shuichi, Eiri took great pains to always sit on his lover's right side.

Even though his left side wasn't nearly as scarred, he still had some, so when Shuichi had clasped his hand, pressing his warm fingers over the long scar in the back of Eiri's left hand, he had to forcibly remind himself not to pull it away.

Letting the rope around his heart ease a bit, Shuichi smiled out at the setting sun, tightened his grip on Eiri's hand. His voice low and soft Shuichi asked, "It's beautiful, the sunset; isn't it?"

Taking a deep breath Eiri caressed Shuichi's hand with his thumb in agreement causing Shuichi's smile to brighten fractionally.

"I have to stay in Japan."

Lowering his head, smile fading, Shuichi stayed silent, just concentrating on Eiri's words and the warmth of his hand in his.

This is hurting more than he had ever thought possible, but Eiri continued on. "Tohma's lawyers couldn't find a will. Without a will, Tatsuha and I will have to stay in town and work out the division of the finances or the estate will be dissolved."

His voice sounded cold and distant even to him. The only solace he could find to make himself continue was the light pressure of Shuichi leaning into his left shoulder.

"I-... I can't-..." His cracking words were cut off as Shuichi placed the tips of his fingers over his trembling lips.

Eiri turned to look down at his small, fierce lover. The Pirate King simply rested his head on his lover's shoulder and nestled his face into Eiri's neck ignoring the small flinch.

The grip on Shuichi's hand grew painfully tight as Eiri let himself press his face into his soft pink locks, inhaling the smell of ocean and spice that accompanied his love. The small body pressed closer to him and the face nestled into his neck nuzzled his skin.

Shuichi could feel tears silently roll down his cheek and soaking Eiri's shoulder and skin. His tall lover moved closer to him inhaled with a hitched breath. "Shuichi..."

"Make love with me." Shuichi sat up and placed both of his hands on either side of Eiri's face and looked into his lover's eyes.

"I'm-... I'm not-" Eiri could feel his heart breaking even as the words were struggling to escape his lips.

Leaning forward, Shuichi brushed his lips over Eiri's in a breeze that silenced his lover, and whispered, "I love you, Eiri. Make love with me." Then he pressed his lips desperately to Eiri's, begging him, pleading with him.

Eiri's reluctance, self disgust, apprehension, and fear disappeared as he cupped Shuichi's face pressed his lips desperately to his.

The door to Eiri's room was closed and locked. Both young men clinging desperately to one another as their lips moved together and their hands slowly separated clothes from body.

Shuichi's shirt slid from his shoulders and landed on the floor behind his bare feet. Eiri slowly separated his lips from Shu's and began to kiss a gentle, tender trail along his tanned jaw, down his creamy neck and over his golden shoulder. The skin under his lips was shivering and heating as he went.

Caressing Eiri's golden hair and the sides of his face, Shuichi pulled his head away from his shoulder to face him in the eyes.

When golden met violet, Shuichi inched his fingers over the skin of the right side of Eiri's face and felt the jagged and coarse texture of his scars. He marveled at the difference between the puckered flash and the creamy skin next to it, but continued to lovingly stroke the scars while looking directly into pained golden eyes.

Feeling Eiri tense and prepare to turn away, Shuichi broke eye contact and pressed his cheek to Eiri's scared one and whispered, reverently, "You are beautiful." The blonde's body shuddered, and then the tension eased away.

Shuichi pulled back and let his lips trail over the dark puckered flash still whispering about how beautiful Eiri was and how much he loved him. His lips trailed over Eiri's scars and lingered on the puckering at the corner of Eiri's eye before he placed a soft kiss to his parted lips and began to kiss down his neck.

The further down Shuichi's lips kissed the more button's on Eiri's shirt became unbuttoned and before Eiri could protest, Shuichi had already slipped the shirt from his quivering shoulders to land on the floor behind him.

Shuichi stepped back and looked at his lover in the early evening light. His pale skin was marred with deep brown-red scars curling around his ribs and over his shoulders; he had a long puckered scar on his right shoulder, but his body was sculpted and firm with sinewy muscles covered in alight sheen of sweat.

Eiri lowered his head in embarrassment and a little bit of shame as Shuichi's gaze drifted over him. Any minute now Shuichi was going to declare him hideous and walk right out the door.

To his surprise the feeling of gentle reverent hands on his skin brought his head up to meet Shuichi's tear glistening eyes.

Placing his hand over Eiri's heart, Shuichi said, "I love you. You will always be the most beautiful person to me." Then he leaned forward and kissed one of the jagged scars creeping over Eiri's shoulder, causing Eiri to gasp as heat spread from that spot.

