Gravitation Fan Fiction ❯ And If The Sun Won't Shine... ❯ Defying Gravity ( Chapter 7 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

A/N: Thank you very much for reviewing the previous chapter of `And if the Sun Won't Shine…'. I really appreciate your reviews. Thanks again for those who reviewed `Please Keep My Heart'.
Response to Reviewers of Track 3
- Jwei Lih: This is a cute fic? Wow, that's new…
- Cute-Girl-Kagome2001: Er… Didn't you read the summary before reading this fic? I thought the first thing I put there was AU. Well, maybe you missed it. Still, yes, this is quite…AU and of course, loads of OOC ^____^
- Joonie: Thank you very much for your review. That is probably the best review I've ever received. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!! Actually, it's not Ryuichi who influenced Chibi-chan with the `na no da' thing. Hehehe… It's HIMITSU!
- Kitty in the Box: Haido-sama!! (*squeals and faints*) Anyway, thanks for the review. - MonkeyGurl: Ooh, another wonderful review! I'm so grateful. I'm glad that you like the whole Tohma and Ryuichi flashback thing. More of them will come soon XD
- LilBlue-Hedgie: Na, I can't picture Shu-chan as a seme either…
- ichigo-chan: Aww, I lurve your name! Is this soon enough (wink)
 
And to make up for the excessive angst in the previous chapter, I present you a lighter environment in this chapter! I hope you love the length of this chapter too ^_______^ And more glimpses of Shuichi, Tohma and Ryuichi's past for you to enjoy. Also, EirixShuichi , RyuichixTatsuha and TohmaxMika fluff ahead!!
Now, to the PLOT!
 
TRACK 4: DEFYING GRAVITY
 
Evening had never felt so tense…
 
Three pairs of eyes stared pleadingly at Shuichi, who had just entered his apartment less than ten minutes ago. Shuichi averted his gaze from the pleading eyes to the boxes and suitcases on the floor just beside the sofa. He brought his gaze back up from the floor to stare at the owner of a pair of bluish-purple eyes; Ryuichi. He looked at Eiri, who was smiling sheepishly and at another guy who looked a lot like Eiri (Tatsuha!). Shuichi glared at Ryuichi and pointed to the kitchen. “You - kitchen - NOW!” With that, he stomped to his destination angrily, followed by Ryuichi.
 
BANG!
 
The door to the kitchen slammed shut with a loud bang, causing Eiri and Tatsuha to wince. They look at each other and shrugged. Ryuichi was looking at Shuichi like a lost puppy. His eyes were moist with what Shuichi suspected to be fake tears. “What are Eiri and that other guy doing here with all those suitcases and boxes?” Ryuichi nibbled on Kumagorou's ear lightly, looking more pathetic than ever. “That other guy is Tatsuha-kun. He's Eiri-san's little brother and my friend, na no da! Thieves broke into Eiri-san's apartment. It was a mess there so before everything is repaired, they can't live there, na no da. Dakara, Ryuichi invited them to live here…temporarily.”
 
Shuichi was still glaring at the older singer. “Why didn't you suggest them to go to Tohma's? He's their family!” Ryuichi clutched Kumagorou tighter to his chest and pouted. “Tohma-chan and Mika-chan are married, na no da! It won't be nice to disturb them.” Shuichi scoffed at that. “Disturbing them is bad but disturbing me is good?”
 
“Iie, Shu-chan. It's not like that, na no da! Tatsuha-kun is fun and Eiri-san is nice, na no da. They won't cause trouble and besides…”
 
“Besides?”
 
“Besides… Ryuichi is lonely, na no da…”
 
Shuichi's eyes twitched and softened at that. Guilt was scratching his heart incessantly. He knew Ryuichi didn't like silence very much and being the cold guy that he was, Shuichi didn't talk much. Maybe he shouldn't be too hard on Ryuichi. After all, Ryuichi was the one who constantly took care of him since he was little. “Alright, they can stay.” Ryuichi's eyes brightened at once. He started to bounce up and down like a little kid on sugar high.
 
“Really? They can stay? Hontou ni?”
 
