Gravitation Fan Fiction ❯ The Long Weekend ❯ Chapter 12 ( Chapter 12 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Chapter 12


When Ryuichi entered his kitchen, Tohma was waiting for him. There was a small piece of
business the singer needed to have out with his bandmate.

"So you ignored me," Seguchi said. "Even after I told you yesterday about that trucker, Sanjiro
Tanaka."

Only someone who knew Tohma well could have detected the fight in those smooth tones.
Ryuichi heard it.

"I remember every ugly little word you said," the singer replied. "Now, fuck off."

Tohma blinked once. It was quite a reaction for him, though.

"You said the boy prostituted himself. But I know you too well. You don't always speak the
truth. So I double-checked with K, who said the boy had been molested. You seem to think the
whole thing was Tatsuha's fault. It wasn't. The real criminal was that Tanaka bastard. Do you
have anything else to say?"

"He's underage and you could go to jail."

"It all depends on our discretion, and Tatsuha sure as hell won't put me there," Ryuichi replied
hotly. "And he won't be underage forever. This is none of your business, anymore."

"It damn well is my business if it affects our band and NG!"

Ryuichi did not reply. He poured himself a cup of coffee, sugared it well, and took a drink. "Do
you remember," he mused, staring out a window, "that time a few years ago when NG was in all
those financial difficulties, and you sold most of your NG stock to me to pay off the debts?"

Seguchi tensed.

"I know you really like your job as head of NG. It would be a shame if the majority shareholder
voted to replace you at the next board meeting. That would be so unpleasant."

Tohma, in a show of bravado, poured himself a cup of coffee as well. "That would make personal
relations in the band quite difficult," Seguchi agreed.

"True. I can't have Nittle Grasper rent apart by quarrels, so I would also have to hire a new
keyboard player."

Tohma took a long drink of his black coffee. "All right," he said after a moment. A peculiar
smile crossed his face, tinged with sourness. "You get your way, as usual."

Ryuichi put an arm around his bandmate's shoulder. "You're my friend, Tohma. I don't want
anything interfering with that."

"Just trying to do what's best for you."

"Most of the time," Ryuichi corrected. "Now go away, Tohma," he added lightly, as if flicking a
speck of dust off Kumagoro.

"My wife is going to murder you if you hurt him."

"I know that. I'll look after him."

"But the media—."

"To hell with them. I haven't told them the truth for years."

Tohma exhaled hard. "You still have to talk to Mika about him."

"I do?" asked Ryuichi, his eyes widening.

"Yes."

"Didn't she sort of get it when she saw him in my bed?"

Seguchi smiled coldly. "Yes, but you still have to explain that you're going to be a good husband
to her little brother. Responsibility, Ryu, responsibility."

"Oh," said the singer. He had the feeling this would hurt.

((((((((((((()))))))))))))

While Tatsuha waited in the bedroom, Eiri came back in. He shut the door on the crowd behind
him and lit a cigarette.

"I'm trying to unravel the mystery here," said the writer. "First, you come to Tokyo, but don't
even drop by to see me or Shuichi. Second, K calls this morning, asking for your whereabouts.
Third, Mika calls, asking for your whereabouts, and saying you wiped out on a wine glass last
night. Fourth, Tohma Seguchi, the important Shacho of NG Records, says he's driving you, an
ordinary teenage boy, to Kyoto this morning. He also asks me for your whereabouts. Fifth, I find
you in bed with Ryuichi." The writer waited for a reply, but received none. "If you'd hurt the
palm of your hand like Mika said, the bandages wouldn't be on the back of it."

"Sounds like you should be writing mysteries instead of romances, Aniki."

"Thank you. Care to explain?"

"Not really."

"All right. I'll let you off now, but don't expect me to rescue you from Mika. Want a cigarette,
brat? It might fortify your nerves before you go out to face her."

"No, thanks. Second-hand smoke will hurt Ryu's voice, so I'm giving up smoking."

"God!" The writer shook his head in wonder.

(((((((((((((((())))))))))))))))

When Ryuichi entered the living room with Tatsuha to face the crowd, he yelled in pain. Mika
had caught him by the hair, and was jerking his head back.

"Yowch!"

"Aneki, knock it off, you're hurting him!"

"I ought to scalp this child molester alive. Do you want to end your career as a heartthrob with
your face rammed down a toilet?"

"Hey! I'm the one who seduced him, so leave him alone. I'm of age to do this in America."

"But not in Japan," said Tohma.

"Then we'll move to America!" Tatsuha shouted back angrily as he tried to pry his sister's fingers
off Ryuichi.

Mika glared at her brother. "I knew you'd be unreasonable. All right, Sakuma." She let go, then
did something that startled everybody. She snatched K's gun from his holster, and clicked the
safety off. Then she raised the gun.

"What the hell are you doing?" K demanded.

"Mika!" Tohma exclaimed.

His wife was sighting down her arms, both fists gripping the gun. "All right, Sakuma. Take your
choice. Live or die." She was aiming right at the singer's face.

"No!" Tatsuha shrieked. He threw himself around his lover.

Ryuichi narrowed his eyes. "Die," he said.

For a moment Mika looked perturbed. "Hey, you stupid bastard, you aren't supposed to say
that."

"If you shoot him, I'll shoot you next!" Tatsuha yelled at his sister.

In the doorway, Eiri shook his head in disapproval. He lit another cigarette.

"Uh, Yuki?" Shuichi asked, trying to get his boyfriend to do something.

"Stop grandstanding," the writer said to Mika. "At the very least, Ryuichi's fans would lynch
you."

"But I'd be saving my brother's honor!" she retorted.

Eiri only lifted his eyebrows. "Honor? Are we discussing our little brother?"

"Yuki," Shuichi said in a pleading tone. "K?"

But the American was only standing by, watching with crossed arms. "Sorry, Shuichi. I stay out
of things like this."

Mika was eyeing her brother. Tatsuha was trying to shield the singer with his body. "Would you
really shoot me?" she asked him.

Eiri rolled his eyes. "You're not the one on all his posters, Aneki. Of course he'd blow you
away. He's been insane for years. Hell, he could probably get off on an insanity defense."

Mika was still staring at her brother. Tears were beginning to flow down Tatsuha's cheeks as he
clutched Ryuichi.

In that moment, the gun barrel dropped. "All right," she said. She gave Ryuichi a venomous
look. The singer's eyes replied with an evil glitter. Mika gave him a curt nod, like a duelist
forced to be courteous to a foe in a drawing-room.

"Why aren't you trying to take this gun away from me?!" she yelled at K. "Make yourself useful!
Quit standing around!"

K shrugged, and casually removed the gun from her hand. "It's not loaded," K said. "I'd taken
the bullets out earlier while cleaning it."

Tatsuha loosened his clench in relief, and gave Ryuichi a sudden, devouring kiss.

"You shouldn't have scared everybody like that, Mika-san," Tohma chided.

"DID YOU KNOW ABOUT THOSE DAMN BULLETS?" she yelled. Uesugi pride, when
mortified, could be an awesome thing.

"Of course. I saw him removing them."

"So did I," Eiri added.

"Well, fuck you both! SWINE. Men! You don't care that our little brother is being screwed by
Ryuichi Sakuma!"

"I do," Ryuichi piped up.

A livid red crossed Mika's face.

"And I really liked it, Aneki," Tatsuha added.

Mika covered her ears. "Put a bullet in, Winchester, I'm ready to commit suicide. God! Would
you two SHUT UP?"

And with that, she left.

After a moment, Tohma said, "I guess you won."

"I guess we did," Ryuichi replied, as he and Tatsuha gazed softly at each other.


The End