Because of You
Sequel to: "This I Promise You"
Building a Family series
Written by: Chochowilliams
Disclaimer: I do not own Gravitation or the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
Summary: It is six years later and while Shuichi has moved on with his life, there are those who have not.
Warning: M/M, M/F, Sexual Situations, Romance, Angst, Drama, Fantasy, Infidelity, OOC, Language, M-Preg, OCs, Japan Natives: Surname first
Pairings: Shuichi/Eiri, past Hiro/Ayaka, Hiro/Suguru, Tatsuha/Ryuichi, past Maiko/OMC, OMC/OFC
Inserts: recap from chapter 7, "PDA" by Nova Williams, "You Make M Better" by Fabulous and Ne-Yo, "The Way I Are" by Timbaland feat Keri Hilson and DOE
A/N: Major angst/drama alert!
oOo
Last Time
He grabbed the polished brass door handle and swung open the door, but then an uneasy feeling came over him. He glanced out into the backyard suddenly feeling as if he were being watched. Though he could see nothing in the darkness the night created, he could feel eyes on him from somewhere out there.
He had to remember to talk to Seguchi in the morning about having motion sensor lights installed. They already had security cameras stationed around the house and grounds and had one of the best security systems, but the addition of the lights would be an added benefit, especially after what he received in the mail this afternoon. It was also probably why he was so jumpy. Unfortunately, there was not much more he could do tonight. All he could do was wait and see what tomorrow brings. Frustrated and annoyed, Eiri gave the yard one final glance before stepping into the house and shutting the door firmly behind him.
oOo
A figure appeared from out of the shadows at the far corner of the yard. A face hidden within the veiled confined of a hoodie lifted and turned to glance at the darkened house. Hardened eyes flashed. A low snarl emanated from within the shadows. Taking a step backwards, the figure melted into the shadows.
oOo
Chapter 8: Suspicions, A Tragedy & Puzzles
That Same Night
The stillness of the night was broken by a low growl that conveyed clearly the frustration that was boiling inside of Eiri. Craning his neck, he glanced at the clock sitting on the bedside table. It was well after midnight. The thirty-something-year-old writer and father of four rolled onto his back and scrubbed his hands over his face. His hands flopped down onto the mattress beside him. Staring up at the shadow-strewn ceiling, he sighed in annoyance.
o
Eiri lifted the phone back to his ear and turned to stare out over the backyard. Movement in the shadows caught his attention and raised his suspicion.
o
His mind kept revisiting that flash of 'something' he had seen earlier that night. Though a quick search of the area had revealed nothing, he hadn't been satisfied. Something had been out there watching him and his family. He shuddered to think what could have been out there and what could still be out there, waiting, watching and biding its time.
Turning his head, his body soon followed as he flipped onto his side as gently as he could so he did not disturb he sleeping partner. Holding his head in his hand, he smiled softly down at Shuichi. His baka was so beautiful. Now that he was pregnant, with triplets no less, Shuichi had a radiance about him that made him glow even in his sleep.
Eiri pulled the comforter up around Shuichi's shoulders and bending over the sleeping man, he swept his lips across his cheek.
He frowned as he pulled back. Shuichi felt warm. Was he becoming sick? God, he hoped not. He felt Shuichi's forehead. It did not feel any hotter than usual, but his cheeks felt warm and in the filtered light coming in through the gauzy curtains hanging across the window above the bed, Eiri could see that Shuichi looked a little flush. Finding it curious and a little worrisome but not overtly alarming, because Shuichi always seemed to be hotter than normal, Eiri made a mental note to call Shuichi's doctor in the morning and ask her about it. It could be nothing more than a hot flash connected with his pregnancy, but it was better to be safe than sorry.
Being careful not to shake the bed too much, Eiri tossed back the covers and slipped out of bed. He slid his feet into his slippers and padded softly around the bed and across the room to the bedroom door. Like a ghost, he cast one last glance over his shoulder at his comatose husband before stepping out into the hallway and shutting the door inaudibly behind him.
Creeping down the hall towards the twins' room, Eiri pushed open the door and stuck his head into the room.
The boys preferred the door to be left open at night. It was one of the few things they agreed upon. The other being the small bedroom lamp sitting on the dresser by the door. Instead of having a nightlight, which "is for babies" apparently, they opted for the light that was, ironically enough, not that much brighter than a nightlight, but was, according to the twins, "for big boys".
Kane, who was closest to the door, was buried underneath the blankets. The only thing you could see was the top of his little blond head. His brother, on the other hand, was sprawled out nearly perpendicular across the bed. The blankets were bunched up at the foot of his bed. His pillow was hanging precariously off the edge of the mattress. Chuckling, Eiri shook his head in amusement. He could go in there and fix Keitaro so that he was sleeping correctly, but in no time at all he would be right back to where he was now and that would defeat the purpose of having rearranged him in the first place.
When Keitaro began to stir, Eiri made a hasty, but silent retreat.
Across the hall and right next to the master suite was Baby Kira's room.
At six months, Kira was finally beginning to sleep through the night. Admittedly, that meant he woke up at four or five in the morning, but after a bottle and a diaper change, he fell right back to sleep for another few hours when he would need to be changed and fed again then he would spend the rest of the day playing, except for when he took his nap at three.
Eiri's silhouette lay splayed out before him on the carpeted floor framed in the rectangular shaft of light that cut through the shadowy bedroom when he opened the bedroom door. Stepping over the threshold, he tiptoed across the room towards the crib on the far side of the room.
They had reused Keitaro's crib instead of going out to buy a new one like Shuichi had wanted. They had been forced to toss Kane's crib out because the boy had practically destroyed it. He'd banged, yanked, wrenched, and jerked his crib until it had fallen apart.
Before they found out they were pregnant, Eiri had had hopes of reusing Keitaro's crib again instead of buying a new one in case they ever decided to have another baby, but it looked like that was not going to happen. Kira would still be using his when the triplets arrived because he would only be one when they were born.
That realization stopped Eiri cold. That was right. Not only would they have three new babies to take care of, but a one year old, not to mention the twins. He shuddered. When he said he wanted another baby, this was not what he had been thinking.
"Be careful what you wish for," he sighed.