Shuichi nodded, admitting his defeat. Really, Ryuichi possessed a strong power of persuasion. “Hai, hontou. Just introduce me to this Tatsuha guy later.” Ryuichi nodded and dragged Shuichi back to the living room where Eiri and Tatsuha were waiting for them. Although it had been a week since Shuichi agreed to become Eiri's `lover', he had never met Tatsuha. From what he'd heard, Eiri's younger brother was a fan of Nittle Grasper and Bad Luck. Ryuichi plopped down beside Tatsuha as Shuichi gave them a tired glare. It took a while for Tatsuha to notice that the glare was actually directed towards him. He hastily stood up and bowed. “Hajimemashite, Uesugi Tatsuha desu. Douzo yoroshiku onegai shimasu!” he politely introduced himself. In truth, his heart was squealing like a fan girl. `Oo, Kami-sama! I'm in the presence of two big stars!!' He seemed to forget the fact that his elder brother and his brother-in-law were also big stars. Shuichi nodded at him and looked at the suitcases and boxes on the floor. “Which is Eiri's?”
 
“That one and that one,” Eiri answered, pointing to a huge navy-blue suitcase and a small black suitcase. Apparently, the boxes belonged to Tatsuha. Shuichi didn't say anything. He grabbed the suitcases and dragged them into a room. Eiri's eyes widened as he saw a small, carved wooden plate hanging at the door; the plate bore English words that said `Shuichi's Hell' in large letters and `Cross My Path & Suffer My Wrath' in smaller letters. Whoaaa!!! Shuichi had taken his stuff into his room! “Shuichi! I knew you love me too!” He leapt with joy and ran after the vocalist, shutting the door behind him. Shuichi could be heard yelling “Get off of me, Eiri!” a few seconds later, much to Ryuichi and Tatsuha's amusement.
 
Tatsuha shook his head a couple of times and looked at his God. “I don't even want to know what they're doing in there, Sakuma-san.” Ryuichi's eyes narrowed as he pouted. “Iiya! Don't call me that, Tatsuha-kun. Friends call each other by their first names, na no da! Call me Ryuichi, ne?”
 
“Demo… Demo…”
 
Ryuichi's face fell. “Tatsuha-kun doesn't want to be Ryuichi's friend, na no ka?” Tears started to form in his eyes and he sniffed.
 
Tatsuha waved his hands in front of the singer frantically. “No! No! No! Of course I want to be your friend, Sa—Er… Ryuichi.” The teen was immediately awarded with a glomp and a high-pitch squeal. He almost fainted when Ryuichi launched himself onto him. `I can die happy now!!'
 
- - - - - - - -
 
“How long are you going to be here?” asked Shuichi, who was sitting up in his bed with his back against the headboard. Eiri was emptying his suitcases. His clothing was hanged in Shuichi's closet and his precious laptop now sat next to Shuichi's on the study table. Eiri pondered the question for a while. Honestly, he did not know when his apartment will be safe again. Also, he didn't know whether to curse or thank the thieves who broke into his house and messed everything up. He got to live with his love! How cool is that? “I don't know… Until everything's okay again, I guess.” Shuichi shrugged at that. “How old is your brother Tatsuha, by the way?”
 
“Sixteen something. Why?”
 
“He looks awfully lot like you... I mean, older than his actual age.”
 
Eiri rolled his eyes, switching his lap top on. “Of course he does. We're brothers, anyway. Besides, you shouldn't talk. You're not even related to Sakuma-san but you look awfully lot like him.”
 
Shuichi winced uncomfortably. If Eiri did not have his eyes on the computer screen at that exact moment, he would have noticed the shadowed look on the singer's face. Soon, the room was filled with soft clicking of adept fingers against keyboard and rustles of papers. Eiri was typing his novel away while Shuichi sat in the bed, writing a new song. It looked as if they had been doing this thousand of times already; Eiri typing his story and Shuichi writing his song in comfortable silence. For a moment, Shuichi wondered if Eiri's hands actually got chips in them. He was typing so fast! “Anyone died in your story yet?” he asked, mocking the novelist with a smirk. Shuichi didn't even look up from his prestigious notebook. Eiri turned around for a brief moment and stuck his tongue out playfully. “Don't mock me, Mr. I'm-A-Famous-Superstar. I thought you knew my novel `Shining' will have a very happy ending. No one dies; thank you very much.” “Whatever you say, Mr. I-Think-I'm-Irresistable.”
 
