Chapter Notes – None, really! For those who are still sticking with the story, please enjoy it!
The morning brought more news about them… Or rather speculation. Eiri just shook his head and drank his coffee, trying to ignore the spectacle of Shuichi feeding himself, beside him on the sofa. He always ate like he was starved. Eiri changed the channel, but it was inescapable. They were on just about every morning news show.
"I think I'm getting sick of seeing myself in the news." He muttered.
"Mmph!" Gulp, "Yeah! I'm so sick of it, I can hardly look at you in person!" Shuichi took a break from shoveling eggs and toast into his mouth long enough to add his own input, then carried right on again.
"I guess I won't have to put your name on the lease then. When will you be leaving?"
"I'm not leaving. You couldn't be so lucky!" He finished scraping the plate.
"All right… Then if you would be so kind, there is a packet of papers on the table by the door. Sign where it is indicated."
"Huh?"
"I had the association send up the lease to add your name. I forgot about it."
"Really?"
"There's been a lot of other things to think about." He shrugged.
"You're going to let me be on the lease with you??" He shrieked.
Eiri flinched from the volume, "Yes… That was the idea. You live here too. You should be equally as responsible for the place."
"I'm official…" He melted off the sofa onto the floor, "You and I! Bound by law!"
"Or the landlord-tenant act… Are you going to sign the papers or just lay there drooling?"
"Both!"
"When you get around to it, take it back down to the office too."
"I will!"
He admired their signatures together on the paper and then made it down to the office and back in record time.
"Yatta!!" He threw up his hands and Eiri pointed, "Huh?"
"Your phone is ringing, noisy."
"Oh…" He hurried to dig it out of his pocket, "Hiro! Hello! Are you having fun yet??"
"Yes and no."
"Then I am glad and sad. What's happening? Are you coming home tonight?"
"Yes… It seems that Ayaka's family and your boyfriend's family are plotting against us all."
"What do you mean?"
"We're not sure… But Ayaka overheard something last night when she went home that made her worried. So I wanted to call to give you a warning to expect something… I guess her father was talking to Yuki-san's father."
"What did they say??"
"They just seem to want to force the marriage."
"Whaaaat?? They can't!"
"That's what I say. Your boyfriend is not marrying my girlfriend."
"Of course he's not!! I'll go there myself and remind them!!"
"Oh… Ayaka would like to talk to Eiri if he's around."
"NO!! HE'S NOT TALKING TO HER!"
"Shuichi, shut up and let her talk to him. They know their families best. It's not like she's going to beg him to go through with it, dummy."
"Fine…" He grumbled and went over to Eiri who was watching with curiosity, "Ayaka wants to talk to you. Your families are plotting."
"Are they…" He took the phone and mostly listened, his brow furrowing, "Don't worry about it. Let me talk to Nakano…… Nakano-san… You need to take a stand with her father if you want her. When they call us together next, and I know they will, you will come and you will not back down. Her father appreciates a determined man. If we do not tell them as a group, with no possibility of any other chance, they will continue to make us all miserable. Decide if you are serious about her quickly… I see… Yes… I am glad for you… Good bye." He shut the phone with an exasperated sigh, "I am more than sick of this… Do you have a proper suit?" His scowl turned toward Shuichi.
"Huh? Not here… At my parent's house."
"Then you'll have to buy one or go home to get it."
"Why?"
"You're coming with me to Kyoto this weekend... I'm putting a final end to this nonsense and Nakano-san will help. He asked Ayaka to marry him."
"He did?? Did she say yes?"
"She agreed." He nodded.
"That's great!"
"Now we need to make them understand that there is no chance for Ayaka and I to marry."
"I'll do it!"
"You'll be calm, composed and formal." He stated, "We are doing this the only way that it will be understood. Seriously… So will you buy one or go to your parent's house?"
"Maybe I should buy a new one. I think my other ones are pretty old… Not so formal as you might like."
He nodded, "Do what you feel is best."
"Help me go find one later." He sat down with Eiri, watching the annoyance-crease between his eyebrows deepening.
"All right."
