Gravitation Fan Fiction ❯ The Dark Side of Gravity ❯ Fateful Meeting ( Chapter 1 )

If this fic sounds familiar to any of you, it's because my muse, Riyo, has been posting it in another forum for me.  But, since she convinced me to, ah, come out of the closet, so to speak, and sign up here, we decided I should post this here myself.  I hope you like it.  I enjoyed writing it.

This is an original work of fiction, but the characters of Shuichi Shindou, Eiri Yuki, Tohma Seguchi, Mika Seguchi, Hiro Nakano, Mr. Sakano, K and Suguru Fujisaki were not created by me and do not belong to me.

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Chapter 1: Fateful Meeting

The applause continued and the three of them hugged each other gleefully.

"This is so great!" Shuichi Shindou shouted over the noise.  "We should do another encore!"

"Yeah!" Hiroshi Nakano shouted back, echoed immediately by Suguru Fujisaki.

Shuichi started to dash back out on stage, but he was brought up short by the iron grip of K's hand on his shoulder.  K held up a single finger on his other hand and waggled it at Shuichi.  "Just one."

Their producer, Mr. Sakano, nodded vigorously as he danced from foot to foot.  "That's right, just one," he repeated.  "Or we'll end up doing triple and quadruple encores everywhere we go!"  He waved his hands wildly.  "We'll run out of songs!"

Shuichi, Hiro and Fujisaki stared at him blankly for three heartbeats and then burst out laughing.  Shuichi twisted out of K's grip.  "Ok, just one more!", and he sprinted onto the stage with Hiro and Fujisaki on his heels. 

"Hello, everybody! We're back!"  He waved at the crowd and they cheered wildly.  "We're going to do one more song for you!  This is from our new album and I think you'll like it!"

Shuichi made eye contact with the crowd as he sang.  He loved performing for a live audience.  The feedback was tremendous and it made his performance even better.  I really can be the best vocalist in Japan, he thought to himself.  I can be the greatest ever.

And then his eyes fixed on a man standing a few rows back from the front and he nearly forgot the lyrics.  Only practice kept him singing while he stood there, momentarily stunned.  The stranger was handsome, but somehow dark and frightening, too.  Dressed all in black, his smooth, glossy black hair was combed straight back and disappeared behind his shoulders.  His eyes, however, were shockingly green.  They almost seemed to glow in the pale skin of his face.  Shuichi pulled his eyes away, feeling a spasm of guilt.  What was he doing looking at another man?  He loved Eiri Yuki with all his heart and soul.  He hadn't even known men interested him in that way until he met Yuki.  He had no business looking at strange men in crowds.

He finished the song to a raucous outpouring of applause and cheers.  He bowed to the audience, and felt Hiro and Fujisaki move up on either side of him to bow, too.  As he straightened, he couldn't help but look toward where the stranger had been standing.  The man wasn't there.  Without understanding why, Shuichi felt a sense of relief, and by the time he got off stage, he was ready to chalk the whole thing up to his imagination.

So he didn't mention it to anyone.

Back in their dressing room, K rewarded them all with hearty slaps on the back that sent Shuichi and Fujisaki tumbling across the room.  "I've arranged a little party for the press and a few prominent guests," he announced.  "You can give interviews saying how this was your best concert yet, because the people in this town are so great.  They'll love it!"

Hiro scratched the back of his head.  "I don't know, K, I'm kind of tired."

K grinned broadly.  "Too tired for a party?  That's not possible!  You're young!  You're a rock star!  You're unarmed!  Let's go!"

Obediently, the three band members trailed him out of the room and down the hall to a waiting limousine.  At the sight, Shuichi bounced up and down on his toes and squealed in delight.  "We get to go in a limo?!  That is so cool!"

The party was fun.  They gave interviews and posed for pictures, but it was all very informal.  Even the usually reserved Fujisaki seemed cheerful.  Of course, Mr. Sakano nearly had kittens any time anyone asked a question about Yuki, but it didn't bother Shuichi.  He loved to talk about Yuki.  In fact, he talked about Yuki for so long to one initially curious reporter, she finally excused herself.

And that was when Shuichi saw him.  The dark, handsome stranger was watching him from not ten paces away, where he no doubt heard every word Shuichi had said.  The stranger closed the distance between them with long, gliding steps and spoke.

"You seem very fond of Mr. Eiri Yuki."

Shuichi blinked uncertainly.  "He's my lover."  It seemed safer to get that out up front.

"He's a fortunate man," the stranger replied.  "You are a very beautiful young man."

"Uh, thank you."

"My name is Satoshi Seido.  I am a great fan of your music.  I was wondering if you would have dinner with me."

"Right now?"

