Gravitation
Disclaimer: I don't own Gravitation. Maki Murakami does.
Angel Eyes Kiyone: Oh, my gosh you guys I'm so sorry! It's been forever I know. Lost the internet for about two months. Then my brother took the computer away that has my Precious story on it so I had to transfer everything to this old computer. Oh well. Here's the next chapter.
Hiroshi's POV
I had just finished speaking to Ayaka on the phone when the doorbell rang. It never really came as a surprise to me. After all, Shuichi was always at my place at all different hours when Mr. Yuki put him out. I got up to open the door. Then when I did, there he was; just as I had predicted. My happy mood suddenly flew out the damned window when I saw his face. No, I wasn't angry with him. I was angry at the bastard who constantly shattered the smile that was always plastered to his face.
"Shuichi?" I said in shock. "What the hell happened?! Get in here!"
He was shaking uncontrolably from the cold. I could see the tear stains on his cheeks and his eyes were red. I grabbed the suitcases from his hands and tossed them to one side. He stepped in, struggling to remove his backpack and shoes. At this rate, tradition and rules didn't matter to me. I pulled him in and sat him down on the bed, shoes and all. I helped him take off his backpack and sweater. He curled up into a tight ball on the bed. I grabbed a warm blanket and threw it over him.
"It was him again," I said to him bitterly, "wasn't it?"
I could see him shaking his head from under the blanket. He was still shivering. I went to my closet to get another blanket. After I wrapped it around him I went into the kitchen to make him some hot chocolate. It should be able to warm him up a little. After about thirty or so minutes, he finally calmed down enough to tell me what happened. I was furious! That bastard! Why was he always making Shuichi cry?
"Shuichi," I said firmly, "you need to leave him for good! He's not good for you!"
"I know, Hiro." Shuichi responded sadly. "But I love him so much."
"You can do so much better than him, Shu!" I told him. "Look at what he's done to you? You used to be so strong. You knew what was right from what was wrong. And now look at you."
Shuichi looked down at himself. He really was a mess. Moments ago, he had been extremely happy about being home with Yuki and now he was an emotional wreck. And it was all because his koi couldn't make up his damned mind.
"He's destroyed you, Shuichi." I said sadly.
"Was I really that strong?" Shuichi asked.
"Yes," I replied, "you were."
"I don't know what to do, Hiro." Shuichi said.
"Well, I think you should leave him," I said, "but you can stay here as long as you'd like until you decide what you're gonna do."
"Thanks, Hiro." Shuichi said with a smile. "You're a real friend."
"Of course I am, moron." I teased.
"Say, Hiro," Shuichi said, "can we go for a walk?"
"Huh? Now?" I asked dumbly.
"Yeah," Shuichi replied, "I just need to clear my head right now."
"Yeah, man, sure." I said getting up from the bed.
I changed into some warm street clothes. I let Shuichi borrow my coat and gloves. I slipped into my shoes, grabbed my keys and we headed out the door. It was freezing cold; a little too cold for Fall. We walked around for a while just talking about whatever. We avoided going to the park. That was the place where Shuichi had met Mr. Yuki. We also avoided bringing up his name. I knew that if I brought it up, Shuichi would break down again. We walked for about thirty minutes or so until we came to an intersection. It was close to the NG building. Shuichi and I noticed a couple of kids running around playing some kind of game.
"What are those kids doing out here so late?" Shuichi asked.
"I wonder." I replied.
We brushed them aside. Shuichi and I weren't the only ones walking on the street at night though. Besides the kids that we saw, there were many other pedestrians. Most of them were couples holding hands, exchanging quick kisses and laughing together. I saw the look of sadness on Shuichi's face.
"Hey," I said to Shuichi trying to distract him, "we should head back now."
"Yeah." He sighed sadly.
When we turned around to head back to my apartment, we heard some girls giggling and pointing at us.
"Hey," one girl said, "isn't that Shuichi Shindou and Hiroshi Nakano of Bad Luck?"
"Oh, my God," another girl squealed, "it is them!"
"Shit!" Shuichi gasped. "We forgot our hats and sunglasses, Hiro!"
"Yeah, no kidding," I said panicking, "other way."
We turned on our heels and ran for it. Just then, we heard a loud rumbling sound. A semi truck was making its way through. It was going at speed limit down the busy road.
"You can't catch me!" I heard one of the kids shout.
"No, wait!" One of the other kids called. "Come back!"