Once again, silence reined the room. They could vaguely hear laughter from the living room. It sounded like Ryuichi and Tatsuha were playing video games. Not like Shuichi minded, anyway. The silence, however, did not last long. Eiri suddenly stopped typing and launched himself backwards onto the bed. “Argh, I'm stuck! Damn story!!” He settled his head on Shuichi's lap. Eiri expected Shuichi to push him off of him but Shuichi did not. He let Eiri's head lie on his lap and put his notebook away. “Problem with your story?”
 
Eiri nodded sadly. “You see, I don't know what title I should give to this new chapter.
 
“What's it about?”
 
“Well, Junichi obviously feels something for Erika. Still, he keeps pushing the poor girl away and denies whatever he feels for her. The hero says he doesn't need the heroine but in truth, he was falling madly in love with her.”
 
“So, this chapter is about this Junichi guy and his insecurities, huh?”
 
“Yep.”
 
`Oh, Eiri is so gonna die!' thought Shuichi. The plot seemed familiar to him. The names were also pretty obvious. Shuichi and Junichi; Eiri and Erika. He couldn't help but think that Eiri was actually writing about the two of them. Okay, maybe Shuichi was not falling madly in love with Eiri. Hell, the singer didn't even believe in love. But still…”Defying gravity…”
 
Eiri blinked. “Eh?”
 
Defying Gravity, how about that as the title for that chapter?”
 
Eiri sat up and just stared at Shuichi. Was Shuichi actually helping him? “Why `Defying Gravity'?”
 
“You said the chemistry between the two characters is strong. So, it's similar to gravity. Junichi is obviously trying to deny the unavoidable universal law. The act is called `defying gravity', isn't it?”
 
Eiri mouth formed a little `O'. “'Defying Gravity'… I love that. You're a genius, Shuichi!” With that, the novelist gave his lover a big hug and captured his lips in a kiss. What started out as a sweet, innocent kiss grew into a more passionate one. Shuichi had his fingers in Eiri's hair, returning the kiss in full force. Their tongues slid erotically against each other. A minute later found Eiri pinning Shuichi to the bed, their lips locked still in a sensuous kiss. Throaty moans of pleasure escaped both of them occasionally. The intensity of the kiss grew until the need of oxygen became unbearable and both had to swim back to the surface to breathe. “God Shuichi…I love you,” Eiri mouthed against Shuichi's lips. He kissed the tip of the singer's nose and brought the kisses downward to his neck. “Eiri…”
 
And the lovers flew to the sweet land of eternal bliss together…
 
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o->
 
Seguchi Mika stared at one of the photos on her husband's study table. It was a picture of a much younger Tohma and a much younger Ryuichi. Both of them had their arms around a very cute, pink haired boy. The boy had eyes like Ryuichi. Then, she looked at one of the posters hanging on the wall. Staring at the newest Bad Luck poster, she couldn't believe that the little boy in the picture and the vocalist in the poster were the same person. “Amazing how fast people change, eh?” She jumped at Tohma's voice. The blond NG President greeted his beloved wife with a kiss and stared at the poster Mika was looking at. “I was shocked too, you know. The once warm and shiny eyes had turned to these,” he tapped the poster where Shuichi's eyes were. “Cold, dull and silent. How sad…”
 
Mika frowned. Shindou Shuichi; the boy Eiri claimed to be in love with. She looked at the old photo again. “What happened to him, Tohma? What happened to all of you?” By `all of you', she meant Tohma, Ryuichi and Shuichi. Tohma smiled sadly, his eyes reflected pain and anger. “Gomen, Koishii. I'm in no place to talk about it. The only thing I can say is that…”
 
“What is it?”
 