"It's a bit late tonight."  Satoshi smiled, showing very sharp-looking white teeth.  "But you have the night after tomorrow night off, I believe?"

"Uh, yeah, I do, but I'd have to clear it with my manager first."

Satoshi bowed.  "Please do.  I would very much like to discuss with you how you get the inspiration for your lyrics.  Oh, and if he asks, I do not work for a rival of N-G.  I am… an art dealer."  He straightened and held out his hand, a business card clasped between two fingers.  Shuichi took it.  With another bow, Satoshi Seido glided away.

Shuichi stared after him for a moment and then looked down at the card.  It was completely blank except for 'Satoshi Seido - Art Dealer'.

"Who was that?" asked Hiro.

"A fan." Shuichi showed Hiro the card.  "He wants to take me to dinner."  He lifted large uncertain eyes to Hiro's.

"So long as that's all he wants."  Hiro patted Shuichi's cheek.  "You don't want to make Mr. Yuki jealous."

Shuichi looked worried.  "You don't think he'd think it was a date, do you?"

Hiro shook his head and smiled.  "Nah, Mr. Yuki knows you're crazy about him.  And you are crazy."

Shuichi wrinkled his nose at the insult.  "Hmph…  Well, I better go make sure it's all right with K."

- - - - - - - -

Satoshi Seido took Shuichi to a very fancy restaurant, with tablecloths and cloth napkins, and the waiters all wearing white ties, tail coats and gloves.    They were seated in a private booth, where the waiter had to move the table out in order for them to slide behind it and sit side by side.

"This is really nice." Shuichi talked quickly, to hide his nervousness. "I think I'm underdressed."

"You look fine.  Would you like some wine?"

"Um, ok."

The wine was a deep red color, like blood.  It flowed very smoothly over Shuichi's tongue and made a warm trail down his throat and into his stomach. 

"That's really good."

"Yes, it's one of my favorites."  Satoshi held his glass in front of the candle and swirled it gently.  The flickering light made the wine glow deeply.  "Each glass is like visiting with an old friend."

"That's, um, an interesting way to look at it."  Shuichi looked around nervously.  "Do we get menus?"

"No.  The waiter will tell us what is available tonight."

The waiter did indeed tell them what was available for dinner that night.  In French.  Shuichi stared uncomprehendingly.  When the waiter finished, he leaned close to Satoshi and whispered, "I have no idea what he just said."

"Why don't I order for you?"

"Thanks."

Satoshi ordered in French, to which the waiter responded in French, and after a brief exchange, the waiter departed with a final ""Trés bien, Monsieur." 

"I hope I like it," Shuichi said worriedly.  "It sounded expensive."

Satoshi smiled, showing his sharp white teeth again.  "Steak, potatoes, green beans, with a Cabernet sauce."

"Is that all?"  Shuichi tried to sound nonchalant, but he knew he failed.  He wondered if Satoshi could tell he almost never ate food like this.  A bowl of noodles from the shop at the train station was more typical.

"So tell me, Mr. Shindou, how do you think of the wonderful lyrics to your songs?"

The conversation was so normal that Shuichi forgot he was talking to a handsome stranger in the fanciest restaurant he'd ever been in.  He kept sipping from his wine glass to wet his throat as he talked and by the time dinner was over, he was past tipsy and well on his way to seriously drunk.  But he didn't realize it until it was time to leave and he had trouble walking in a straight line.  Without thinking, he accepted Satoshi's steadying arm and let himself be poured into a taxi.

"I think I'd better see you back to your hotel," Satoshi offered graciously, and he slid onto the seat beside Shuichi.  As the taxi pulled out into traffic, Shuichi lost his balance and fell against Satoshi.  Satoshi put an arm around his shoulders.  "I think you visited with a few too many of my old friends," he joked.  He put his other hand under Shuichi's chin and tilted his face up.  "You have the loveliest eyes."

Suddenly aware how close Satoshi's face was to his own, Shuichi began to babble.  "Yuki has beautiful eyes, too.  It was the first thing I noticed about him."

"Was it?"  Satoshi leaned closer and Shuichi began to panic, but Satoshi didn't kiss him.  Instead, he nipped Shuichi on the neck.

"Ouch!"

"Did I hurt you?" Satoshi murmured.  "I'm sorry."  His lips brushed against Shuichi's neck as he spoke.

"Mr. Seido, uh, I don't think… This is… I have a lover…"

"Yes." Satoshi's tongue caressed Shuichi's neck. 

Shuichi's eyes opened wide and then he gasped in shock.  Satoshi bit him!  Not hard, but hard enough to draw blood.  He could feel Satoshi sucking on his neck, sucking the trickle of blood his bite had caused.

"Mr…. Seido…"