The kid was headed straight for the damned intersection. Everyone including myself looked in horror as the kid ran into the road. That's when I saw him bolt after the kid. For a moment, I thought it was the most incredible thing I'd ever seen. Shuichi's agility and speed. It was amazing.
"Hey, kid," I heard him shout, snapping me out of my trance, "watch out!!"
The only thing I heard next after that was were screeching tires and the loud honks of two cars and the semi truck. I looked out to where Shuichi was. He grabbed the kid by his collar and flung him to the other side of the intersection onto the sidewalk.
"Shuichi!!" I screamed. But it was already too late.
A yellow car swerved trying to slow down and ended up hitting Shuichi. The impact sent him rolling over the car, into the air, and landing on his back onto the sidewalk at the boy's feet. As for the yellow car; it ended up swerving into a red car that was heading in the opposite direction. When both cars came to a halt in the middle of the intersection, they collided with the semi truck. The driver of the truck slammed on the breaks. However, the sudden halt sent the driver flying through the windshield and skidding down the road a few feet from the wreckage.
People around me were screaming and crying. But I couldn't hear any of it. My heart was beating too fast. My breathing increased. I looked over at the boy who had caused the whole thing. He was still standing there looking down at the unconcious body lying at his feet. His eyes were filled with horror.
"Someone call 911!" a man yelled.
People rushed over to Shuichi. Others rushed to the guy who went flying out of the windshield. I couldn't tell where my feet were heading, but the next thing I knew, I was standing over Shuichi's limp body; his pink hair had turned red.
"He's bleeding pretty bad!" someone yelled.
"The ambulance is on its way." said one guy holding a cel-phone.
"Is he dead?" a girl screamed.
"He still has a pulse!" a guy said holding two fingers to Shuichi's neck.
I knelt down beside him and took his hand. They were still warm. I could feel someone's hand on my shoulder.
"Are you alright, son?" he said.
My mouth opened but nothing came out. Just then, the ambulances arrived along with the police. People were told to clear the area. Minutes later, news reporters surrounded the area. They didn't waist any time. They started asking people questions about what they saw and how they felt about the whole thing. I looked up at where the kid had stood. He was long gone now.
"Where'd that stupid kid go?" I heard someone yell.
Someone started pulling me back. I looked up to see a paramedic looking down at me.
"Excuse me, sir," he said, "I'm gonna have to ask you to step aside."
I did as he said. News reporters swarmed around me at that instant. The police did all they could to hold them back. One cop pulled me out of the way and over to his car. I kept taking glances over at Shuichi's limp body.
"He's still alive." a paramedic said.
"What about the other one?" another paramedic called to his fellow paramedic.
"No pulse!" he called back.
"The driver of both those cars are dead as well." came another paramedic.
My heart skipped a beat. That damn kid! Why did he have to run into the street? The cop standing in front of me asked me what happend. But I couldn't find the words. My mouth hung open but nothing came out. I heard people screaming into the microphones.
"Damn it!" I heard a woman yell. "Didn't that kid's parents teach him how to cross the street?!"
"I wish the damned brat would have gotten hit!" another girl snapped.
"What did you say your name was, son?" the cop beside me asked.
"H-Hiroshi Nakano, sir." I said with trembling lips.
He looked at me again. I guess he hadn't realized it before.
"Hiroshi Nakano of Bad Luck?" he asked me.
"Yes, sir." I answered plainly.
"So then that boy lying unconcious over there is-"
"Shuichi Shindou, sir." I cut him off not really meaning to.
He didn't say anything after that; just stared at me in surprise. Right when I was about to say something else, I heard a man give his comment.
"Man, I hope he makes it through alright." he said. "I tell you, that Shuichi Shindou is a God damned hero for saving that kid's ass!"
That made me smile. To hear some stranger refer to my best friend as a hero was heart warming. The cop put his hand on my shoulder and pulled me over to the paramedics. They had already put Shuichi on a stretcher and placed him in the ambulance.
"How is he?" the same cop asked the paramedics.
"He's bleeding from the head," one paramedic said, "and he's in critical condition. We're taking him to Japan Red Cross Medical Center."
"We need someone to go with him." another paramedic said.
"I'll go." I said suddenly.
"What's your name?" asked the first paramedic.
"This is Hiroshi Nakano of Bad Luck." the cop said.
Silence. They all looked at me in shock.
"Yeah," the cop said, "I had that same expression."
"So, the boy in the ambulance is-"
"Shuichi Shindou." the cop and I said in unison.
"I thought he looked familiar." the paramedic said.
"Hey!" yelled another paramedic. "The truck driver is dead. We can't seem to get his heart going."