"Don't get too mad…"
"Why not? I think I need to be mad right now." He scowled even more, taking out a cigarette, "The old man won't take a hint unless driven home with a truck… It's no wonder I'm half crazy. Chh…"
"Only half?" He smiled.
"Maybe a little more." His face seemed to lighten a bit.
"It's really very exciting, don't you think? Hiro is getting married! Maybe… No… He is." He decided, "We will convince them."
"Yes, we will."
"Right… I have work to do." He got up, kissed Eiri and went right back to concentrating on music.
When the editor arrived, Shuichi was engrossed in his keyboard and headphones so he didn't hear the buzzer or her entrance. She was nervous at meeting with Eiri and bowed to him over and over.
"Please… I need to be able to work with you, not worry too much about formality." He tried to offer the nervous young woman a calm face.
"It is just such an honor to be chosen to work with you, Uesugi-sensei… And during such an exciting time in your career."
"I hope you will be challenged and grow as well."
"Thank you." She smiled and noticed Shuichi when he came out of the guest bedroom where he had his computer and keyboard set up. Yawning and stretching, with his MD ear buds buried in his ears, he was oblivious to the world around him as he headed for the kitchen, "He really does live here…"
"Yes… Do you have any moral problem with that? I would like to get that out of the way immediately."
"Oh, no. I've been a fan of both of your work. I think you make an adorable couple!"
"Do you? Hmm."
"Definitely. It was so cute when he called you during your interview the other day. Was that planned?"
"No… Much of my life with Shuichi is not planned." He smirked and waved to get his attention as he made his way back in the other direction with a can of soda. "Come here." He beckoned.
"Oh, hi." He smiled and pulled out the earbuds.
"Shuichi, this is Aiko Narito. My new editor… One of them."
"Nice to meet you."
"I am honored, Shindou-san. I love your music." She bowed.
"Thank you!" He grinned.
"Are you working on another CD now?"
"Trying to. Writing is not my strong suit. I feel inspired today though!"
"Wonderful."
"We'll be back in a couple hours. Do you want me to bring you anything?"
"No, thank you! I am going to burn some noodles in a little while."
"Leave the windows open…"
"I don't want the fire department to come though… Nya… Bye bye."
He went right back to work, not having as hard a time as he thought he might at letting Eiri go out alone with a woman. She was very pretty, but Eiri was going to be taking him to Kyoto on the weekend to face his family once and for all. His name was gracing the paperwork for the apartment beside Eiri's… And after a pair of hours he jumped in surprise at Eiri coming up behind him and hugging him where he'd been sitting, burning his eyes by staring into his computer for too long.
"How did it go??" He inquired too loudly, Eiri pulling out the ear buds so he would be quieter.
"Very well. She thinks you're very cute by the way… I'm starting to get jealous…"
"Liar."
"Apparently she has been to a few of your shows and owns your CD."
"And all your books…"
"True… But she's an aspiring writer herself so it makes sense that she reads a lot."
"What did you talk about for all this time?"
"Work. My writing style. How we would interact. There are three editors on this project so it will be a different task. Talked about confidentiality. It's very important to the publisher that my work remains unseen until the date of release… She did remark that she looks forward to working with a male writer that won't be hitting on her the entire time."
"You better not…"
"Don't worry." He rolled his eyes, "How are you doing here?"
"Amazingly. I'm blowing my own mind!"
"Tell me…"
"I've got a million ideas but I'm working on three of them right now." He showed Eiri what was spread out on the extra bed. Papers with his marker scribble all over them.
"Interesting. 'What I love about Tokyo after dark'…" He picked up the paper, following the words around and then onto the next page.
"Does it suck?"
"No. It's very good."
"Really??"
"I like it. I'll be interested to hear what you have planned to go with it."
"It's going to be, ummmm… Ambient. I wanted to do something that was more instrumental, electronica…" He picked up another piece, "I like this one a lot. I'm surprised I thought of it by myself!"
"Love Genius." He smiled.
"I'm just starting on that one… And this…"
"Shuichi is your DJ." He laughed, "Now that's a frightening thought… You know what else Aiko remarked?"
"No…"
"That she was surprised to find out that you really are like you appear to be in the news. Friendly and energetic and happy… You have a unique way about you, Shu." He ruffled his hair up.