“The only thing I can say is that it was too painful for him…For Ryuichi…And for me. It…It was not supposed to happen, Mika. It never should have happened!” Mika rushed to her husband's side as the usually composed man fell to his knees with his head in his hands. When Tohma's small frame started to shake with silent sobs, Mika cradled him like a mother does her child. “A twelve-year-old should never have seen that much blood, Mika! He should never have seen that much violence!!” Mika gasped in shock. Whatever it was that happened, Mika didn't want to know anymore. Blood…Violence… She shuddered, holding Tohma close to her. “Hush, anata. Don't think about it anymore. Hush..” Tohma, however, only cried harder as waves of memories washed over him.
 
. . .
 
. . .
 
. . .
 
“Hurry up, Tohma!” 25-year-old Ryuichi ran as fast as his feet could carry him, followed closely by Tohma. They were both out of breath. Why must the mansion be in such a secluded area? They were getting closer to their destination. The police would be there soon but they must know what was happening in the mansion first. `Chibi-chan, minna-san, please be okay!' They both thought. The sight that greeted them as they reached the gate was not expected… Never in their life had they seen something like this! “Kami-sama,” Ryuichi fought the strong urge to vomit. They ran into the open door and were greeted with a piercing scream. Tohma and Ryuichi stopped dead in their track. They were both shaking by then. The one who let out the scream howled again. “To..Tohma… That voice…”
 
“Shu-chan…Upstairs…”
 
Ignoring the broken glasses, destroyed furniture and the endless pools of blood, Tohma and Ryuichi ran upstairs, where another howl was heard. “SHUICHI!” Their eyes widened upon entering the master bedroom. “Masaka…” Ryuichi fell to his knees, shaking his head; he tried to deny what his eyes were seeing. 12-year-old Shuichi cradled a middle-aged man and woman in his arms. His body shook as tears journeyed continuously down his bruised cheeks. Tohma reached out to the sobbing teen. Tears were freely falling down his face as he looked at the scene. The man and woman cradled close to Shuichi's chest were obviously dead. “Obasan… Ojisan...”
 
Shuichi howled brokenly. “DOUSHITE?!! DOUSHITE, KAMI-SAMA, DOUSHITE?!!” Ryuichi scrambled to his feet and hugged the boy. Tohma did the same. “Shuichi, Shuichi, calm down…” They knew it was of no use. How could one be calm in this kind of situation? Soon, none of them said anything. They just sat there holding each other and wept. Even the group of police was rendered speechless as they reached this very scene.
 
. . .
 
. . .
 
. . .
 
“Doushite, Kami-sama, doushite?” Tohma whispered brokenly, still in Mika's arms. He clung to his wife until his tears subsided. “Arigatou, Mika-koi. I don't know what I would do if I don't have you.” Mika shook her head twice. She was touched beyond words. “I don't know what I would do if I don't have you too. I love you so much, Tohma. If I could, I want to share your pain.” Tohma smiled and kissed her forehead tenderly. “I love you too, Koishii. More than you could ever imagine.” They held each other and bathed in the poignant silence that followed.
 
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o->
 
“NOOOO! Not again!!” Tatsuha wailed as his character died. Ryuichi was doing a victory dance with Kumagorou. “Nyahaha! I won again, Kuma-chan!!” Both of them had been playing PS2 games for a while now. Ryuichi won almost all of their matches. Tatsuha sulked and pouted as Ryuichi bounced up and down joyfully. The teen then broke into giggles at Ryuichi's antics. He felt like the luckiest guy on earth. He never thought he could befriend the great Sakuma Ryuichi. Hell, he never even thought he'd had the chance to meet the guy in person! What's more? He was also living together with him and the great Shindou Shuichi. It was truly like a dream came true.
 
Ryuichi stopped bouncing when he noticed Tatsuha staring openly at him. He waved a hand in front of him. “Hello? Earth to Tatsuha!” The boy blinked a few times. “Daijoubu, na no ka?” Ryuichi asked sweetly. Tatsuha nodded. “I'm fine, Ryuichi.” “Yokatta! Ne, Tatsuha-kun, are you hungry?”
 