"Dead on the scene!" the first paramedic called back.
My heart lurched. What if Shuichi doesn't make it? What if he dies on the way to the hospital? I started trembling.
"Alright, Mr. Nakano," the second paramedic said, "come with us."
"Keep your head up, son." the cop said. "He'll make it through."
"Thank you, sir." I said smiling.
I followed the paramedics to the ambulance. Reporters were calling out to me. It was obvious that they wanted answers to their questions. I ignored them and climbed in. No way was I going to give them the satisfaction of hearing about what happend to my best friend. I sat next to his limp body. The paramedics had hooked him up to a heart monitor and a breathing mask was placed over his face. I took his left hand in my hands. There was no way I could hold back the tears that were now streaming down my face.
"Sh-Shuichi." I sniffed. "Please hold on. Please don't leave me."
I looked at him closely. His eyes were now open. One of the paramedics riding with me came over and checked on him.
"Shuichi?" I asked seeing if he could hear me. They shined a small flash light in his eyes.
"This is bad." the paramedic said.
"What is it?" I asked.
"He's in a coma." he said.
"Oh, God." I said in shock.
"You should call his family." the other paramedic said.
I pulled out my cel-phone. My hands trembled as I dialed his parents' number. Their house phone rang a few times. Finally someone picked up.
"Moshi-moshi?" came a woman's voice. It was his mom.
"Um...hello, Mrs. Shindou," I said nervously, "it's Hiroshi."
"Oh, Hiroshi," she said in a surprisingly panicky voice, "is everything alright? I just got this sharp pain in my chest and then Shuichi just came to my mind."
'Oh no' I thought to myself. 'Mother's intuition.'
"Um, well about Shuichi." I said softly.
"What happened, Hiroshi?" she said panicking. "What happened to my baby?!"
"Um...we're on the way to the hospital right now." I told her.
I could hear her husband's voice in the background asking what happened. I heard her say Shuichi was going to the hospital. He took the phone from her and started screaming into the mouth piece.
"Mr. Shindou, please calm down." I said holding the phone away from my ear. At least now I know which parent Shuichi gets his lungs from.
"Which hospital is he going to?!" the man hissed.
"Japan Red Cross Medical Center." I told him.
"What's his condition?" he asked frantically, "Do you know, Hiroshi?!"
"He's in critical condition, sir." I choked. "Plus, he's also in-hello?"
He hung up on me. This was going to be harder than I thought. I decided to call K. and Fujisaki and tell them the news. K. told me he would be at the hospital immediately and pick up Fujisaki on the way there. I didn't want to worry Ayaka, so I decided not to call her. I didn't have Mr. Sakuma's number, so I couldn't call him. He would probably go into hysterics anyways. Besides, he's going out with Eiri Yuki's younger brother, Tatsuha. The last thing I need right now is their drama. And then there was Eiri Yuki himself. My blood started to boil. I hadn't realized that I was squeezing Shuichi's hand.
"I'm sorry, Shu!" I apologized forgetting for a second that he couldn't hear me.
Within moments, we were at the hospital. The paramedics rushed over to the ambulance I was in with Shuichi and carefully lifted him out. I followed close behind. He was sent to room 204. They sent doctors in to check to see if he had any other injuries. I waited outside his room. Just then, K. and Fujisaki showed up; both were gasping for air. Knowing K., he was one crazy driver. No wonder he got here so quick. About twenty minutes later, Shuichi's parents and younger sister showed up. Both women were crying. Mr. Shindou on the other hand was fuming.
"Mr. Shindou, I-" I started, but he cut me off.
"First of all," he said, "let me start off by asking what the hell you two were doing out on the streets so late, Hiroshi!?"
"Well, you see," I said nervously, "Shuichi's boyfriend kicked him out of his apartment."
"Is that so?" Mr. Shindou spat. "That Eiri Yuki guy, right?"
"Yes, sir." I replied.
"And what happened after that?" Mr. Shindou asked.
"Shuichi came over to my apartment." I said. "He was really upset. He had walked all the way to my place in the cold with all of his suitcases."
"Oh, God." Mrs. Shindou said with a hand over her mouth.
"I took him in and covered him up because he was shivering like crazy." I continued. "I asked him if it was because of Yuki and he shook his head yes-"
"Ok!" Mr. Shindou said irritated. "Just get to the part where Shuichi got hurt!"
"Oh, well," I went on, "Shuichi told me he wanted to go for a walk to clear his head. I really didn't want to since it was so late, but I didn't want him to be upset so I said ok. Anyways, we left my apartment and walked around for about thirty minutes or so."