"I'm just glad you don't think it sucks so far!" He did a short victory dance, "Get out! It's only a short while until tomorrow!" He pushed Eiri out of the room.
"Fascinating…" He watched as Shuichi smiled and closed the door so he could get back to work. How the tables had turned.
In the early evening he came back into the spare room, finding that Shuichi was at the computer again, editing.
"Hi!"
"Are you going to want to talk to Hiro?"
"Huh?" He pulled out the ear buds.
"Nakano-san… Phone." He tossed it over.
"Thanks! Hi, Hiro…"
"Hi. I'm home. You want to get dinner?"
"Sure… Wow. It's that late already?"
"Yeah… What have you been doing?"
"Working! I have a lot to tell you. Come over."
"You sure Yuki-san won't mind?"
"He won't. He's using his family name now. Don't call him Yuki-san any more okay?"
"Oh… Okay."
"I guess you have been out of it for a while. It's been all over the news."
"I haven't been paying attention to much. I'll be there in a few minutes."
"See you!" He closed the phone, turning to where Eiri was leaning in the doorway, "Hiro is coming over."
"I gathered that from your conversation. He can help you find a suit."
"I completely forgot! I'm sorry." He bowed his head.
"You've been working hard. We'll go tomorrow."
"Are you sure it's okay?"
"I'm positive. It's too late to go now anyway."
He went back down the hall to his office. Shuichi saved his file and followed to take a turn at standing in a doorway.
"Eiri?"
"Hm?"
"I was right, wasn't I? You don't mind if Hiro comes over?"
"I don't mind. It's your home too."
"Okay." He smiled, "Will you go out for dinner with us?"
"If I wouldn't be intruding."
"No way! We're all going to be family soon, after all."
"How do you figure that?" His eyebrow went up.
"Well… Hiro's marrying your fiancée, and you're living with his best friend… I guess that doesn't really make us family, but we sure do have a lot in common!"
"True."
In a short while he had to disengage from Eiri in order to answer the door chime. He fell out of his lap, bringing Eiri down with him, the chair falling over too.
"Owwww…" Shuichi whined.
"I told you this chair wasn't meant for two people."
"Didn't stop you…" He smiled.
"No… It didn't. Get the door."
"Okay." He used Eiri for a shoulder up and went limping off, opening the door for Hiro who gave him a look, "Hi!"
"Hi… What happened to you?" He tried to pat down the hair that was sticking up on Shuichi's head.
"Chair…"
"I'm not going to ask."
"Good idea."
"There's a load of reporters hanging around out there. Looks like they're about to give up for the night. I heard a few talking about getting dinner when I was coming in."
"Yeah, they're back again. Did they bug you much?"
"Nah, they don't even notice me unless I'm with you. I like being nearly invisible in this case." He smiled and put his motorcycle helmet down on the table by the door, taking off his shoes.
"So… Your break time was dramatic?"
"Very."
"Are you okay?"
"Eh…I hope so. I'm a little worried about pinning my hopes to Eiri Yuki telling off his family and Ayaka's successfully."
"Uesugi."
"Yeah…Right."
"I have a feeling you'll be liking him in this role. He's pretty mad… I get to buy a new suit for the occasion."
"That'll be interesting… He wants you to go?"
"Yes."
"You need to wear a suit too." Eiri came into the hall, "We're going to the temple. All of us. Tell Ayaka she will have to forgive me for whatever I say. It will all be to an end that she will appreciate."
"All right… I think she's a bit nervous about how this is going to happen."
"I'm not. I'm not afraid of her family or mine."
"That's actually why she's nervous. She's afraid of what you'll do." Hiro chuckled.
"You will be respectful. I will be rude." He smiled neatly.
"I can handle that."
Eiri nodded and went to the kitchen to get a drink.
"How's Fujisaki?" Shuichi inquired.
"Asleep. Very asleep. He told me that K and Sakuma-san were being very loud… and that they make up things to argue about… for fun… You know… Sakuma-san is a great singer and song writer, but he is a little stranger than a normal person. Stranger than you!"
"K is pretty weird too when you think about it."
"I don't really need to. I think Fujisaki needs to find a permanent home outside the dorms."
