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Fanfiction > Drama > Authors Have Parties, Too? >
Author: Aja
Hits: 3684
Disclaimer: It’s Gravitation and so obviously shonen-ai. Rating: OT, mostly for th
at reason plus some language. Also obvious; it doesn’t belong to me. Gravitation a
nd its characters are the property of Maki Murakami. I am simply a devotee. I ap
preciate criticism: please read, enjoy, and review.
*~*Authors Have Parties Too?*~*
*Part 1: Invitation and Preparation*
[Friday evening]
“Eiirriiii . . .” Shuichi’s whining had a way of penetrating the skull and cutting str
aight to the nerves.
“Aggh. Stop that! Why would you even want to go? I don’t want to be there.” He leaned
back in his chair, pushing away from the laptop. Why had Mizuki even sent the da
mned invitation? His editor knew how much he hated that shit. He didn’t enjoy bein
g around people in general. Fellow writers were an entirely different can of wor
ms.
“But, Eiri, I didn’t even know you had other author friends.”
“I don’t,” he said from clenched teeth. He lit a cigarette and tossed his lighter onto
his desk. Shuichi smirked at him from his place on the stool next to his desk.
Eiri knew that look. It said, I can see through you. Okay, he admitted to himsel
f, I don’t have *many* author friends. He ran a hand through his hair, brushing it
out of his eyes. “Why did you pick up the mail today, anyway?”
“I’m supposed to be getting a package-- but don’t change the subject!” Shuichi waved the
post card under his nose. It had a picture of books on the front with a big num
ber twenty-five super-imposed over it. “Mizuki-san even hand wrote it. She wants y
ou to come.”
Eiri stood and snatched the postcard from his lover’s hand. “No! Who gave you permis
sion to read my mail, anyway??” He stomped out of the office, knowing Shuichi woul
d follow him. He was seriously annoyed. Mizuki had probably sent a postcard on p
urpose, hoping Shuichi would read it. He dropped the card into the wastebasket,
walked down the hall and shoved the living room door open; heading for the kitch
en.
“Awww, Eiriiii, it’s a postcard! I didn’t open your mail— just looked at it. Besides,” Eir
i could hear the smirk in Shuichi’s voice, “it was addressed to me, too.” He turned ar
ound in surprise only to see the singer holding the retrieved postcard. Mizuki w
ill pay for this, he thought. He nearly bit through his cigarette in irritation.
There would be no getting out of it now. Shuichi proudly pointed to his name on
the invitation, skipping in front of him to show it off.
Eiri brushed past the boy. With long strides, he reached the kitchen and grabbed
a beer from the ‘fridge. Popping the top off, he took a long drink and leaned bac
k against the countertop. Shuichi sat on the island countertop, swinging his bar
e feet and lightly kicking the cupboard door. The postcard was in his hands and
he was reading through it again, smiling triumphantly. Damnit, he already thinks
he’s won, Eiri thought.
“The 24th . . . that’s a Saturday, isn’t it? Will it be formal, do you think? Are the
book publisher’s parties like NG’s CD release parties? Probably not, those are prett
y casual, and they can get kind of wild . . . I think it will be fun for you to
talk to other writers. You don’t do that very often, do you? Of course, you don’t ta
lk to anyone much, anyway, but you should definitely go! It’ll be good for you!” Shu
ichi bounced off the cupboard and wrapped himself around Eiri’s torso. “We’re going, r
ight? What will you wear? Black, probably. Should we go shopping? You should wea
r more color.”
He sighed. Listening to his lover’s chatter soothed him in an odd way. When Shu wa
s babbling, all was right with the world. He shook his head. It was still incomp
rehensible to him how the singer could carry on long, one-sided conversations wi
thout a pause or an obvious breath. He set his beer aside and hugged the boy. “Alr
ight, we’ll go. Now release me so I can go get some work done.”
Shuichi let go of him immediately, throwing his arms into the air. “Yay! We get to
go to a party!” He started hopping and dancing around the room. “You’re taking me to
a party!”
“Keh. Settle down, brat. Today is only the second. The party isn’t for another three
weeks.” Eiri grabbed the beer and headed back to his office.