He might just have to swallow his pride and hire a nanny…or two…or three, especially if Shuichi decided to appear on that Desert Star song for their debut album because if he knew Shuichi, it would not stop with just this one song. It would most likely lead to either a brand new Bad Luck CD or even a solo album for Shuichi. Even though Shuichi had never said anything to him or to the other members of Bad Luck, Eiri knew that Shuichi had been mulling the idea over to release a CD for quite some time now, way before Bad Luck disbanded several years ago.
It may be a bit of an inconvenience to have six children under six under one roof if Shuichi did decide to finally put out a solo CD, but whatever he decided in the end, Eiri knew he would support him just as he always has.
With three new mouths to feed in a few short months, there was going to have to be some rearranging. When Riku comes home for Christmas in a few weeks, Eiri was going to "volunteer" his son into helping him move his room upstairs to the converted attic and use his old room as the nursery for the triplets. This would work out for two reasons. One, the room was near Shuichi and his and second, this gave Riku his own space away from the constant meandering of his brothers and sister.
Half of the attic had been converted into livable space some time ago. There were three bedrooms and a full bath up there that were currently used as guest rooms, but would serve Riku perfectly. If their family grew any more, he would have to look into converting the rest of the attic into livable space. Seeing it ran the full length of the mansion, he could get half a dozen more bedrooms out of what was left of the attic plus some much-needed bathrooms.
With three new babies on the way, Eiri was glad that Riku's graduation coincided with Shuichi's scheduled c-section. They were going to need all the help they could get. Shuichi was a little upset that he would not be able to attend their son's graduation. However, Riku was not even sure he was going to go to his own graduation.
Eiri stepped up to Kira's crib and folding his arms on the railing, leaned over the crib and smiled down at the dark haired bundle snoring away peacefully. He chuckled. It was amazing how much noise could come out of such a small package. When a picture of his baka flashed through his head, he chuckled.
Kira's once dark brown eyes had already started to change into a gorgeous violet that Eiri knew so well. His son was looking more and more like his husband every day.
A smile softened the usually harsh contours of his face as he reached out to caress his sleeping son's cheek.
Because Kira sweated like a pig while he slept, his jet-black hair was plastered to his head. When he woke up in the morning, his pajamas were going to be soaked through. He had to remember to talk about that with the doctor at Kira's next appointment. That could not be normal, could it?
Kira's puckered little mouth was hanging open and his hands were clenched up by his head.
Eiri was not sure what it was, but this six-month-old child seemed to have bewitched him somehow, just like his brothers and his mother before him.
When Kira began to twitch, Eiri stilled. Anxiously, he waited. He breathed a sigh of relief when Kira quieted back down. Deciding not to push his luck any further, he stepped carefully away from the crib and exited his baby boy's room, shutting the door behind him with a quiet click.
oOo
Eiri picked out a small silver key from among the miscellaneous items in the green ceramic ashtray that Keitaro made for him then slid the key into the lock of the bottom drawer of the desk. The tumblers shifted loudly in the silence of the mansion.
He pulled open the drawer.
In the dim light from the desk lamp, he dug through the binders and folders that were bursting with papers and a soft cover book that had more tabs than it did pages until he found the large unmarked manila envelope buried at the bottom. He pulled it out and turned back towards the desk. Lifting the sealable flap, he slid out the contents into his hand. Setting the manila envelope aside, he stared down at the moment caught in time. He felt himself growing steadily angrier.
In the thirteen weeks since the first photograph had arrived at his in-laws house, a new photo had arrived in the mail each week. Each photograph was hand delivered in a plain manila envelope and each would reflect a captured moment from the previous week.
Shuichi knew nothing of these photographs.
It was clearly obvious that it could not remain a secret for very much longer. Someone was stalking his family and it was only a matter of time before whoever it was decided that watching them from a distance was not enough. After what he found in the mailbox earlier, that time was going to be here sooner rather than later.
Eiri stared down at the photograph staring back at him.
They say hindsight was twenty-twenty. He had not thought anything about it at the time when Shuichi told him about seeing what he had assumed was a paparazzo at his grandfather's funeral three months back. He had brushed it off. They had dealt with the press many times before and by past standards, this time had been nothing to write home about. He'd had no reason to think otherwise. The next morning, though, this photograph had appeared at the Shindous' doorstep. He glared down at the photograph of his husband holding a sleeping Kane while he spoke with his younger sister Maiko in the parking lot of the Ozaki Funeral Home, willing it to give him answers.
He was baffled and had absolutely no idea what was going on. He did not particularly care for this feeling. Who would leave these photographs in their mailbox and why? Better yet, who knew-other than their immediate families-that they had been staying with Shuichi's parents? Just what the hell was going on?
Eiri's mystification had given way to fright and then anger as a second one arrived and then a third and then a forth one as the weeks went by. He was extremely worried about the safety of his family. He was not sure what to think about this whole situation either, but one thing he did know was that it had not been a paparazzo at his grandfather-in-law's funeral. No, who Shuichi had seen was their apparent stalker.
Eiri flipped to the next photograph. This one was taken a week after the first one when they were saying their goodbyes and packing up the SUV for the return trip home from Tokyo. It was funny, no matter how many times he mulled it over; he could not remember seeing anybody or anything out of the ordinary outside his in-laws that day.
The third photograph was of Shuichi outside his doctor's office. Unfortunately, when Shuichi had taken a pregnancy test at Dr. Amano's office before they left Tokyo, the results had been the same as the one from the home pregnancy test: negative. A week later, on a hunch, Shuichi called up his OB/GYN here in Nara. When this photo was taken, Shuichi was just leaving Dr. Watabe's office with the good news. They were pregnant. The joy was so clear on Shuichi's face; it nearly burst through the picture. Warmth spread through Eiri as he remembered that day.
The other photographs were taken the day of Keitaro and Kane's six birthday party; Shuichi in town shopping; Shuichi taking Kira to the doctors for his regular check up; Shuichi going for his monthly check up with Dr. Watabe; Shuichi and he on a date at some play Shuichi had wanted to see (he could not remember what it was now); Shuichi at the local pharmacy picking up enough medicine for their trip to New York City to see Riku for Halloween; all of them out trick o' treating in New York City (Kira looked so adorable in his little outfit); Shuichi at the doctor's for another checkup after they had returned home to NYC; Shuichi and Sakuma Ryuichi on the back patio speaking when he came over to give Shuichi the track that Desert Star wanted him to appear on.