"True… Come look what I've been working on." He grabbed Hiro's sleeve and towed him along.
Hiro looked shocked, going over everything. Shuichi made him sit down and listen to what he had pieced together on the computer.
"You did all of this since you got back??"
"Yes! What do you think? Tell me the truth…"
"It's very different from the stuff you usually do, but it's really great."
"Don't just be nice because you think I'll cry…" He warned.
"I'm not. Hell, I'm used to your crying. I'm actually shocked! What happened to you that you're suddenly not whining about having no ideas and producing this in a short while?"
"Eiri." He smiled happily, "Did I mention? I am soooo happy, Hiro."
"Na, Shuichi… You've been happy before but he always makes you cry in the end."
"He's making me cry in a good way now. He was here when I got home… and ever since he has been so wonderful." He melted onto the floor, sitting there and looking up at Hiro, "It's all okay now. I'm even on the apartment lease!" He hissed, trying to keep it down.
"He put you on the lease?" He raised an eyebrow, "That is unexpected."
"I know! And now he's going to go and stand up for our relationship to his family. I am so in love…" He lay back on the floor, "He inspired all of this, really. I feel relaxed now. And he brought back all these amazing CDs of music from New York for me. I want you to hear too. He said he wants us to do well…"
"Hmm… We'll see how long it lasts."
"Don't say that… Be happy for me."
"I would love to but he is not exactly consistent or reliable. This is the same man that ditched you at the park and flew to New York without telling you where he was going… And that's just the most recent example of his jerk-ness."
"I know. I understand now though… I hope you can get along so we can all be like family." He clapped his hands together in prayer.
"I'm not going to fight with him."
"Good."
Hiro looked at the paper again, "This is really very good. I guess I can't complain if he's inspiring this kind of work. I just know what the other half looks like with all the wailing and sobbing."
"Sorry…"
"You don't have to be sorry." He smiled reassuringly, "I know you love him. I just wish you loved someone more stable… Because you're not stable at all." Grin.
"Don't be mean, Hiro!" He kicked Hiro in the shin as punishment.
"Sorry." He laughed, "This really is amazingly good."
"I'm glad you like it. I tried really hard."
"You're going to really test Fujisaki's synthesizer skills with this one."
"I'm going to play too. There will be too much going on for one person to handle it all."
"Interesting."
Eiri came to find them eventually. "Were you planning on going out?"
"Yeah. Sorry we got preoccupied." Shuichi smiled at him, "How about some American Diner food??"
"If we must."
They made their ways out of the building through the small crowd of news media that was waiting to see if they could take some pictures. As usual, Hiro took it all in stride, smiling and smiling for them.
At the restaurant near Hiro's apartment, they were given their usual semi-private booth in the back. The staff was used to them from their hanging out there when they were nobodies. Now whenever Hiro and Shuichi felt like some greasy diner food, they were an attraction that brought money in to the place. With Eiri along, it was an even more exciting occasion. Only the waitresses that knew them from their high school days were allowed to wait on them. Hiro winked and waved at some girls at a nearby table, making them squeal with excitement.
"Wow, if only I had been this hot in high school." He mused.
"It's amazing how much hotter you get with a bunch of TV and stage exposure. You were so ugly before, I couldn't even stand to say I knew you!" Shuichi reclaimed his milkshake from Hiro before he drank the whole thing.
"You're a jerk!"
"Nyah!"
Eiri mostly sat quietly while Shuichi and Hiro fooled around, talked about music, video games and finally what had happened in Kyoto. Eventually the soda caught up with Shuichi and he excused himself to the restroom, leaving Hiro alone with Eiri who had hardly spoken a word since they'd arrived. Hiro gave Eiri a harsh look across the table which Eiri returned with enthusiasm.
"Are you planning any more sudden trips?" Hiro inquired at last.
"No."
"Good… because you made Shuichi a nut case. I hope you're not just messing with his mind again."
"I was messing with my own… and that's none of your damn business, kid."
"Shuichi is my business because he's my best friend. He may be a little airy, but he's a good person and he deserves better… He loves you. Try appreciating it instead of ripping his heart out every other day, huh?"
