Chapter notes – As promised, it's Friday and here's another chapter. Hope you'll enjoy and that you'll be looking forward to meeting Shuichi's uncle in the next chapter! Not sure how people feel about introducing outside characters, but we'll find out!
EDIT -- I just realized upon opening the next chapter to clean/edit, that Uncle Kentaro isn't going to make his appearance until chapter 15. Whoops... There's still one more between this one and that one... So, I'm sorry I jumped the gun :)
Read and review - It'll make me clean the chapters for publishing faster! It also makes me super warm inside to know that you care enough to jot a paragraph in response to these many pages...
If you're still enjoying this story, be sure to check out the beginning of the story -- Remix, The Beginning of the New Ending -- that is being published separately.
In the morning Shuichi found Eiri smoking on the balcony, not interested in conversation. He went quietly about his work and Eiri about his.
"What is this quiet that has fallen?" He wondered, looking into Eiri's office as he tapped away at the keyboard, "Are you so sad from what you said last night? It was the truth. I know it… I accept it. It's not any reason to be so distant."
He brought Eiri some tea in the early afternoon. A peace offering. He didn't look up from his work even as Shuichi set the cup down carefully on his desk..
"Do you… want anything for lunch?" He tried.
"Yes." He stopped working at last, still not looking at him.
"Whatever you want, I'll go get it. Swear I won't cook."
"I want to apologize…"
"Huh?"
"You don't think I need to?"
"No… You haven't done anything wrong… I mean, you're very distant today but I guess I can understand why." He shrugged, "It's like I said before… You end up being open and emotional and then the next day you feel like you have to switch it all off. Right?"
"You're correct."
"Good. So I don't have to get bitten and pinned down again." He smiled.
"No. Sorry…"
Shuichi moved the tea cup and sat on his desk, looking at him, "I'm not going to leave you." He watched Eiri's reactions flow across his face, "It's just a fact. We're family now. Aren't we?"
"Yes…"
"So don't worry so much. What do you want to eat?"
"Whatever you feel like is fine."
"Okay. I'll be right back." He hopped down and kissed Eiri's forehead before running out the door.
Eiri sat back in his chair, raking his fingers though his hair before lighting a cigarette. He exhaled heavily, closing his eyes.
"Have to relax…I have to relax…He's right. It is not so bad letting someone know me. At least it shouldn't be… Damn you, Yuki." He scowled then got up and went to the bathroom, taking up the bottle of pills, "You should be able to do this without these… Coward. And why? Faced with Shuichi? The least hurtful person you've known? What the fuck are you so scared of? The last thing he wants to do is hurt you. Or anyone…"
Shuichi came home to find Eiri staring at himself strangely in the mirror in their bathroom, gripping a bottle of pills so much that it was nearly cracking and his knuckles were turning white.
"Eiri…" He breathed, "Are you all right?"
"No… Come here." Eiri ground out the few words.
Shuichi walked over slowly, "Can I… help?"
"Yes." He gritted his teeth, squeezing his eyes shut and breaking the stare, "Take these pills away from me."
Shuichi took his hand and uncurled his fingers from around the bottle, "Is the medicine making you sick?? I thought you weren't taking it."
"I am not." He clapped a hand to his face, "I probably should be… Shuichi… I am not going to be afraid of you."
"What? Why should you be? I'm the least scary person I know." He smiled.
"You apparently terrify me though." Eiri turned and smiled back then suddenly reached out and pulled him into a tight hug, "I am such a coward."
"No you're not." He sighed and hugged back, "There's nothing shameful about taking medication. It's helping. It helped you a lot so far, right? You don't have to prove how tough you are by getting off it extra fast."
"You were happy though… when I told you I hadn't been taking it."
"Maybe that was wrong of me… I was just hopeful that everything was getting better for you. I wasn't trying to say that I was ever ashamed of you. I'm sorry."
"What should I do?"