Eiri hesitated in flipping to the last photograph. This was the one that had arrived in the mail this afternoon, the one that Shuichi had seen him retrieve. He was just grateful that his little baka had become a little forgetful now that he was pregnant-well, more so then he normally was, anyway-because he was not sure what he would have said had Shuichi pressed the issue.
Closing his eyes, he shuffled the top photograph to the back of the pile. Gathering himself, he took a deep breath and opening his eyes, he gazed down at the bright red letters glaring back at him. Rage pooled red hot inside of him. His knuckles turned white as his grip on the baker's dozen of photographs tightened. His jaw cinched, crushing his teeth together.
Up until this point, he had not been sure what this stalker-person was after. Was he part of the group that hated who they were, what they were, what they stood for? Was he another Rinjin Yasashii?
Eiri shuddered at the possibilities.
What he hated the most about this whole situation was that he could not protect his family as well as he thought he could. Some of these pictures were taken from mere feet away; even the one of Shuichi and Sakuma. In order to take this one, this guy had to have been in the yard.
He tensed.
o
Eiri lifted the phone back to his ear and turned to stare out over the back yard. Movement in the shadows caught his attention and raised his suspicion.
o
"Dammit," he hissed.
The bastard had been right under his nose!
Eiri uncurled his fingers from the photograph. Smoothing the now crumpled photograph, he studied it closely.
He remembered this day. Shuichi, despite the chilly weather that day, had gone outside to make a phone call. It was the only place where he had been able to hear himself think as well as have at least an illusion of privacy, he'd said later. He'd stayed on the phone for quite a while. No matter how much or how hard he was pressed, he refused to say who he had been speaking with or what he was talking about.
"It was about your Christmas present," was all Shuichi would say on the subject.
Eiri traced his finger over the raised lettering that stretched across the photograph. It appeared to be dried red paint. The places where the paint had dribbled down the glossy photo paper made the message all the creepier.
"MURDERER"
Where before the intent of this stalker had been uncertain, now his objective was as clear as if he had shouted it for the entire world to hear from the rooftop. This creep was after Shuichi.
oOo
A Month Later - December - Nara, Japan
The average temperature for December in Nara, Japan was usually somewhere between sixty and sixty-nine degrees Fahrenheit and they saw typically around five inches of precipitation, but it was a week before Christmas and the temperature was hovering around a very chilly forty-five, way below average for this time of year. Just last night they had been forced to turn the furnace on when the temperature had actually dipped below freezing. Shuichi could not remember the last time they had used the heater. It had been that bitter a winter and it had not officially started yet. The boys were excited, though. They were hoping for snow for Christmas.
Last year they went to visit Maiko in Hokkaido for New Year's, which was before her marriage had fallen apart, where they wound up being caught in a blizzard that had unexpectedly socked the region. Despite the howling wind blowing the snow that was piling ever higher into a virtual whiteout, the snapping branches that were taking out anything and everything in their path, the city wide blackout and the near below zero temperature, the boys had loved every minute of it! Because they had been riveted by the storm, it had been impossible to get them to bed that night. Shuichi, who had been four months pregnant with Kira at the time, had also enjoyed the snowstorm, but for a far different reason then Keitaro and Kane.
Last month, the temperature had dipped far below average for several days and the forecast had called for snow, but much to the boys' disappointment not a single flake had fallen.
Wrapped in an oversized white knit sweater, Shuichi lifted a hand from his belly and waved at the golden orbs grinning at him out of the back of the electric red Tiburon GS as it circled the roundabout in the driveway. Out on the front stoop, the breeze whipping stray strands of his long, black hair free from the hair band that held his hair back at the nape of his neck, Shuichi watched in slight trepidation as Riku slowed to a halt before the wrought iron gate as it slowly swung open. He shivered in the chilly air.
If Eiri saw him standing out here in the cold without a coat on, he would have his head. Last month, Shuichi had caught a slight cold after he spent an hour outside on the phone with Tohma going over last minute details concerning Eiri's Christmas present and making sure that it would arrive in time.
Back sometime in the spring before Kira was born, he and Eiri had decided to have a quiet night in bed after the boys went to sleep. They ended up watching some action flick that Eiri had wanted to see when it came out in theaters a couple years before. Halfway through, a commercial for a car show taking place in Kyoto came on and one of the cars that was shown had Eiri drooling. Instantly, the idea was born. So the next day when his husband was taking Keitaro and Kane to school, Shuichi hopped on the computer and did a search. It did not take long to find what he was looking for. After enlisting the help of his brother-in-law and boss, by breakfast the next morning, Shuichi was the proud owner of a newly restored cobalt blue 1969 Ferrari 365 GTS. Even as he stood out in the chilly late autumn afternoon, the car was being shipped over from the United States. According to Tohma, it should arrive in Japan sometime this weekend.
"Be careful," Shuichi called after his boys.
Riku's hand appeared out of the car window and gave a little wave.
Shuichi giggled.
Riku had flown in the week before from New York after his final exams were over and as he promised his brother over the phone last month, he was taking both Keitaro and Kane into town to do some Christmas shopping.
The hand was retracted and then with a squeal from the tires and a shower of gravel, the sleek Hyundai that had been an expensive birthday present from Eiri and him when Riku got his license turned out of the drive and vanished from view.
The front gate stopped mid-motion with a kchank and reversed direction.
Each car– including Eiri's Saab and Mercedes, the SUV, Shuichi's Jeep Cherokee, his Evo III and Riku's Tiburon-had a remote that controlled the front gate as well as the multi-car garage. Very convenient for the lazy homeowner.
They had turned the cubbyhole under the staircase from wasted space into what had been dubbed "the control room". From there you could control everything in the house; from the security system-that Eiri had just upscaled recently for some reason yet to be fully explained-to the stereo system and the gas fireplaces to the front gate.
Shuichi's hand fluttered to his potbelly that, at twenty-one weeks, looked like he had strapped a beach ball under his shirt.
