Gravitaion
Disclaimer: I don't own Gravitation. Maki Murakami does.
The ride home was quiet. Eiri couldn't believe what he had heard. Mika told them that she had seen Shuichi.
~Flashback~
"What do you mean you saw Shuichi?" Eiri asked her seeming baffled.
"He was standing there…on a beach." She explained weakly. "He was…he was holding…my baby."
Tatsuha and Eiri exchanged looks of absolute disbelief. Could this have been the miracle the doctor was talking about?
~End Flashback~
Tatsuha wiped at the tears that were falling from his eyes. Eiri tried to hold his back. He had been crying nonstop for the past three months. This wasn't like him at all. He just couldn't believe it. His Shuichi; his angel, had saved Mika's baby from death. Now Eiri couldn't help but wonder how he had gotten so lucky. He began to think that he didn't deserve someone as loving and caring as Shuichi.
When they reached the house, it was three o'clock in the afternoon the next day. They were surprised to find a police car parked in the front of the house.
"What's going on?" Tatsuha asked curiously.
"I don't know." Eiri replied.
They got out of the car and walked towards the house. Two detectives greeted them near the door.
"Eiri Uesugi?" One of the detectives said using Eiri's sir name.
The blonde was taken by surprise, but responded all the same. "Yes," he said to them, "can I help you gentlemen with something?"
"Detective Koji and Detective Yuda." One of them said holding up a badge. "We would like to ask you a few questions."
"About what, exactly," Eiri asked suspiciously.
"The murder in New York involving three men," the other detective said, "one of them includes Yuki Kitazawa."
Eiri's heart stopped beating and his mind went blank. For seven years, he had been able to lay low without any problems. Now this was happening to him.
"We're going to need you to come down to the station with us, sir." Detective Yuda told the blonde.
Eiri and Tatsuha exchanged glances. Eiri handed Tatsuha his keys and went with the detectives in the police car. The younger Uesugi watched in disbelief as his older brother rode off with the two men.
"Buddha, help us." He prayed before he unlocked the door and went inside.
~At the station~
Eiri sat in the interrogation room waiting for the detectives to come back. He ran a nervous hand through his hair. He was tired after staying at the hospital overnight with Mika. Now to make things worse, he has to face his past all over again. Tohma had told him that he didn't have to worry about the cops questioning him about anything. But the man obviously had not kept his promise.
After seven years, here he was. The door clicked and the two detectives walked in. One of them was carrying a manila folder. They both sat across from Eiri, whos hands were now folded on the table to keep them from shaking.
"Alright, Mr. Uesugi," detective Koji said slamming the folder down on the table, "let's get down to business."
Eiri stayed quiet. Detective Yuda noticed that the blonde had a distant look on his face. Both detectives shared a quick glance before sitting down in front of him.
"Mr. Uesugi?" Detective Koji called the blondes name to get his attention.
Eiri looked up at them without saying a word. Detective Yuda opened up the folder and removed a bunch of photos.
"Seven years ago," Detective Koji started, "you were found at the crime scene near three bodies. Is that correct?"
Still, he said nothing. Eiri's mind was racing in all different directions. He was all about keeping his composure, but in this situation, he was a mess.
"Mr. Uesugi." Detective Koji said more sternly.
This time, Eiri snapped out of his trance. He cleared his throat, but instead of answering he nodded his head. Then, the difficult part came. Detective Yuda placed three photos in front of him. Eiri's breath hitched in his throat.
"Do these three men look familiar to you?" Detective Yuda asked.
The look on Eiri's face made the two detectives look at each other with uneasiness. Detective Koji mouthed something to Yuda and he got up and left the room. He came back a minute later with a water bottle and handed it to Eiri. Eiri grabbed the water and chugged it.
"Are you alright, Mr. Uesugi?" Detective Koji asked.
"Yeah," Eiri replied shakily, "uh-I'm fine."
"Do you recognize these three men?" Detective Yuda asked once more.
"Y-Yuki…Kitazawa." Eiri responded looking down at the photo of his mentor
"Did you know him?" Yuda asked.
"He was…he was my mentor…in New York." Eiri struggled to say.
"How long did you know Yuki?" Koji asked this time.
"Two months," the blonde replied wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.
"What about these two," Yuda asked pointing at the other two photos.
"… … …"
"Mr. Uesugi?" Detective Koji repeated.
Eiri was gone this time. His eyes glazed over and he had a distant look on his face. The voices in his head were back.
"Be a good boy," said one voice.
"Thanks for the kid," said another voice.
"After you," said Yuki's voice.
"Mr. Uesugi!' Detective Koji called to him.
Eiri snapped back to reality, but this time Eiri felt sick to his stomach. He held his hand over his mouth. Detective Koji got up and grabbed a waste basket from one end of the room and held it out for Eiri. However, instead of vomit, there came blood.
"Call an ambulance!" Detective Koji ordered.
~In the Horizon~
He wasn't aware of what had happened. The next thing he knew, he was on a beach. The blonde stood up and looked around.