"Stay on the medication. For as long as necessary." He let go and looked up at Eiri's wounded expression, "You know what? If what happened to you had happened to me… I would still be locked in a closet, sobbing. Even with medication."
"You're a little soft that way though… Spiders have the same effect."
"Yuck." He smiled again, "I do hope that some day you don't need help from medicine to be yourself… because you're wonderful. One day… Hmm?"
"One day." He agreed and let Shuichi feed him a pill, "Even though you say I should not be… I am ashamed."
"Well, I'm not." He reached up, pulling Eiri down and kissing him, "Never ashamed… Just in love with you. Remember that."
"I will."
"Lunch is getting cold! Come on." He towed Eiri down the hallway by the hand with his usual enthusiasm for life, making Eiri smile in spite of himself.
"Thank you, Shuichi…" Was all he could think as he listened to his usual chattering about everything in his mind or that he had seen on his way to get take-out. Even eating didn't stop his talking.
"I forgot…" He suddenly stopped his long train of thought, eyes wide.
"Forgot what?"
"To email my uncle!"
"I'm sure he will not hold it against you… but I could use a trip to a hot spring I think."
"Yeah. That would be good." He nodded and then sprang into action, jumping over the coffee table on his way to the room that served as his office.
"Need to get that bed out of there…" Eiri reminded himself.
Eventually Shuichi came back, "You know what else I forgot?"
"No… What?"
"To make you read the American music news! I just kept wanting to be quiet for you so I forgot all about it!"
"I'll come look now."
"No no! Finish your lunch please." He bowed.
"I'll finish it later. I'm curious too." He got up, "You don't have to be so careful with me, you know."
"I just want to be!" His eyes were wide, smiling as Eiri clapped a hand onto his shoulder and pushed him back toward the spare room.
"Calm down. Your heart's going to fly out of you." He said and sat down at the mess that served as a desk, looking at the computer monitor, "How do you find anything on this? There are a billion shortcuts on your desktop. Chh…"
"I know where everything is. Hurry!"
"Your computer is like your brain is…" He finally found the web browser and made his way to the US news portals, not long before he found news about the download from the previous night.
"We got good reviews here in the news this morning…" He rested his chin on Eiri's shoulder, watching the confusing text go rolling by, "Heeeee!… That's meeee!" He saw his picture go by.
"Interesting…"
"What does it say??"
"Ow. I'm deaf…"
"Sorry…" He whispered instead.
"You are in 'world beat' and it is a review of the download and a synopsis of the band."
"What does it say though? Do they like it? Do they hate it?"
"I will read to you… Ready?"
"Yes." He hugged Eiri from behind, "No, wait!… Just tell me this before you start. Do they like it, do you think?"
"Yes. Shh…" He stroked Shuichi's hand to calm him down, "Here we go…"
"Last night in Japan the bandwidth of the nation was tested as millions of fans of the rising star band Bad Luck went to their computers. The band released a new song, freely available for download on the internet, saying that it was a 'thank you' to their fans after their recent tour. Initial reaction to the news that this 'fan gift' would become available, brought down the web servers for NRG Studios—Home studio for the band—early this week. The load was hurriedly distributed amongst service providers and agreements to distribute the download across several hosts were reached in time to meet the demand head-on. If nothing else, this is a testament to the Japanese ability to throw technology at a situation and fast. The fans were not disappointed. This new song, written, sung and arranged by Bad Luck's front Shuichi Shindou, is a dramatic departure from the band's usual J-pop bubble gum antics. While J-pop is the fast-food love of the land of the rising sun, it has never been among this reviewer's favorite genres. This particular release, however, caused me to struggle through the AmazonJapan checkout in order to get a copy of the band's first CD, not available in the USA. From the two other tunes that I've heard snippets of from Japanese web sites, I can say that they are at first blush just another fluff band. When listened to more closely, they are technically impressive. This new release definitely proves that they are not just another cookie-cutter mall sensation. It left me breathless, landing somewhere amongst the styles of The Crystal Method, The Orb, Moby and Paul Oakenfold all mashed together. The young pop players include Suguru Fujisaki, 16 year old prodigy music student, who contributed to the arrangement and studio work as well as his phenomenal skills on keyboards. 