As he turned back to the house, something out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. Peering over his shoulder, he glanced across the front yard and through the iron bars of the front gate and spied a dark grey Honda that he was almost certain had not been there moments before. Shuichi turned around fully and cocked his head to the side as he studied the car curiously. The windows were tinted, but they were light enough so that he could see that someone was indeed inside the car and appeared to be looking his way. Unfortunately, the window tint was not light enough for Shuichi to be able to make out any features or to even make out if it was a male or female
Then as quickly as he had noticed it, the car sped off down the street. Since the Uesugi-Shindou residence was on a one-way street, Shuichi thought nothing about it when the car headed off in the same direction Riku had taken off in.
He turned back towards the house, writing the incident off as a fan trying to catch a glimpse of the now reclusive ex-front man from Bad Luck, a paparazzo or someone who had gotten himself lost. However, as he stepped into the foyer, he paused and glanced over his shoulder, a deep frown on his face. Was it just him, or had there been something familiar about that car?
He stepped into the house and shut the front door behind him, still lost in thought, making sure the door was shut securely behind him.
Eiri had become very anal about that, even more so than before, especially after what happened last month.
It was the day after Riku had called home and promised his little brother that he would take him and Keitaro shopping for Christmas presents when he returned home for winter break. Eiri, deciding to let Shuichi sleep in for a little while longer, got up to take care of Kira when the six month old woke bright and early at five o'clock in the morning. Not more than half an hour later, though, Eiri came storming back upstairs all up in arms about how Shuichi had left the studio door open after Eiri had explicitly told him to make sure to lock it.
o
"I did shut the door Eiri," Shuichi told his husband, slightly exasperated. He stifled a yawn as he looked up at the taller man who was glowering down at him. Eiri was trying for intimidating, but it was not working. Being with the author for nearly twenty years, Shuichi knew all of the older man's little tricks. "And locked it," he added.
Silence.
"I even jiggled the handle to make sure."
More silence.
Shuichi drew his brows together in growing anger. "It was locked, Eiri," he retorted. He knew that during pregnancy, the expectant mother had a tendency to become forgetful, but Shuichi was dead certain that he had locked the studio door when he left yesterday.
Yet more silence.
Shuichi growled lightly. "Don't you look at me like that Uesugi Eiri! You were there when I locked it," he snapped.
"Then why the hell was it wide open, huh?" Eiri bit back.
"How the hell should I know?" Shuichi yelled. "Do I look fucking psychic to you?! Maybe it unlocked itself! Or maybe some Bad Luck fan decided to help himself to a souvenir!"
o
Shuichi let his hormones get the better of him that day, but being accused of a crime he did not do would be enough to ruffle anyone's feathers. Thankfully, Eiri had not taken any offense to what he said. Instead, his reaction to the denial had just added to the growing list of suspicions and unanswered questions.
o
The author searched his infuriated husband's face closely, trying to quell the rising panic. "Are you sure?" he asked in a calm, soft voice. He had to make sure, had to be absolutely certain.
Shuichi must have sensed something for the anger that was contorting his face slipped off. "Yes."
Eiri remembered the photograph they had gotten in the mail yesterday and went white.
"Eiri?" Shuichi called in concern. "Eiri, what's going on? Are you alright?"
o
Shuichi sighed heavily as he made his way to the TV room. Rounding the couch, he plopped down. Resting his head back against the top of the couch, he stared blankly up at the ceiling.
Eiri never did answer his question. He just apologized in his own Eiri-like way and said something about the lock probably being defective, or something or other and went to quiet a screaming Kira.
A defective lock, huh? Something told Shuichi to believe that excuse as far as he could throw Eiri. Something was going on around here and he intended to find out what it was one way or another.
His mind flashed back to the grey Honda that he had spotted sitting in front of the house only minutes before. Then something nearly forgotten threw itself to the forefront of Shuichi's mind.
o
Shuichi jerked his head over his shoulder.
"Huh?" Maiko glanced quickly over the parking lot then turned back towards him.
"Across the street."
Confused, Maiko turned around again and glanced towards the street. She did not see anything particular or out of the ordinary. "'Across the street' what? I don't see-"
"The car."
Maiko glanced back across the street, an eyebrow raised. The Ozaki Funeral Home was not located on a major thoroughfare, but it was still quite a busy side street that connected two main streets that were especially busy during rush hour. It was now past morning rush hour and there were a couple hours until the afternoon rush, but there was still dozens of cars going by at any given moment and vehicles were parked on either side of the street. "Oh, that narrows it down," she said sarcastically. "Which one."
"That dark blackish-grey Honda Civic in front of the bakery at the corner."
Maiko looked for a bakery at the corner across the street and found it. It was a non-descript building with flowered curtains hanging across the lower half of the front windows. A few wrought iron bistro sets sat in front of the shop. Like Shuichi said, there was a dark grey car parked in front of it. "Okay. What about it?"
"Take a look inside."
"It's a little hard to see because the windows are tinted."
"I know, but you see that guy?"
"Yeah… What's he doing? It looks like he's holding something."
"Camera."
o
Shuichi sat up with a gasp. It was the same car!
"Hey," rumbled a voice.
Shuichi glanced over his shoulder and spied Eiri walking down the staircase with a manuscript in his hand.
"They leave?"
"Yeah," Shuichi answered in a distracted manner.
The car he and Maiko saw back in August at their grandfather's funeral and the car that had been parked outside the house just moments before had to be the same one, but what did that mean? Was it just a coincidence?
Seeing the distant expression on Shuichi's face, Eiri grew curious as to what was on in the singers mind. "What's going on?" he inquired.
"Hm? Oh, nothing. Just thinking."
"About what?"
Shuichi bit his lip. He was not sure if he should bring this up, or not. Eiri might just laugh at him for being paranoid. It would not be the first time.
He glanced down at Kira who was sound asleep in his bouncy chair that was sitting on the floor between the couch and the armchair.
"Shu?" Eiri prodded, stepping into the room.
Shuichi glanced up at his husband with torturous purple eyes. "You remember that paparazzo I told you about when we were back in Tokyo?"
Eiri did not like where this conversation was going already. He frowned down at the other man. "Yeah," he drawled.
"Well." Shuichi glanced down at his hands clenched together in his lap. "I think…"
Eiri's heart was hammering in his chest.
"I think I saw him again."
"When?" Eiri demanded.