"Please, let me feel you. Let me feel how beautiful you are." Sliding his arms slowly, caressingly around his lover's body Shuichi let his palms glide along the imperfections of skin, the unevenness of texture and the hard corded muscle.

Eiri let his head fall back as the path Shuichi's hands were taking left trials of tingling heat on his skin. The Pirate King was kissing and licking over Eiri's chest and neck as his fingers traced the long ridges of flesh lancing over his back.

The worshiping fingers slid further down and inched underneath Eiri's waistband causing him gasp in surprise. Shuichi moaned as Eiri's jerk of surprise pressed their erections together.

A few heated and passionate moments later they fell to the bed. Eiri and Shuichi gasping in anticipation and passion while raining kisses over smoldering skin and licking places meant to pleasure.

Their naked, dripping erections were pressed so tight together they were eliciting whimpers from bother young men as Eiri rotated his hips and Shuichi squeezed his thighs tight around the pelvis nestled between them. Golden tanned and creamy pale skin was slicked with sweat and saliva as the gripped each other tightly letting the waves of pleasure spike through them.

"Eiri! I- I need you!" Shuichi threw his head back with his mouth open in a silent moan of ecstasy as Eiri pressed his slicked fingers into his tight passage, his other hand spread underneath Shuichi's back, caressing whip scars and silky golden skin.

Moving his finger in and out, preparing his moaning and writhing lover, Eiri kissed and licked the juncture between Shuichi's neck and shoulder. "I want to be one with you, Shuichi, my love."

Turning his head, Shuichi began to press desperate kisses to the scars on Eiri's face as he gripped his shoulders and thrust his hips onto the flexing fingers.

"Make me complete, Eiri! I need to feel my soul complete, please." Tears were now streaming down his face.

Withdrawing his fingers, Eiri positioned himself at Shuichi's quivering entrance. Leaning forward, he captured Shuichi's swollen and panting lips as he slid into his lover's tight loving body.

A final thrust seated him fully into his smaller lover causing both men to gasp with open, still connected lips. Their eyes fluttered open and they gazed dazedly into each other's eyes.

Pulling out and thrusting in achingly slowly, Eiri whispered against Shuichi's pink lips, "You are my soul, love." The swollen head of his penis brushed against the spot inside Shuichi causing him to arch up in pleasure.

Clutching at his lover desperately, Shuichi cried, "I'm not complete without you, Eiri! Was never complete without you..." He pulled his legs up higher to wrap around Eiri's ribs, pushing his slowly thrusting erection deeper. "Please, Eiri... please..."

Thrusting deeper into his pirate lover, Eiri kissed Shuichi's heart as he arched up then he kissed his throat, his cheeks, eyes, lips... "I love you, Shuichi. Will always love you."

With one last deep thrust, both men clung tightly together and cried out the other's name as they climaxed. Eiri filling his lover with his seed and Shuichi filling the minute space that separated their bodies with his, both lovers rode out the waves of pleasure with their lips connected and their hands clasping the other with bruising fierceness.

Collapsing on top of his gasping and sweating lover, Eiri continued to kiss every inch of skin he could reach without moving. Shuichi tightened his legs around Eiri, preventing him from withdrawing from his body and began to stroke and caress his back with soothing movements.

"Shuichi, I-" Eiri could already feel his throat closing up and tears streaming down his cheeks.

Shuichi lifted a hand to wipe away the tears and whispered, "It's alright, love. It's just us now. Just-... just, please... This is all we need."

Eiri tightened his grip around Shuichi and whispered, "I will always love you, Shuichi. Forever."

Shuichi turned his head and pressed his cheek to Eiri's and sighed contentedly. "I have and will always love you, Eiri. Forever."

Silent tears trickled down their cheeks as their breathing and heart beats evened out, welcoming sleep as they drifted off still wrapped tightly around each other.

It was false dawn, merely a deep grey sky, and already there was motion in the house. The pirates of the infamous ship, Bad Luck, were packing their few belongings and preparing to set sail.

Rumiko stepped silently out of her room in the Seguchi mansion and turned while slowly closing the door. She was met with the sleep rumpled sight of her little brother in his sleep pants and bowler hat hastily plopped atop his head.

The siblings stared at each other in silence. Tohma with a withering glare etched into his platinum blonde brow and Rumiko with a sheepish blush on her cheeks.

Finally the pink haired madam spoke up in barely a whisper. "I'm sorry, Tohma I-"

She didn't get to finish her sentence before the blond had flung himself at her and was now clutching tightly around her waist. "I know, Rumi-chan. It's alright."