20 year old Hiroshi Nakano demonstrated his skills with bass for a driving undercurrent. 19 year old Shuichi Shindou proves his talent for all aspects of the game from writing, composing, studio work, vocals and keyboard. If you haven't yet heard this tune, I highly recommend you download "What I love about Tokyo after dark". It's in my shuffle, and should be in yours. Information about this release is available in English here. If you can read Japanese you can find information about the band here. Brief overview of the band. Formed originally with two members, Shuichi Shindou and Hiroshi Nakano during their high school days. They gained a measure of overnight success after a live show at music hall Zepp Tokyo. A successful CD release and subsequent tour added to their rise. Add to this the very public romantic involvement of their young lead singer with famed novelist Eiri Yuki and you have a mixture of music and intrigue that has Tokyo a-buzz. While you might think that a traditional country such as Japan might not appreciate such a media-focused same-sex relationship, they can't seem to get enough of the odd couple. The news is full of them on a daily basis. Get beyond that and see what you think. We'll be interested to see what Shindou-san can come up with next."
He stopped reading, noticing that Shuichi wasn't breathing on the back of his neck any more.
"Nnh?" Eiri turned around as Shuichi fell to the floor in a dead faint so he swiveled the chair more and looked down on him … then nudged him with his foot, causing Shuichi to inhale at last.
"Breathless… We are recommended in the USA." He smiled dreamily.
"Do you know… I remember when I was little that my cousins had a dog… It was a very happy dog… but it would always slam its head into the corner of the table in the living area. The dog never seemed to notice that it had hit its head, just carried on being happy. I think you are that dog reincarnated."
"But I can write music… Dogs can't."
"You can. So say the reviewers."
Shuichi sat up then, "You're not just making all that up to make me happy, are you?"
"No. It's not my style. That was what it said. Congratulations."
"Thank you!" He sprawled back onto the floor again, "Maybe some day soon I can get some new equipment…Aaahhh."
"New equipment?"
"Yeah… Newer, faster computer. Better keyboards…"
"Hmm…"
"They hardly said anything about you. Isn't that good?"
"Your work is outshining your relationship at last."
"But only in the news!" He held up a finger, ticking it back and forth.
"Yes… You should hurry to make another CD."
"You know what would be neat? If we could finish our CD at the same time you finish your novel… We could have our honeymoon after that!" He grinned.
"I'm not going to wait that long." He smiled.
"Then you better do a lot of work and get ahead of schedule… To keep up with me!"
"I will do my best. As a matter of fact, Aiko is coming by tomorrow to pick up the first section. If you don't mind, could you let her in and give her a CD?"
"Huh? You won't be here?"
"I would very much like to go visit the good doctor tomorrow morning. I'll call and find out if it's even possible given the short notice... so I am depending on you. Don't screw it up."
"I won't." He sighed and heard a beep on his computer, "Oh! I have email."
Eiri looked, "It's from your uncle."
"Read it to me, okay?"
"What, you can't get up?"
"Not yet. Besides, you're a super good reader, Eiri!"
He opened the email and smirked, "I think your uncle is like you."
"Why?"
"He is a fan of cutesy little icons… Now for some easier reading." He started, "It seems like a million years since I saw you last but I'm glad to see you are doing so well. At least I get to see you in the news a lot these days. And with such a handsome man too!" Eiri looked back down on Shuichi, "At least he has taste…"
"No aside comments please!"
"Fine… We would love to have you both come visit, get you away from the big city for some relaxation. Please let us know as soon as you are able to come. We will be sure to give you the best hospitality. I will save the conversation until then, nephew. Write soon!"
"Hummm… I wonder what his husband is like…"
"If your uncle is anything like you… probably insane." He smiled back down on Shu.