Shuichi glanced up at Eiri in surprise. "Just a minute ago."
Eiri tossed down his manuscript onto the coffee table and stormed towards the front door.
Shuichi followed after him. "He was parked on the side of the road across the street from the house and when he noticed I'd seen him, he took off."
"It was a 'he'?" Eiri asked him as they stood out on the front steps.
"I'm not sure. The windows were tinted."
"Damn," Eiri growled. He was getting more and more brazen.
"Eiri?" Shuichi called softly. Eiri's reaction to the news about someone who just might be a member of the press confirmed Shuichi's suspicions that something was going on. "Eiri. What's going on?"
Eiri ignored the question and asked one of his own. "What kind of car was it?"
"Huh?" The topic change took Shuichi by surprise.
"The car you saw. What kind was it? What color was it?"
"It was a dark grey Honda Civic."
"Did you get the license plate?"
"No." That had been the last thing on his mind. "Why?"
Eiri remained silent.
"Eiri, what's going on?"
Again, his husband said nothing. He just kept staring off into the distance.
"Does it have something to do with what came in the mail that time?"
A look of surprise flashed across Eiri's face before he could school his face, but he was not quick enough because Shuichi had seen.
"It does, doesn't it?"
Eiri turned to face his husband. Shuichi had a determined glint in his eye.
"Eiri?"
oOo
En Route
The red car was in sight. Lips the color of blood curled into a malicious smile. Hands, their professionally manicured nails the same deep red color, curled around the steering wheel and gripped it tightly. The grey Honda followed at a discreet distance behind the Uesugi-Shindou brats as they maneuvered through the steady flow of traffic into town.
It was a lucky thing the windows were tinted. That was twice that murderous bastard had spotted the car, but Shindou Shuichi was not known, thankfully, for his high IQ so nothing had been compromised as of yet. However, that Yuki Eiri was another matter all together and that meant that this had to end and quickly before anyone became too wise.
Suddenly the cellphone, which was resting in the cup holder in the console between the driver's seat and the passenger seat, went off. Without jet black eyes hidden behind dark sunglasses ever leaving the road, the phone was answered.
"Hello."
"It's me," spoke a gravely voice over the line.
"Ah, Mr. Keene." The smile broke into a full out grin.
"Where are you?" asked the serious voice.
"I'm in Nara following the children. It looks like they're heading towards Osaka."
"Good…"
There was a long pause. It went on for too long. A quick glance at the phone gave information that they had not been disconnected. "…Scott? You there? Hello?"
"…Sorry," Scott Keene whispered over the line. "I don't have long to speak."
"Is something wrong?"
"Nothing that concerns you, Karin."
Karin frowned at that. Seeing as she was part of Scott Keene's plan for revenge on "that sinful, immoral whore", you had better believe that everything that happened to him concerned her. It was her ass on the line as well.
"I need you to speed up things."
"What? Why? That's insane! Do you have any idea-?"
"Just do it Rinjin," Keene barked.
Karin yanked the earpiece away from her ear with a wince. As she replaced it in her ear, she heard the distant sound of sirens over the line. "Scott?"
"I'll call you later," came the hurried reply.
With that, the line went dead.
"What the hell?" She stared down at her phone. She wondered what he was up to. With a heavy sigh, Karin took out the earpiece and tucked it into the cup holder along with her cellphone. "Crazy son of a bitch," she muttered. "I can't believe I agreed to work with this guy."
Signaling, she followed the red Hyundai when it pulled into a parking garage.
Scott wanted things sped up, she was not sure why, but it was a reckless thing to do, but who was she to argue? Like him, she had a very good reason to see one Shindou Shuichi dead and the sooner, the better.
oOo
En Route
It had been quite a surprise to learn that Shuichi was "in the family way" mere months after the birth of Kira. Then when the announcement was made to the family that it was triplets suspected this time, everybody believed it to be a very funny joke, but when they were shown the sonograms, it became evident that this was not some hoax that was meant to produce a laugh from the family. The sonograms were irrefutable proof that Shuichi did indeed have three human lives growing inside of him. To say they were shocked would be an understatement.
Multiple births were becoming increasingly common because of the likes of artificial fertilization. To have one without the aid of science was a rare occurrence, but to have two? The odds of that happening had to be astronomical.
Tohma wished his brothers-in-law the best of luck. They were certainly going to need it.
A couple months back, Mika made a comment about it being a good thing Riku was going to be graduating this spring and that both he and Shuichi had their licenses and that it was fortunate her brother and Shuichi seemed to have become car collectors because when the new babies arrived next spring, they were going to need all those cars in order to go anywhere together as a family.
That got Tohma thinking. Shuichi purchased a limited edition vintage 1969 Ferrari 365 GTS for Eiri for Christmas, but it was not a practical family vehicle and that was what the Uesugi-Shindou troop needed. Therefore, he had purchased a Toyota Sienna 8-passenger 4-door mini van that was not even on the market yet.
As he drove through the streets of the ancient capitol, Tohma could just picture Eiri's expression when he showed up at his doorstep with this extravagant Christmas present. He had a feeling Eiri was going to sulk.
"I can provide for my own family, Seguchi."
Tohma sighed. Eiri was not going to accept the gift without some scathing remark; he never did. He really was an ungrateful little git sometimes. Tohma was sure Shuichi would accept it, though not before confessing how they were unworthy of such a generous gift and just could not in good faith accept it.
Tohma was stopped by a changing light when his cellphone started to ring. A deep frown crossed his face as he read the ID on the LCD screen.
oOo
Double-parked, his hazard lights blinking a warning to the other motorists, Tohma's grip tightened on his cellphone. It was the only outwardly indication that he was deeply disturbed.
"Are they sure?"
Please let it be a mistake.
"Yes, Sir," his lawyer confirmed much to Tohma's chagrin.
Bloody hell.
"Keep me informed."
"Of course, Sir."
Tohma snapped his phone shut, ending the call in an all too familiar curtly manner. He fisted the small black electrical device hard enough to crack the outer shell then threw the phone into the passenger seat unkindly.
Deactivating the hazard lights, he peeled into traffic and teased the speed limit as much as he dared. When he decided to pay them a call in order to surprise them, this was not what he had in mind.