I stopped to catch my breath for a minute.
"We saw these kids running around on the sidewalk near the intersection. There was a semi truck coming and one of the kids ran out into the street. Then when we saw the semi truck coming at him, Shuichi took off to go save the kid."
I fought to hold back the tears that were welling up in my eyes.
"I-it must have been the adrenaline rush or something," I went on, "because Shuichi picked the kid up with one hand and flung him to the other side of the street. But a yellow car came speeding towards him. The person t-tried to slow down, but they ended up hitting Shuichi anyways. Then that car ended up getting rammed by the semi truck along with another car."
"Oh, my God!" Meiko shrieked.
"The impact sent Shuichi flying into the air and landing on his back on the other side of the street where the kid was standing. I think he hit his head pretty bad too."
"My baby." Mrs. Shindou whaled. "My poor baby!"
"When the paramedics showed up," I went on, "they said that all the other victoms were dead. When we got into the ambulance, they hooked Shuichi up to machine. His eyes were open, but he wasn't responding. Then one of the paramedics checked his eyes and he said that Shuichi was in a coma."
"A coma." Mr. and Mrs. Shindou said in unison.
Meiko broke down. A doctor stepped out of Shuichi's room and approached me.
"Are you Hiroshi Nakano?" he asked me.
"Yes, sir," I said, "I am. But those are Shuichi's parents and little sister."
He turned to face Shuichi's family. I went over to Meiko and held her in my arms.
"Mr. and Mrs. Shindou?" the docter asked. "I'm doctor Satoshi." He shook both their hands.
"How is my son doing, doctor?" Mr. Shindou asked.
"Well," Dr. Satoshi said, "Shuichi landed pretty hard onto the concrete. There aren't any signs of brain damage, but he was bleeding from the head pretty badly."
"Oh, God!" Mrs. Shindou sobbed.
"Will he be ok?" Mr. Shindou asked.
"Well, we checked the wave lengths in his brain." Dr. Satoshi continued. "But, by the looks of it, I don't think he's going to wake up."
Meiko trembled violently in my arms. My mind was going haywire. That bastard's face flashed across my mind. So many times he had made Shuichi cry and yet, he just keeps taking him back. And Shuichi, being the simple minded love sick puppy that he is, just can't say no to the asshole. My blood began to boil once again.
"Can we at least go in and see him?' Mrs. Shindou asked.
"Yes, ma'am." Dr. Satoshi replied. "Just give us a couple of minutes."
"Alright, thank you." Mr. Shindou said.
Mr. Shindou looked over at K. and Fujisaki and then me.
"And they are?" he asked me.
"Oh, this is Suguru Fujisaki, our band mate." I told him pointing to Fujisaki. "And he is our music manager, Mr. K."
Mrs. Shindou looked him up and down then frowned.
"Hm. I had no idea Americans knew so much about Asian music."
"Honey!" Mr. Shindou scolded.
I saw K. give her the "What the hell?" look. Fujisaki gulped and stepped in front of K. affraid of what he might do. Just then, Dr. Satoshi came out followed by the other doctor's that were operating on Shuichi.
"Alright, Mr. and Mrs. Shindou," Dr. Satoshi said. "You may see him now. Just try not to touch his head. We had to give him twelve stitches in his head to stop the bleeding."
"Alright." Mrs. Shindou replied. "Meiko, honey, are you coming?"
I could feel her shaking her head. Mr. and Mrs. Shindou went in without her. She held onto me tighter. In the room, I could hear Mrs. Shindou's whispered sobs. I knew Shuichi would kill me for telling his parents about what happened if he ever woke up. But they had every right to know what happened to their son.
Owari~
Angel Eyes Kiyone: Oh, my gosh. you guys. I am so sorry if I took too long to update. Supposedly the computer needed to be "fixed" so my older brother took it away for a while. Then he erased my Precious file along with some other stories I wrote. But anyways, sorry if this chapter sucks. It's not writer's block. It's just the absence of my muses. I know this chapter might not make sence considering that I'm retelling chapter 4. I just realized it myself. I hope it'll get better in the next chapter. Grrr! Where the hell are my muses?!?! Oh, and thanks to all of you who reviewed. They mean alot. I almost cried yesterday when I read one of my e-mails saying that this story was pulling at one of my reader's heart strings. *cookies to you* actually cookies and chips and pizza to all of my readers. I love you guys!! Stay tuned for the next chapter!!