Smiling softly, Rumiko hugged him back just as fiercely then pulled back and placed a sisterly kiss to his lips and straightened his bowler hat. "I'll write every week and I expect pictures of that niece of mine when she's born. I love you, Tohma."

Smiling tearfully, Tohma gave her one last hug before pulling away and kissing her cheek. "I love you Rumiko, and I will certainly send pictures."

The siblings parted with sad smiles on their faces.

Tatsuha awoke feeling cold and lonely. Letting his dew covered eye lids crack open, he could see that it wasn't even dawn yet and Ryuichi had already gone.

The memory of their desperate, frantic, hysterical sex followed by their slow and achingly tender love making drifted before his vision and tears threatened to break his hold once again.

The weight of a thick blanket draped over his scantily clad body made him smile as a tear dripped from his eye and his arms wrap tightly around his body.

Suddenly, the feeling of something small and furry trapped against his chest, stopped his slowly building sobs. Looking down, Tatsuha was met with the sight of a pink stuffed bunny with a sad smile and beady black eyes.

It was then that Tatsuha cried unabashedly while clutching Kumagoro to his chest like a drowning man to a life raft.

Ryuichi had left Kuma to protect Tatsuha. Ryuichi didn't want Tatsuha to be sad and lonely so he left Kuma-chan to keep him company.

His lover may be gone, but at least Tatsuha would always have Kumagoro to cry with.

Shuichi stood by the bed and watched his beautiful lover sleeping peacefully.

The sky outside the window at his back was lightening to a lighter grey-blue and Shuichi knew he didn't have much time.

Taking a thin strip of cloth from the sleeve of his shirt, Shuichi wrapped it around a lock of his shoulder length pink hair. He slowly lifted his knife toward his hair and kept his eyes trained on the contented face of his lover as he sliced the lock away from the rest of his hair.

Bringing the lock to his lips, Shuichi kissed it as a tear slid down his cheek. He stepped closer to the bed and placed the lock of pink hair into Eiri's outstretched hand. The long pale fingers tightened around it unconsciously.

Leaning closer, Shuichi pressed a kiss to the corner of Eiri's lips and brushed his blond bangs away from his brow, before turning and hurrying from the room should he decide to stay and abandon his crew.

Racing down the stairs with tears pouring down his face, Shuichi passed his mother, sister, Hiro, and Suguru, but they didn't dare stop him. They let him run from the Seguchi mansion all the way to the docks and up the gang plank to collapse on the helm deck and wail with heart wrenching cries as he clutched at his aching heart as if trying to rip it from his chest.

They didn't say anything when he walked out of his cabin an hour later when the whole crew was assembled, the supplies stalked and ordered, perhaps more harshly than necessary, to pull anchor and set sail.

It seemed that none of his family members had any words of solace to give. Perhaps that was because they didn't really know what to say, or because the only one that could even possibly know what he was feeling was sitting in the crow's nest being thankful that Kumagoro was with Tatsuha while wishing he had Kuma-chan with him to wipe his tears away.

The stretch of sea between the dock and the open ocean was silent and solemn. Ryuichi's tears could be heard from high above while Shuichi's blank stare was unnerving to all.

When they finally reached the open ocean and were pointed toward Pleasure Port, the crew started to act normal.

Hiro and Suguru were immensely worried about their captain.

Hiro walked up to Shuichi and placed a comforting on his shoulder which was promptly ignored. "Shuichi, you'll be together again. You have to be."

Glancing over his shoulder, Shuichi said, in a cold, dead voice, "Don't you have work to do, Hiro?"

Taking his hand back, Hiro nodded understandingly. "Yes I do, Shuichi. I love you, Shuichi. We all love you. We'll be here when you need us."

Shuichi's shoulders slumped, but he didn't turn around and Hiro placed a brotherly kiss to the back of his head then walked back down the stairs to a waiting Suguru.

Rumiko could be seen climbing up the rigging to the crow's nest with her skirts hitched up. Then Ryu's cries quieted as she comforted him and let him muffle his sobs into her chest.

Suguru watched the crow's nest as the cries became softer till finally they had gone away, but neither Ryu, nor Rumiko came back down. With a sad shake of his head, Suguru leaned into Hiro and buried his face into his lover's neck.

The thought of being separated from his other half like Ryu and Shu had been was just enough to bring tears to his eyes. He had almost lost Hiro and he did not wish that sorrow upon anyone.

Slowly, the lovers separated to move onto their separate tasks and life aboard Bad Luck returned to a somewhat normal pace.

As normal as it could be with two of their family and crew left behind in Japan, that is.

A/N: Look for the Epilogue! It's not over yet!

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