What a way to spend Christmas, he thought miserably.
oOo
Shindou-Uesugi Residence - Nara, Japan
"Does it have something to do with what came in the mail that time?"
A look of surprise flashed across Eiri's face before he could school his face, but he was not quick enough because Shuichi had seen.
"It does, doesn't it?"
Eiri turned to face his husband. Shuichi had a determined glint in his eye.
"Eiri?" The unrelenting silence that enveloped them was beginning to scare Shuichi. He did not understand why Eiri was not saying anything. "Eiri? Eiri, please," Shuichi pleaded.
Eiri sighed. "Shu-"
Anything else he might have said was lost as a horn sounded suddenly.
He glanced over his shoulder and saw a midnight blue van sitting idle on the other side of the gate. Peering through bars of the gate and the slightly tinted windshield, Eiri said a brief prayer of thanks at whom he saw sitting behind the steering wheel. He never thought he would be so happy to see someone in his entire life.
"Is that…? Seguchi-san?" Shuichi asked from besides him.
"Looks like."
"Wonder what he's doing here?"
"And what the hell is he driving?"
oOo
"He's grown to look a lot like Shindou-san," Tohma commented.
"You've noticed that too, huh?"
Tohma chuckled. "Like a little mini me."
Eiri snorted.
They were standing by the staircase in the foyer watching Shuichi play with Kira in the television room. The seven-month-old Uesugi-Shindou was squealing in delight as Shuichi played hide 'n go seek with him.
Shuichi dropped the throw pillow he had been "hiding" behind. "Boo!"
Kira squealed, flailing his arms and legs.
Eiri chuckled.
Tohma glanced at his wife's brother out of the corner of his eye and smiled. "You've really changed, Eiri-kun."
Eiri immediately sobered and tossed a glare his brother-in-law's way.
"It's nice."
Eiri rolled his eyes.
"Who would have ever thought you, of all people, would get married and have a family."
"Apparently not you."
"You didn't exactly do anything to quell those beliefs, Eiri-kun."
Eiri gave a one-shouldered shrug. He supposed not.
He watched Shuichi pick up a bottle half filled with milk that was lying under the coffee table. It must have been left over from when Shuichi fed Kira before his nap. He winced and wished Shuichi would just go get a fresh one, but he knew from past experience that if he said anything, Shuichi would just argue with him until Eiri eventually relented. So really, there was really no point in saying anything in the first place. Shuichi scooped Kira out of the bouncy chair carefully and holding him in his arms, brought the bottle to Kira's mouth. Kira gazed up at Shuichi as he latched on to the bottle and began sucking hungrily as if this was his first meal in weeks. Eiri shook his head with a snort. He was definitely Shuichi's son.
Shuichi started to sway gently from side to side as he fed his son.
Eiri's ears perked up when Shuichi started humming a familiar slow melody.
There is a time and a place
For all lovers to express
Their devotion for one another:
Whenever the mood hits them.
It matters little where they are.
Fr us, that time is now.
Everyone stops and stares.
Let them look and say
What they want to say.
I can see it-that jealousy.
They hate that we're happy,
But it matters not what they think.
I'm with you and you're with me.
Being wrapped in your arms,
No matter the time or place,
You whispering you love me,
Is the best type of PDA.
While he had recognized the melody as a tune Shuichi has been singing off and on for weeks now, the lyrics were something he never heard before.
As if reading his mind, Tohma spoke up into the silence that followed. "That was new."
Eiri grunted in lee of a response.
"Will he be appearing on that Brooke Hogan song that Desert Star is remaking?"
Eiri glanced at Tohma quickly before returning his gaze to his husband and son. "You'll have to ask him."
"Ryuichi brought over the tracks like he was supposed to, am I correct?"
Eiri tensed as the photograph of Shuichi speaking with Sakuma flashed through his head.
Sensing the change, Tohma peered at Eiri in concern. "Eiri-kun?"
Tohma's voice brought him back down. "Yeah, he brought them."
Filing away the alteration in attitude for later, Tohma nodded. "So has Shindou-san been working on the song at all?"
Eiri shrugged. "A little bit."
"Hm." That must mean he still has some reservations. Tohma peered at his brother-in-law. "You didn't happen to say anything to him, did you?"
"'Bout what?"
"Appearing on the song."
Eiri stared at Tohma with a blank expression on his face. "Of course not."
Tohma nodded.
"What?" Eiri demanded. He, for some reason, suddenly felt like he should be on the defensive, but then when it came to his and Shuichi's relationship, he was always defending his actions.
"I suppose Shindou-san came to you when the venture was proposed?"
"Yeah," Eiri confirmed. He narrowed his eyes. Why was he not getting a good feeling about this?
"And what's your opinion."
"It's up to him."
"Ah!" Tohma nodded. He had expected as much.
"What?!"
"Nothing. Nothing at all."
"Yeah, right. Everything that comes out of your mouth is a double entendre, Seguchi." Eiri turned his attention back to the TV room. Kira had downed the rest of the bottle in record time and was sucking on the ear of his rag doll that, frighteningly enough, reminded Eiri of that idiot Sakuma's stuffed rabbit, which he still had. Incidentally, Sakuma was the one that purchased that rag doll for Kira. Eiri had wanted to give it to the Goodwill, or better yet, burn the damned thing, but unfortunately, Kira had taken an instant liking to the cursed beast.
Tohma smirked. "You know me all too well, Eiri-kun."
Eiri snorted. "You think?"
Tohma chuckled.
"…Hey, Seguchi," Eiri called quietly after several moments of silence.
"Yes, Eiri-kun."
"You do know that I can provide for my own family."
Tohma chuckled again. "And that, Eiri-kun, is a most predictable response."
"Then what's with the van."
Tohma sighed. "I told you. It's a Christmas present from Mika and me."
Eiri narrowed his golden gaze at his sister's husband.
"Eiri-kun, there really is no need to be so suspicious."
Eiri cocked an eyebrow as if to say, "Really?"
"Not everything I do has a dark ulterior motive behind it…Recently," he added.
Eiri could not argue with that.
Tohma sighed heavily. "Really Eiri-kun, can't you just accept this unconditional gift gratefully?"
Eiri said nothing.
"Not even a 'thank you, Brother'?"