"How did I get here?" He asked himself.
Something about this place seemed rather peaceful. The blonde couldn't remember exactly what he was doing before he got here. Something off in the distance caught his eye; a glowing yellow line.
"What is that?" he asked himself.
Slowly, he walked towards it. As he neared, he noticed three figures. Two were shrouded in darkness on the other side of the line. The other was a pink haired boy. The boy turned around slowly. To the blonde's surprise, he was in ruins. His hair was matted, he was bloody and bruised, and he could barely stand up.
The boy seemed familiar somehow. But the blonde could not seem to remember where he had seen him before. The boy looked just as surprised to see the blonde standing there. He held out his hand to the blonde.
"Come to me." The boy said in a gentle tone. "I won't let them hurt you."
The blonde didn't quite understand what he had meant by that. But he slowly walked towards the boy. 'What does he mean?' the blonde thought to himself. 'He's the one who needs help.' The boy looked like he was struggling to stand, but he held out both hands to the blonde. Just before the blonde could place his hands in the boy's own, he felt a sharp jolt in his chest.
"Clear!" came an unknown voice.
There came another jolt and the blonde found himself lying on the floor in a dark room.
"Mr. Uesugi?" said the voice of a medic, "can you hear me, Mr. Uesugi?"
With pain in his chest, Eiri slowly nodded his head.
"We're taking you to Japan Red Cross Medical Center." Another medic told him. "Just try not to move."
He couldn't move. He felt numb all over. The metallic taste of blood was in his mouth, but he couldn't find the strength to spit it out. Everything was spinning in circles and before he knew it, he was in complete darkness.
~In the Horizon~
"Was…that…him?" Shuichi asked the couple.
"Yes it was, dear." The woman told him.
Tears fell from Shuichi's eyes. He was so close, yet so far away. The blonde that stood before him looked as though he had been beaten. Bruises covered his face and arms. His hair was matted and his clothes were torn. Plus, he could barely walk. Shuichi felt sorry for him. He needed to try harder.
"I need to focus more." He said to himself. "I need to concentrate on my goal."
"You're nearly there, son." The man told him. "Don't give up. You've got this."
Shuichi wiped his tears away and smiled. He nodded his head and sat down in the sand. This time, he was determined to give it his all.
~Back at Eiri's apartment~
Tatsuha had just finished taking a shower when he heard the front door open. He put his clothes on and went to the living room to see if Eiri had returned home.
"Bro," he called out, but no answer came.
Tatsuha stepped into the living room only to find none other than Tohma standing there. His heart stopped for a moment. All the color drained from his face. The older man looked at the boy with his infamous coy smile.
"Hello, Tatsuha," he said sweetly to the boy, "how are you doing?"
"What the hell are you doing here?!" Tatsuha snapped.
"My, my," Tohma replied shaking his head, "Aren't we grumpy today?"
"What the hell do you want?!" Tatsuha barked.
"I'm looking for Eiri." Tohma replied narrowing his eyes with that same coy smile on his face.
"He's not here," Tatsuha replied coldly, "now leave."
"Where is he?" Tohma asked in a more demanding tone.
"Like hell I'm going to tell you!" Tatsuha retorted. "Get the fuck out! Bro doesn't even want to see you!"
"Is that so?" The older blonde asked. "What about Mika? Is she here? She wasn't at home."
"Oh, like you give a damn about her." Tatsuha snorted.
"Of course I do." Tohma said sweetly. "She is having my child after all."
"Get out," Tatsuha screamed. "Get the fuck out!"
"…"
"…"
"As you wish," Tohma replied as he turned on his heels. "Let Eiri know that I'm looking for him."
With that, Tohma left. Tatsuha's breathing got heavier. He felt like punching something but kept his arms at his sides. Eiri needed to know that Tohma had been inside the apartment. He took out his cell phone and dialed Eiri's number. After a few rings, it went straight to his voice mail.
"Eiri," Tatsuha said heavily, "call me back when you get this. That mother fucker, Seguchi was here. He's looking for you. Don't worry, I didn't tell him anything. Just…call me back as soon as possible."
~At the hospital~
Eiri awoke only to find himself surrounded by white. He could hear voices and the sound of a heart monitor beeping behind him. The brightness from the ceiling lights made him squint. Two doctors hovered over him. Their voices became much clearer.
"Mr. Uesugi?" One doctor called his name. "Can you hear me?"
"What…happened?" Eiri asked trying to adjust his eyes to the light.
"You blacked out," Said another voice that seemed rather familiar.
Detective Koji and detective Yuda both stepped forward. Eiri sighed when he saw them and put a hand over his face.
"Um…sirs," one doctor said, "I really don't think this is a good time considering the condition he's in."
"Isn't that why we brought him here?" Detective Koji asked boldly. "He's an important part of a murder investigation. We need answers. Now, would you two please step out for a moment? We'll let you know if we need you."
Reluctantly, the doctors did as they were told. They only stood outside of the room. Eiri didn't move though. His head was spinning and he had a slight headache. He knew he had no choice though. The detectives' questions needed to be answered and the sooner the better.