"Mean…" He made a face, "Thank you for reading that for me. I feel so much better…"
"It is quite impressive. I will look for more for you."
"Nah, it's okay. I know you're busy. I'm happy just to hear this one… Maybe more later on?… You know… I wonder why I haven't gotten any phone calls today. I would have thought that K would be crawling through the phone lines about now."
"You probably forgot to put your phone on the charger."
"You think?"
"Often. Try it."
"Ha…Ha…" He looked up at Eiri for a good while in silence, just watching his eyes, his calm instead of cool expression, feeling nice to be held in his gaze for so long. There was a connection being allowed once again and it was amazing. More amazing than the review even, "You're thinking too loud." He copied what Eiri had said to him before.
"You can hear it, nnh?"
"Yeah… blah blah blah, I'm a super great writer, blah blah, Shuichi is dumb, he can't read English, blah blah, he can't even stand up right, blah blah."
Eiri smiled more, "You really can hear what I'm thinking. Amazing!"
"Wow, you didn't have to agree with me just then."
"No. I didn't… but it was funny." He got up from the chair, reaching down to Shuichi, "Need a hand?"
"I'll always take yours." He got lifted easily, brought into a warm embrace.
"Are you proud?" Eiri asked as he broke away.
"Very."
"Good… I am very proud of you too."
Another kiss, Shuichi melting from the unforced compliment… and then the intercom buzzed.
"Darn it…" He lamented.
"There you are. The outside world has found a way in beside your cell phone. Go get it."
For a moment he pressed his face to Eiri's throat, inhaling him like some sort of strength booster… and then let go to answer the intercom which was buzzing again.
"Oi oi…Hang on! I'm coming, already!" He yelled at it and then pressed the button, "Hai…?"
"Shindou-sama, there are three-" Was all the front desk security got out before he heard his Manager's voice in the background, yelling in half Japanese and half English.
"You tell that self-centered, bastard boyfriend of yours that I'll climb the side of this building and kill him if you don't let me in this moment! Don't you turn off his cell phone on me, Eiri Yuki! I know where you live!"
"Apparently so…" Eiri muttered, "Time to move."
"Aaa, don't say that. I like it here." He sighed and pressed the button again, "I know he seems violent but they're okay to let in."
"Are you sure? The foreigner doesn't look stable."
"He's not… but it's still okay. Thanks."
"Yes, Shindou-sama."
Shuichi smiled, still amused to be called 'sama' and living on a secured floor in a high-end building.
"Maybe you should go hide." He cast his smile toward Eiri where he was leaning in the hallway.
"I am not afraid." He pushed up the sleeves on his black sweater, "Let him do his best. He's all talk."
"No fighting." He looked at the hall table and his cell phone was indeed off, out of juice. He plugged it into the charging stand, "My mistake."
"You should be more responsible… but it was nice to have some quiet."
"Well, it's over now."
"I am going to go make coffee… Good luck."
"Thanks." He sighed and stuffed his hands into his pockets, waiting for the knock at the door. It came more as a loud thud which made him wince.
"Open this door immediately!" Boomed from the hallway.
"I'm coming…" He opened the door and K pushed in followed by Fujisaki and Hiro, "Hi!"
"Where is he?? He has turned off his last cell phone!" K bellowed.
"It was my fault. I forgot to put it on the charger." He pointed.
"You lie to protect him." K leaned down, glaring at Shuichi.
"No. I tell the truth." He smiled widely at the man towering over him, "I was being irresponsible. I am very sorry… What's going on?"
"A lot." Hiro said, "They're going to start selling our CD on some American web sites. For download as MP3s. NRG got a load of requests today and took the best offer. By the end of next week, we're going to be for sale all over the world."
"You're kidding…" Shuichi's jaw dropped.
"Nope. That's why K is so frantic."
"Wow…" He sat down on the floor again, at least not completely falling over this time, "Serious?"
"Very serious. These are exciting times." K said, pointing down at him, "Expectations of your abilities are high. You had better be serious about having enough for two more CDs in your head…"
"I am, I am… I think I'm moving on to a third actually… Am I asleep? Is this a dream?"