Not even bothering to waste his breath with a response that Tohma could repeat in his sleep, Eiri turned from him and walked across the foyer towards the kitchen.
Tohma grabs Eiri's arm. "Actually," he says in a hushed voice, halting the writer's forward movements. "There is something I wanted to speak with you about."
Eiri glanced at Tohma over his shoulder and the serious expression on the other man's face set him on edge.
oOo
Tapping his fingers against his leg, Shuichi's head bounced as he wound his way back to the couch.
I'm a movement by myself.
But I'm a force when we're together.
Mami I'm good all by myself.
But baby you, you make me better.
You make me better.
Reclaiming his seat on the couch, Shuichi noticed that the terrycloth rabbit that Kira's godfather had given him was gone.
"What did you do with it this time?" he asked his son.
After a quick search, he found it hiding underneath the bouncy chair. As he was about to hand it off, a new song came on the radio.
"Oo! I like this song!"
I ain't got no money
I ain't got no car to take you on a date
I can't even buy you flowers
But together we could be the perfect soul mates
Talk to me girl
Shuichi wiggled the rag doll around, making it dance. He laughed as his son cried out to him in annoyance, his fisted hands jerking about as he demanded the return of his toy. "Alright. Alright," Shuichi giggled. He handed back the doll, which Kira snatched only to toss it away again. Shuichi sighed. "You know, this's getting old, Kira." It felt as if he was playing fetch with his son. Reaching out, he scooped up the blue rag doll from the floor just as the familiar jingle of the house phone sounded. He glanced at it inquiringly as it rang again. Casting his son, who was waiting impatiently for his toy a quick glance, Shuichi pushed off the couch with the rag doll still in his hand and grabbed the phone extension from its cradle on the side table, lowering the volume of the stereo on his way. The caller ID said "Unknown". "Hello?" Shuichi answered. He turned and watched his son watching him. "What?" he breathed to the seven month old.
Kira squealed.
"Yes. Hello. This is Detective Misawa Ren from the Osaka Police Department. Is this Shindou-san?"
"Yes," Shuichi replied suspiciously.
"Shindou-san, I'm afraid there has been an incident-"
Shuichi sighed heavily. "What did he do this time?" He should have known.
"Shindou-san, I'm afraid that's not why I called," the detective interrupted.
Shuichi stiffened as he heard the deadly serious tone from the police officer.
Turning deathly pale, Shuichi collapsed into the chair behind him as the officers hollow words continued to pour over the line. His arm dropped and the phone clattered to the floor.
oOo
"Dammit!" Eiri punched the wall. "How the hell can they let this happen?!"
Saying nothing, Tohma watched his brother-in-law sympathetically.
They were sitting at the counter that looked into the kitchen with their backs to the formal sitting room where Tohma had just dropped a major bombshell.
Eiri rounded on Tohma. "That guy tried to kill Shuichi!"
Tohma nodded. "I know."
"Goddamned son of a bitch!"
A year before they were married, Bad Luck was on tour in support of their album Loveless and before they were scheduled to go on at Madison Square Garden in New York City, a deranged man had somehow been able to sneak backstage and into Shuichi's dressing room. Pulling a knife, the insane man tried to murder the singer. A struggle ensued. The commotion grabbed the attention of a couple of roadies that had, coincidentally, passed by Shuichi's dressing room at that exact moment.
Thankfully, Shuichi managed to escape with nothing more than a gash on his arm that had just needed a few stitches.
They found out later that this man, who turned out to be a man named Scott Keene, had been able to make his way backstage by bribing Shuichi's bodyguard, Isaac, with cocaine. Apparently, Isaac had a history of drug abuse that he had neglected to mention on his employment application. Isaac had been fired from his position as Shuichi's bodyguard soon after.
This Scott Keene guy had returned home the previous week, weary from working a double shift, to find a commotion outside his apartment. When he entered his daughter's room, he found her hanging from the curtain rod in her closet with Bad Luck playing in the background. It turned out his daughter, Deborah Ann Keene, had been suffering from severe depression and a breakup with her boyfriend over her unexpected pregnancy had pushed her over the edge. Apparently, her boyfriend had refused to recognize the baby as his. Scott refused to accept the reality of the circumstances surrounding his daughter's suicide and instead blamed the "sinful" music from the "sinful" man, Shuichi, as the cause of his daughter's death and sought revenge.
Scott Keene was subsequently convicted of attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, possession and the sale and distribution of an illegal substance on top of nearly a dozen other charges brought against him and was sentenced to life. Eiri had been rooting for the death penalty, but life without the possibility of parole was just as good. Why give that bastard the easy way out. Let him rot in a prison cell for the rest of his natural life knowing all of this could have been prevented.
Now that same bastard had somehow been able to escape from prison.
"I knew he should have been sent to death row! Bastard!"
"Eiri-kun-"
"How the hell could they let a convicted murderer escape?!" Eiri bellowed.
Technicalities put aside, Tohma stood from the stool and rounding the counter, walked up to his distressed friend. "I really don't know any more than you do," he admitted. His voice was calm and soft; a sharp contrast to Eiri's. He was hoping to be able to pacify him, at least a little. "But you really need to calm down," he insisted lightly. Hugging Eiri's arm to his chest, he led the man back to the counter.
"How the hell do you expect me to calm down with that man on the loose?!"
"Eiri you need to calm down and listen to me," Tohma ordered.
"Tohma-"
"Eiri." Tohma forced his brother-in-law down onto the stool none-too-gently. "Look. I understand how you feel, trust me, but Scott Keene, on the run though he maybe, is on the other side of the planet and there is no possible way that he will be able to get from New York to Japan unless he was escorted by a contingent of FBI agents."
Eiri sighed heavy and sagged back in the chair. He knew that; he really did-logically. Nevertheless, the idea of that creep, who had almost killed the most important person in his life, was out there somewhere scared him more than he would ever admit.
"I'm afraid that is not all."
Eiri felt queasy.
"When Mr. Keene was spotted last it was at a payphone in a diner in Upstate New York, but he somehow managed to elude the cops."
That made Eiri furious. The police were such incompetent fools!
"They suspect that he might be getting help from sympathetic residents in the area."
That made Eiri sick.
"When they traced the call Mr. Keene made at the diner…"
Eiri gulped.