"Mr. Uesugi?" Detective Koji started again, except this time his voice was gentle. "Do you remember the photos we showed you?"
Eiri took a deep breath and answered the question. "Yes. I remember them."
"You knew Yuki Kitazawa, correct?" Detective Yuda questioned this time.
"He was my mentor." Eiri answered for the second time.
"And you said that you've known him for only two months, correct?" Yuda went on.
"Yes." Eiri answered.
"What about the other two," Koji asked. "Did you know them?"
"No." Eiri replied. "But…I did see them. They…they were there that night I…"
"You what?" detective Yuda asked.
Eiri put an arm over his eyes to hide the shame he was feeling at that moment. This was it. It was now or never. He could confess everything and either get away with it, or go to prison. What was the point of holding back now? The boy he loved was going to slip away forever. The man he trusted the most was keeping secrets from him. The media was still in the dark about Shuichi's condition. There really was no point in holding back.
"I did it." Eiri confessed. "I killed them; all three of them."
Detectives Koji and Yuda looked at each other. They still had a few more questions, but they couldn't believe that Eiri had confessed to everything.
"Was it…self-defense?" Detective Koji asked in a low voice.
Eiri nodded his head. He took a deep breath and removed his arm from his eyes.
"It was either kill or be killed." The blonde went on. "I chose to save myself. What else was I supposed to do?"
There was a rather long moment of silence. Eiri closed his eyes tight to keep the tears from coming. Then, detective Koji broke the silence.
"Well," he said, "it looks like you made the right choice, Eiri."
That got the blonde's attention. Eiri's eyes shot open in bewilderment. He looked from one detective to the other. Did he just hear them right? Did they just say that he made the right choice? What could they possibly mean by that?
"The two men that you killed," Detective Yuda said, "were both felons. They were charged for robbery, rape, and child molestation. Your mentor on the other hand, only had a speeding ticket."
"Looks like you're the lucky one, Mr. Uesugi." Detective Koji stated. "Out of all the others, you're the only one who survived."
"What…what do you mean by…others?" Eiri asked confused and curious at the same time. He sat up in his bed with new found strength he didn't know he had.
"You didn't know?" Koji asked surprised. "Kitazawa had other students that he had tutored before you."
"And all of those students," Yuda continued, "ended up dead. They had been raped and killed by the same men that you shot."
Eiri was at a loss for words, but he felt kind of strange. It was as if a huge burden had been lifted off of his shoulders. He had made the right choice after all by pulling the trigger. The very man that he had looked up to, the man that betrayed him, had also betrayed many others. Eiri couldn't believe it.
"But I have to ask," Detective Koji said, "how did you end up alone with those guys anyways?"
"Yuki called me." Eiri explained. "You see, my brother-in-law, Tohma, had taken me to New York when I was sixteen. I had a hard time as a teenager in school. Anyways, Yuki called me late that night. He sounded strange over the phone; like….he was in pain. He asked me if I could come over right away. So I rushed over there."
"And what about your brother-in-law," Yuda asked.
"I wasn't even aware that he had followed me." Eiri told them. "But by the time he came in, it was already too late."
"I see." Yuda replied.
"Oh, boy," Koji said rubbing an eyebrow.
"What?" Eiri asked seeming confused.
"So…" Koji said hesitantly, "you weren't aware that your brother-in-law had been involved with these guys during that time?"
More shock. Eiri wasn't sure if he had heard correctly. Tohma was involved with Yuki Kitazawa and those thugs that nearly raped him? His head started spinning again. He could feel his heart sink. He had hated Tohma for making him break up with Shuichi, but this went way over the line. Eiri had nearly been killed because of him. The blonde fell back against the pillow, feeling weak again.
"How…do you know all of this?" He asked rubbing his eyes.
"A few sources in New York," Detective Yuda said simply.
"Yes, does the name…Yoshiki Kitazawa mean anything to you?" Koji asked looking Eiri dead in the eyes.
"Yeah, that's Yuki's younger brother." Eiri replied pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Really," Detective Koji went on. It seemed more like his tone of voice was mocking the blonde. "It says here that Yoshiki is a…woman."
"That's impossible." Eiri replied seeming annoyed. "Yoshiki is a male. I've met him before."
"Yes," Koji went on, "seven years ago. Apparently he's had surgery done on himself. He is now a woman."
Eiri was stunned. "What?"
~Owari~
Angel Eyes Kiyone: There you go guys. Another chapter done; I didn't really like how I wrote the ending. I am still suffering from writers block. Plus, I'm getting another new job so I won't be updating for a while, maybe. The one I got didn't work out and I've been depressed for a few days. Hopefully, this new job will work out better than the last one. However, I won't be at home for a while so I can't use the laptop. I'm hoping I'll get this job so I can finally buy my own soon. Anyways, thanks for reading this chapter. And cookies and ice cream to the reviewer that guessed that the police were going to be involved. You were right on target. Anyways, I'll start typing the next chapter whenever I get the chance. Love you all!