“Umm… Not really.”
 
“Ryuichi and Kumagorou are hungry, na no da. Shu-chan and Eiri-san must be hungry too. Come help Ryuichi prepare dinner, na no da!”
 
“Er.. You cook?”
 
Ryuichi nodded proudly, putting Kumagorou on his head. “Hai! Ryuichi doesn't really like American food, na no da. So, once in a while, Ryuichi cooked Ryuichi's own meal there. Shu-chan says he likes them, na no da!”
 
“Wow, you're so great, Sakuma-san…”
 
“It's RYUICHI!”
 
“Hai, hai… Gomen, Ryuichi.”
 
“Saa, to the kitchen!”
 
Ryuichi asked Tatsuha to boil the water while he looked for the ingredients. Tatsuha eyed the idol wearily as he tiptoed on the kitchen stool to reach the upper cabinet. Just when he turned to check on the boiling water, he heard a mild squeak. Ryuichi was falling down. “Ryuichi!!” He immediately sprung into action. Instead of falling onto the hard floor, Ryuichi fell onto Tatsuha. The action caused their lips to meet, accidentally. Ryuichi scrambled to his feet, face as red as a ripe cherry. Tatsuha was blushing madly too. For a moment, none of them said anything.
 
`Eep, I kissed Tatsuha-kun!' thought Ryuichi.
 
`Oh sweet Kami-sama… Sakuma Ryuichi kissed me!' thought Tatsuha.
 
They stared at each other. The silence was then broken when a certain pink-haired singer entered the kitchen. “What the hell is happening here?” Eiri entered the scene a while later, blinking in confusion at the unlikely situation. “Is something wrong here?” Tatsuha and Ryuichi looked at each other for one brief second and laughed nervously. “Ha..hahaha… Nothing's wrong, really!” they said in unison. Shuichi rolled his eyes. “Yeah, and pigs fly.”
 
Ryuichi turned redder, if possible. “Shu-chan!!”
 
Shuichi shot Tatsuha a knowing look. “I'll help Ryuichi here, Tatsuha-kun. You and Eiri go wait for us; watch TV or anything. You're guesses, after all.” Tatsuha nodded and grabbed Eiri to the living room with him. Once the door to the kitchen was closed, Shuichi smirked and raised an eyebrow. “Do I smell r.o.m.a.n.c.e in the air?” “Baka, Shu-chan! Ryuichi is twice Tatsuha-kun's age, na no da!”
 
“So?”
 
“It's not right, na no da! He could have passed for my son and you know it.”
 
“Ah, well… When you're 90, he'll be 75. Age is just a number, Ryuichi.”
 
Ryuichi said nothing. Sure, he felt so much at ease - so calm when Tatsuha is around. Did that mean he felt something for Tatsuha? Did Tatsuha feel the same too? They had only known each other for a short span of time but they were so comfortable with each other. “Ryuichi, you're putting too much salt in that curry!”
 
“Ara? Ahh, gomen!”
 
Shuichi sighed, his eyes betrayed no emotion. “Honestly, Ryuichi, you should stop worrying about me and start worrying about yourself already. You've been alone too long, you know. You and Tohma worry too much. It's not healthy.” Ryuichi glared half-heartedly. “Dream on, little guy. I won't stop worrying about you until I see a real smile on your face; until I hear you laugh a real laugh. Thing about you not believing in love is bullshit. You deserve to love and be loved too, you know” he retorted without a trace of childishness. Shuichi just looked at him for a few seconds. He `tsk'ed and peeled more potatoes. “I don't. My hands are bloodied, stained with blood and you know it.” Ryuichi, who had just tasted the curry nearly choked. “Don't talk like that, Shuichi!” he chided the younger man. “You're not at fault. Never!” They were then speaking in hushed tone. “You said you're not capable of being loved but Eiri-san loves you. Don't tell me you don't know that!”
 
“I don't know. It might just be an attraction, like gravitation; the pull of gravity.”
 
“The pull of gravity you're trying to defy. Is that it?”
 