"…apparently, it came back to a woman here in Japan."
Eiri's eyes went wide. The color drained from his face. If he had not been already sitting down, he would have fallen over. An image of the surveillance photos spread out on his desk flashed through his mind. A woman? Here in Japan? Could this be just a mere coincidence? It had to be. What other explanation was there?
Watching Eiri's reaction closely, Tohma continued, "And it turns out that he has been communicating with this same woman for…"
Eiri waited anxiously though he had a sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach that he already knew what Tohma was going to say.
"…the past seven or eight years."
"Oh God."
It was true. Dear God it was true.
No. He shook himself. What was he thinking? No. It was a coincidence. Maybe they were simply pen pals, or something. Hell, he'd had several throughout his stint in school from grade school all the way into high school.
Tohma stepped forward, more certain now than ever. "Eiri? I think there is something you need to tell me."
His whole body trembling, Eiri lifted shock-filled eyes. Tohma was right. It was about time he confided in his brother-in-law. Things had suddenly reached another level. It was now obvious that they were dealing with more than just some stalker.
First, there was one other thing he had to know.
"Her name."
"Excuse me?"
"Her name? What's the name of this woman Scott Keene has been keeping in touch with over here in Japan?"
"…Eiri-kun-"
"Tohma. Please."
Tohma sighed heavily. It was one shocking revelation after another, but this was one revelation that his brother-in-law might not be able to handle. "Eiri, I don't think-"
"Who is she Tohma?!"
Tohma sighed. "Karin. Rinjin Karin."
Eiri went completely white. He felt lightheaded. The room teetered and swam around him. He felt sick to his stomach.
Rinjin Karin? As in Rinjin Yasashii?
Downhearted at this whole situation, Tohma felt completely helpless.
"Tohma…Is she…?" Eiri could not even bring himself to finish that question.
Tohma nodded weakly. "She is, apparently, Yasashii's sister."
Eiri went blank.
Feeling guilty for how this whole thing was plaguing his brother-in-law and for how useless he seemed to be, Tohma took a step towards Eiri, but halted his procession, his hand paused in mid-air. He cocked his head to the side and listened carefully. Dropping his hand, he peered over his shoulder with a frown.
His sister's husband's distant expression snapped Eiri out of his self-imposed depression. "What's wrong?" He tried to still his rapidly beating heart and the panic threatening to engulf him.
"I don't-I thought I heard something."
"What?"
"Not sure."
Standing up, the two trooped to the archway that separated the Great Room from the foyer. Eiri gasped at the sight before him. "Shuichi!" Eiri, with Tohma at his heels, raced across the foyer and jumping the baby gate with ease, and knelt at his husband's feet. He grabbed Shuichi's hands and noticed immediately how cold they felt. "Shu? Baby? What's wrong? Shuichi?"
"Shindou-kun?" Tohma called softly.
Eiri glanced around when he heard the sound of muffled voices. He spotted the phone. Snatching it off the floor, he yelled angrily over the line.
"Ah," came the masculine voice, "finally. Who is this I am speaking to?"
"Who the hell am I speaking to? What the hell did you say to my husband?!"
"Eiri," Tohma scolded lightly. He pulled the portable phone extension out of Eiri's grip, ignoring his protestation, and spoke calmly over the line. "This is Seguchi Tohma speaking. Who is this I am speaking to?"
"Ah, Seguchi-san. Yes. This is Detective Misawa from the Osaka Police Department."
Tohma tried to quell his own panic.
"Seguchi? What-?"
Tohma raised a hand to silence his brother-in-law.
"I am sorry that we have to meet under these circumstances, Seguchi-san, but unfortunately, I have some bad news…"
Tohma's eyes grew wide as the police officer's words flowed over the phone.
"Tohma?" Slowly Eiri got to his feet. He did not like this. Not one bit. "Tohma, what is going on?"
Tohma's arm dropped to his side. A little pale, he turned to face his brother-in-law. "…Eiri…"
Eiri's eyes went wide. He took a step back, tripping over the corner of the chair.
"I am so sorry, Eiri."
"…No…" Eiri's voice shook. He shook his head. He was lying. "No." It was steadier this time.
Tears shimmered in the usually stoic Tohma's eyes. "There…was an accident-"
Eiri continued to shake his head. He was not listening. He was not listening. This was not happening.
"-in the parking garage."
A lone tear tickled its way down the writer's face.
"Witnesses claim to have seen a dark colored Honda Civic-"
With a gasp, Eiri's knees buckled under him and his collapsed to the hardwood floor.
When Tohma's words hit Shuichi, he struggled to rise above the barrier that separated him from everything around him. A Honda Civic? A dark colored Honda Civic? Was it possible…?
o
"Across the street...That dark blackish-grey Honda Civic in front of the bakery at the corner…Take a look inside."
"It's a little hard to see because the windows are tinted."
"I know, but you see that guy?"
"Yeah… What's he doing? It looks like he's holding something."
"Camera."
o
As he turned back to the house, something out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. Peering over his shoulder, he glanced across the front yard and through the iron bars of the front gate and spied a dark grey Honda that he was almost certain had not been there moments before.
o
"-chase the boys through the parking garage, ramming them countless times," Tohma continued. "Riku-kun apparently lost control of the car and plowed into a pillar-"
"It was her," Eiri whispered, not having heard a word Tohma said. His voice did not sound like his own.
Shuichi focused his dazed mind on Eiri as much as the fog in his mind would allow.
"It was her," Eiri reiterated. He lifted eyes glazed over with shock and disbelief. "She's been stalking us for months and now this…" God! Was this all his fault?
That got Tohma's immediate attention. "Eiri. What are you talking about? What is going on?"
Instead of answering, Eiri turned his attention from his brother-in-law to his husband. "Shu-chan."
Shuichi just stared back at his husband blankly, unable to process any of this.
"I am so sorry," Eiri whispered, his voice breaking with the effort to hold back the flood of tears threatening to spill over.
Shuichi felt numb.
It may have been gravitation that brought Eiri and him together, but Fate had cursed their relationship from the very beginning. This was just another sad reminder that they were not meant to have any semblance of happiness in their lives.
…To Be Continued…
Preview: "Two Steps Forward and One Step Back"