"I do appreciate it. I am not going to hurt your friend again. I didn't intend to…"
"He said you put him on the lease."
"True..." He crushed out his latest cigarette very slowly and deliberately, watching the sparks… and then looked at Hiro again quite directly, "I am not going anywhere."
"For his sake, I'm glad. You're his whole reason to live and his inspiration to keep creating… For all I care, you could take a one-way trip to see the rabbit in the moon."
"Well, at least we have that in common then…"
"Screw you, Eiri Yuki…"
Eiri smirked at Hiro not getting his meaning, thinking he was trading insults instead of acknowledging Shuichi's role in his life, "You don't have any clue, kid…"
Shuichi came back to find them in a stare-down. He clapped his hands and bowed, "Please be friends now!" He looked at them, they now looking at him instead of each other, "It didn't work… did it?"
"Prayer is not always the answer. Hiroshi will not be a friend to me until he sees you happy. Even then, he will probably always want only for your happiness and worry that I will not provide it. Sit down and finish your dinner."
"Fine…" He sighed and resumed his seat beside Eiri, "But I will always hope."
"He may like me better once my fiancée is his wife."
Shuichi cringed at the mention.
"I'm not sure how you plan on making this stop. They won't even let me talk to her now and they took away her cell phone so I can't even send her a message."
"They cannot force us to marry. I am a man with a life of his own, no dependency on family. There is nothing they can use to pressure me. Once they see that it is not possible they will have to change their minds about keeping Ayaka prisoner… Shuichi says that you love her. I hope you are serious because she may be disowned and have only you to depend on. She does not have a life of her own. Do you understand?"
"Yes. I understand."
"She may not be the woman I love and want to marry, but I know that she is a good person from many years of knowing her… Nakano, if you are not completely serious about this I will be furious with you on her family's behalf."
"I am perfectly serious."
"Good."
"Can we stop being serious now?" Shuichi whined.
"Awww… What do you want to talk about, pumpkin? What's on your mind?" Hiro smiled at him.
"Spring is a wonderful time for weddings! It will be here soon! Ayaka will be so pretty. Do you think she will want to do an American wedding or wear shiromuku?"
"She will probably want to be more traditional… Uesugi-san… I don't smoke regularly but I feel the need to at the moment…"
Eiri tossed him a cigarette and slid the lighter across the table, "Enjoy…"
"Kaff kaff…" Shuichi mocked, "I will smoke too then!"
"No you won't." Eiri removed the packet from the table.
"Why not?"
"Singer, desu yo. Your lungs are your career. No smoking."
"Okay, okay… Hiro, you will have to have extra children to make up for the ones that Eiri and I won't be having."
Hiro choked a bit, "Don't say things like that all of the sudden!"
"Your kids will be so cute! Can I baby-sit?"
"All you want to." He nodded.
"We can borrow children." Shuichi smiled at Eiri, "You see? Not so bad."
"What are you going to do with children?" Eiri asked.
"Take them to the park, of course!"
"You are a strange thing…" He ruffled Shuichi's hair until he got his hand swatted away, "I think you would tire them out too much."
"Maybe… I can't wait until tomorrow comes."
"For a change Manager K won't have to threaten to kill you. You've actually got something done in advance. He might pass out."
"Good! It would serve him right!"
Hiro parted ways with them after dinner and Shuichi went back to putting things together on his computer. Eiri found him asleep with his face on the keyboard and an error message on the screen.
"Shu… Time for bed." It took some effort to move his limp body, but Eiri helped/dragged him along down the hall and put him on the bed, starting to undress him.
"I'm too tired for that now…" He yawned.
"I'm just trying to get you into bed."
"I know… Too sleepy…" He pushed at Eiri, "Pervert, taking advantage of my sleeping…"
"I'm sorry I tried to help… You apparently don't understand."
He struggled through the process until finally Shuichi was out of his clothes and completely asleep. Nearly exhausted from the effort of fighting Shuichi into bed, Eiri went to the bath to wash up and take a pill before getting into bed himself. He climbed in quietly, Shu smiling in his sleep.
"I love, Eiri…" He mumbled.
"You even dream about me… Strange thing." He smiled and fell asleep.