Gravitation Fan Fiction ❯ Fleeting Inspiration ❯ Dojinshi Convention ( Chapter 36 )

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

Fleeting Inspiration
by Anna Sartin

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Chapter Thirty-six: Dojinshi Convention

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"I feel ridiculous," Eiri said as he stood in front of the mirror, running his fingers through his newly-dyed brown hair.

"Don't worry, Yuki," Shuichi said as he straightened his boyfriend's tie. "The dye washes out in the shower."

"It's not the hair dye, it's the clothes. I look like a member of the Yakuza! And why are there paper charms in my pockets?" He pulled several fuda out of the trench coat he was wearing and held them up.

"I had Tatsuha make them for you last night. It goes with the costume."

"And just what I supposed to be, anyway?" the author asked. "A fuda-wielding mobster?"

"A shinigami!"

Eiri raised an eyebrow. "Shinigami wield sickles, not fuda."

"I don't mean a traditional shinigami," Shuichi explained. "I dressed you up as a character from a show I like. Now for the finishing touch!" The singer pulled out a small container, which Eiri soon learned contained a pair of purple contact lens.

"Why do I need contact lens?"

"To make your eyes the right color!"

Since when do shinigami have purple eyes? the author wondered as he popped the lens in.

"Well, what do you think?" Shuichi asked.

"I look like YOU," the author responded, slightly disturbed by the thought. Shuichi had also dyed his hair brown and now that the couple's eyes were also the same color the two men could easily have been mistaken for brothers. "So where is YOUR costume?" he inquired, turning away from his reflection.

"I'm wearing it."

"That's your stage outfit!" Eiri nearly yelled, feeling as though he'd somehow been tricked into dressing like a fool while his lover got off scot-free wearing his usual skimpy stage clothes and yellow trench coat. "You wear it to almost every concert; it screams "I AM SHUICHI SHINDO!" You think people won't know who you are because you dyed your hair? You can't possibly be THAT stupid!"

"Don't worry, it's all part of my plan! That's why I bought this." The singer held up a cheap pink wig for his boyfriend to see. "See?"

"What the hell...?"

"It's a wig!"

"I can see that. What's it for?"

Shuichi put the wig on his head and grinned. "I'm pretending to be Shuichi Shindo!"

Eiri stared at the singer like he'd lost his mind. "You ARE Shuichi Shindo, you moron; and that wig is seriously ugly."

"I know, that's the point. Everyone will think I'm cosplaying as Shuichi Shindo from Bad Luck!" His grin widened. "It's brilliant! No one will ever think that I'm pretending to be me!"

"What was the point in dying your hair if you're just going to wear a wig anyway?"

"If I get swamped by fans I can take the wig off to "prove" I'm not me!" The popstar gave a sign of victory, proud of his ingenuity. "What do you think?"

"You're either a genius in disguise or an utter moron," Eiri told him, grabbing his keys and wallet. "I can't decide which. Now let's get out of here before I change my mind."

. . .

The convention was packed, and the couple had to stand in line for almost two hours just to get in the door and pay the admission. By the time they finally got in Eiri's legs were tired and he desperately wanted a cigarette. His companion on the other hand was on cloud nine, and if he hadn't been stuck on crutches Eiri had no doubt Shuichi would be bouncing around like a nutcase running back and forth between the tables and booths.

"You can be the Demon King starting today!" one man yelled from his booth, holding up his merchandise. "Get a Yuri or Wolfram costume half off when you buy any three dojinshi!"

Wolfram? What kind of name is that? Eiri wondered as they passed by. Sounds like something you'd name a dog...

"If you like what you like then it can't be helped!" another woman told the crowd at her table. "We've got Sora and Sunao stickers, free with the purchase of any book or video game!"

"Yuki, look at this!" Shuichi squealed from a different table, holding up a book with a tall blond man and a short pink-haired man on the cover. "This is my favorite series!"

Eiri stared at the cover. "They look familiar..."

"I've got the whole series at home and I'm trying to collect every fan-comic made about it, too. How much is this book?" he asked, turning to the woman sitting on the other side of the table. Her name tag identified her as "Maki-sensei".

"Eight dollars."

Shuichi handed her the money and turned to leave, while Eiri pulled some money out of his pocket and handed it to the woman. He grabbed a copy of the same book Shuichi had just purchased and shoved it in his pocket while the singer wasn't looking.

At the next table Shuichi was already forking over his cash for two more books. "See this?" he asked, holding them up. On both covers a tall brunet man wearing a dark trench coat stood beside a short green-eyed boy. "That's you."