Silence…
 
“Open your heart, Shu. The sunlight cannot reach you if you don't open the damn window of yours!”
 
Again, there was silence… And then:
 
“It's boiling.”
 
“Huh?”
 
“Your curry. It's boiling.”
 
“Nani? Kusou!! I haven't added the potatoes yet!”
 
The door to the kitchen creaked open suddenly, revealing a worried Eiri and a sheepish Tatsuha. “Is something wrong in there?” the former asked.
 
“Everything's fine,” Shuichi and Ryuichi answered simultaneously. Eiri and Tatsuha shrugged and retreated back to the living room. “How's your album, na no da?” Ryuichi switched to a lighter topic, knowing he won't win the angst war with Shuichi anytime soon. The childish glint returned to his voice. “I have five more songs to go. Tohma wants us to sing a newer version to your song, Sleepless Beauty, for the bonus tracks. He made Suguru and Hiro arrange the new beats for it.”
 
Ryuichi giggled. “I know that, na no da,” he said in a singsong voice.
 
Shuichi narrowed his eyes at that. “Wait a second; were you the one who suggested that to Tohma?” Ryuichi giggled some more. “Mine and K's, actually. C'mon, I know how much you love that song!”
 
“Well, a certain Nittle Grasper vocalist once told me the song `Sleepless Beauty' was written for me. It would be ungrateful to not adore it, don't you think?”
 
Ryuichi had to laugh at that. Shuichi was loosening up. He knew Eiri could lighten Shuichi up. It looked like they'd made the best decision, after all. “Too true, Shu-chan. Tooku de me o hikarasete. Mezameru monotachi matte iru,” he sang. Shuichi joined in, “Yoru no jouheki sasowarete, utsurisumu mure no nukegara ni.”
 
In the living room, Tatsuha and Eiri listened to Ryuichi and Shuichi. Tatsuha was practically drooling. “Waa… I'm actually hearing the great Sakuma Ryuichi and Shindou Shuichi singing live! Sugoi!!” Eiri smacked his brother on the head. “You're acting as if you don't know them already.” The younger glared. “Excuse me for acting like a typical fan boy, Mr. Novelist-Whose-Lover-Is-A-New-Famous-Superstar.” “Honestly, Tatsuha, you're such a depraved monk.”
 
“Well, at least I'm Bi and you're gay. Hah!”
 
Eir smirked, raising one eyebrow at the simple statement. “Who said I'm gay?”
 
“Oh, you're not?”
 
“Of course I'm not. Not gay, not homosexual.”
 
“Really? Then what are you, o-beloved aniki?”
 
“I'm Shuichi-sexual, thank you very much.”
 
O_o “. . . . . Right…” Tatsuha didn't know how to answer to that. Damn his brother and his twisted sense of humour T_T . A single picture frame on the TV caught his attention. “Oi, aniki, look at that.” Eiri followed his brother's gaze. His eyes widened upon seeing the picture. It was of a very young Ryuichi holding a very little Shuichi. In the picture, Shuichi was smiling brightly. Little Shuichi was holding Kumagorou while Ryuichi was holding him. They looked so happy. “Kawaii!” Again, Tatsuha's fan boy instinct kicked in. Eiri frowned at the picture. `Why aren't you smiling like that anymore, Shuichi?' His frown deepened. `What happened to you? Who was the one responsible for your change?'
 
The questions, however, were left unanswered.
 
“Eiri-san! Tatsuha-kun! Dinner's served, na no da!”
 
“Hai!”
 
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o->
 
At least a hundred miles away, a man with dark-brown hair and cold green eyes flipped through the Starz Weekly magazine, stopping only when he came across an article on Bad Luck. His eyes were steadily fixed on the large picture of Shuichi in there. His cold, green eyes softened and his emotionless expression turned into a pained one. A few drops of tears wetted the smooth texture of the paper… “Shuichi…”
 
To Be Continued in Track 5: Resurrection
 
Dun, dun, dun!! Who could that man be? Heheheh… I am such a cruel author, ne? Nittle Grasper fans, be alert! Await their big appearance in the next chapter!
For now…Umm..Reviews, anyone??