"No, it's not a dream. Where is that bastard?" K cast his gaze around the place, cracking his knuckles dramatically.
"Hey, leave Eiri out of this! It really was my fault, you know."
"I do not believe you. I have been hung up on enough by him recently."
"We need to sleep sometimes, K!"
Eiri came out into the hall with his cup then and K scowled at him immediately.
"You need to mind your own damn business!" He now pointed at Eiri who just looked at him, taking a sip of his coffee without saying a word, then turned and walked away down the hall, "Hey!! Answer me!"
He stopped and turned back, replying in English, "Go fuck yourself."
"What??"
"I said… Go… fuck... yourself." He took another sip, "Any other questions? Has your English begun to slip?"
"You pompous little prick bastard, self-centered son of a bitch…" K growled.
"Naa… Hasn't Ryuichi taught you any Japanese manners yet? You do not come to a man's home and threaten him. You do not wake a man from his bed nearly nightly and expect to be treated peacefully. So be quiet while I work or I will throw you out, stupid American. You are only allowed in here because Shuichi allows it. Excuse me." He went down the hall further and into his office.
"Fucking asshole… Break up with him!" He commanded Shuichi.
"No!! Just tell me what I need to know so I can get back to work!"
"Work…?" K blinked at him in shock.
"Yeah! I've been working almost all morning!"
"How… unusual…" He raised an eyebrow.
Hiro crouched down beside him and patted his head, "You never worked so hard in high school."
"I like this work better!" Then he remembered, "Hiro!! We have been reviewed well by the American press! Eiri read me a review!"
"I know. K has been reading them to us. Everyone is surprised. No one believes that we pulled this off in just a week."
"Many are saying that it was Uesugi-san that wrote it because it is not like our work." Suguru added as he joined them on the floor, "Did he write it?"
"No! It was all me. Swear… Oh!… and I want some time off."
"You cannot have time off!" K blustered.
"Why not? I'm way ahead of schedule and I want to go visit my uncle!"
"There are interviews to be granted. Photo shoots. Papers to sign. Studio work to do. Appearances to be made! You keep forgetting about all that! Are you even remotely serious about being a successful band?? Inquiring minds want to know, cuz it sure doesn't seem like it, short stuff."
"K… We all have been working very hard." Suguru was the one who spoke up, surprisingly, "I would personally like to sleep for a week."
"You can't slow down now that you are becoming international… I am surprised to hear this coming from you."
"Then perhaps you will consider it more. I am tired. This past week has been so long. Well worth it… but we have just come back from tour with only a little while to rest before all of this. It may be best for us to really rest. I know that Hiro has many things to do, Shuichi has relatives to visit and a difficult lover to contend with, I have school work and a new home to go to and just… sleep… Haven't you thought that perhaps people will want to hear more from us if they don't get overwhelmed by us for a while? Supply and demand."
"Hmmm…" He thought about it, "You are wise for your age, young Fujisaki. I agree. You will have a hiatus. I will tell the press that you are going to come back to work on your new CD refreshed and new. Good good."
"I'll still be working up until we leave so I'll email you guys with some more stuff if you care." Shuichi smiled.
"We definitely do. Your idea and song has pushed us far ahead of where we should be. I just hope that your life will continue to be smooth and inspiring. We know what it's like when it's not that way." Suguru nodded.
"Everything is fine. You know that."
"Perhaps Shuichi is just getting used to Uesugi-san's poor attitude." K scowled.
"He tends to get irritable when a house guest says he will scale the walls of the building to come kill him." Shuichi made a face at him.
"He is not acting in your best interest. Only his… It's a shame. He used to be a nice young man…" K mused.
"He still is. You want some coffee? Anyone? Hmm?" Shuichi decided to be a host to their house guests, hoping that K would relax. The day had certainly had its ups and downs. Shuichi was hoping to keep things on the up side from then on.