"This is who I'm dressed as?"

"Yup!"

Eiri took the books and examined the covers as Shuichi waited for his change. "Love Me and Love Impact? What kind of titles are..." his voice died away as he skimmed through one of the books, turning slightly red as he did so. He quickly closed it and returned them both to the singer. "You dressed me as a character from a porn series?!" he hissed as they walked away.

"I didn't!" Shuichi protested. "Some of the dojinshi are adult, but the REAL series isn't!"

"Hey look, it's TSUZUKI!" a female voice squealed, and before Eiri knew what was happening he was surrounded by teenage girls (and few guys) telling him how much they loved his costume. Shuichi laughed (from a safe distance) until he suddenly found himself swamped with admirers of his own, complimenting his "Shuichi costume".

Eiri hated crowds. While he saw book signings and media interviews as necessary evils, he wasn't overly fond of either; but at least they were in a controlled environment where he could easily sway and manipulate his adoring fans. Being out in the general public like this made him nervous, the way they had been swamped by fans during their vacation was a perfect example why. People in general were unpredictable; fans were completely nuts. After a while both crowds dissipated and people went about their business, and the two men were again free to look around. By this time Eiri's nerves were shot and he was about ready to kill some random person for a cold beer and a quiet place to smoke.

"Eiri Yuki!" a loud voice called out.

Both men cringed, waiting to be singled out and discovered.

"Get your Eiri Yuki dojinshi!" the voice yelled to the passing crowd. "Every Eiri Yuki novel ever written, remade in comic form for your viewing pleasure! And be sure to pick up our newest book The Secret Life of Eiri Yuki, on sale today only! Get 'em while you can, they're going fast!"

What the hell...? Eiri zoomed in on where the voice was coming from and followed it. It belonged to a woman who appeared to be in her twenties. Three other women of about the same age were helping her run the booth. Two of them were collecting money and the other was getting out more stock to meet the demands of the large crowd surrounding them.

"I want one, I want one!!!" Shuichi cried, trying to push past the people in front of him to get his hands on a copy of The Secret Life of Eiri Yuki.

Eiri was livid. Who the hell had given them the right to use his name and his works without his permission?! He wanted to bulldoze through the crowd of people and demand to know who the hell these women thought they were, but that would mean revealing his identity to everyone in earshot and (quite possibly) damaging his image by yelling at his fans in public.

Shuichi had finally gotten his hands on a copy of The Secret Life of Eiri Yuki and was playing tug-o-war with another person for it. Eiri shook his head, thoroughly disgusted. It was like that day in Osaka when the idiot had gotten himself arrested for fighting over the GRUDGE CD in Music World. Didn't he EVER learn? Eiri rushed over to them, determined to put an end to the scene they were causing before someone called security, only to find that Shuichi's opponent was none other than Lola Eto.

"What are YOU doing here???" Lola was yelling at the singer, tugging with all her might. "And what's with the stupid wig???"

"Let go!" Shuichi yelled right back, trying his best to keep his balance on one foot. "It's mine!"

"You don't need it!" the girl shouted. "You live with him!"

One of the women running the booth was trying to break up the squabbling pair, assuring them that she still had half a box left of that particular book and that there was no need to fight over it, but neither was willing to let go.

"It's mine!" Shuichi yelled again, tears streaming down his face. He'd finally put his other foot down and it was hurting like hell. "You always steal EVERYTHING that's mine! My song, my rehearsal room, my cookies! I'm not letting you take ANYTHING ELSE!!!"

"You should talk!" Lola screamed. "You're the one who got me FIRED!"

"You got yourself fired," Eiri told her, grabbing her wrists and forcing her to release the book. "And why would you want a book about someone you hate, anyway?"

"Mind your own business you costumed freak!"

Eiri was taken aback, both surprised and amused by the fact that she didn't recognize him.

Security arrived on the scene before he could say anything else and forced the crowd of onlookers to dissipate. Unfortunately he was taken for an "onlooker" himself and was forced to move aside. Shuichi had fallen over and was sitting on the ground panting hard, clutching the book tightly in one hand and rubbing his ankle with the other. A security officer tried to escort Lola off the premises and she kicked him, and when the man tried to physically restrain her she bit his hand. Shuichi, thanks to his injured ankle, was carried to the first-aid stand instead of being escorted out the door and had the pleasure of watching the cops arrive a few minutes later to arrest Whispering Phantom's singer.

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~End chapter thirty-six~