His lover hugged him again quickly, briefly impeding his progress across the liv
ing room floor. “I know, but I’m so excited! You come to NG’s Christmas parties, but t
hat’s because Seguchi-san and your sister invite you, and you don’t go to the releas
e parties, usually, and I’ve never been to an authors’ party. They must not come aro
und very often. That makes this extra-special, right?” Shuichi’s voice was muted by
closing the living room door. Eiri was relieved that he hadn’t been pursued. Appar
ently, the excitement of the party was enough to keep Shuichi happy for now.
The author rubbed one hand across his neck. He would have to speak with Mizuki.
If Shuichi found out how many of these invitations he refused, he’d have trouble.
He would have to make sure that Mizuki did not make a habit of addressing mail t
o both of them, either. That was sneaky. His editor knew how easily he said no t
o her, and she also knew how hard it was for him to refuse Shuichi. Still, I gue
ss twenty-five years is an important milestone for a publishing company, he thou
ght. He sighed again. Maybe I’ll get sick on the 24th and I won’t have to go . . .
***
[Saturday afternoon]
The following weekend, Eiri found himself shopping with Shuichi. Why? Why did I
agree to this, Eiri wondered. Why was it such a big deal to Shuichi to have new
clothes to wear to this damned party, anyway? This was the eighth clothing store
in the two-story mall they had entered and they’d barely made it down one arm of
the building. Shuichi had tried something on in each one of the stores. Eiri was
carrying three shopping bags already and only one was for himself. Shuichi had
absolutely insisted on buying colorful clothes for him. Considering Shu’s ideas ab
out color, the choices he made for Eiri weren’t too bad. I might even wear them, h
e thought. He slouched in the tiny chair poised beside the dressing room mirrors
, desperately wanting a cigarette.
Shuichi popped his head out of the changing room. With a big smile, he jumped ou
t of the booth and spun around, showing off this latest fashion. Eiri wasn’t certa
in how he’d managed to put the pants on. “Do you think these are too tight?” Shuichi a
sked earnestly, holding up his shirt and rotating in front of the three-way mirr
ors.
Eiri controlled himself admirably. “Yes.”
Shuichi glanced at him in a moment of surprise, telling Eiri without words that
he hadn’t controlled his voice as well as he’d thought. A wicked smile chased the su
rprise off his lover’s face. “Should I buy them anyway?” Shu’s eyes flashed, teasingly.
That look, combined with the pants made Eiri instantly horny. Sometimes he hated
how Shuichi could do that to him. He tried for nonchalance; shrugging, he said;
“Your choice.” He imagined Shuichi wearing those pants when they were alone, later
. . . then he frowned, eyes narrowing suspiciously. “You wouldn’t wear those to the
party . . .”
Shu smiled knowingly, “No? You’d don’t think they’d be the hit of the party?”
Eiri growled, “Come here.”
Shuichi laughed and danced back into the booth, shutting the door. “Oh, no! I stil
l want to try on a couple more things.
Fuck it, non-smoking or not, he needed a cigarette. He lit up. After a few minut
es, Shuichi came out of the dressing room in an honest-to-gods suit. It surprise
d him. He looked . . . adult. Well, technically, Shuichi was an adult; he just n
ever acted like one.
“What do you think? I could wear this to the party, huh?” He looked a little uncerta
in, tugging at the jacket hem and shifting his shoulders.
“It fits you well,” he said non-committally. The pale blue-grey looked good with his
blue-violet eyes and didn’t clash with the pink hair. Eiri wasn’t sure he liked the
grown-up look on his hyper-active young lover. The tight pants were definitely
a better look for him. He’d never seen Shuichi in anything this conservative. Come
to think of it, the singer didn’t own any clothing that could be considered conse
rvative that wasn’t totally casual.
“You should buy it,” Eiri said. “The shoulders are a bit too wide for you, but they do
alterations here, don’t they?” Shuichi nodded and bit his lower lip. “I’ll find a tailo
r,” Eiri volunteered. “I have to find a place to put this out, anyway.” He gestured wi
th the cigarette.
“Eiri, you shouldn’t be smoking in here!” Shuichi’s protest was half-hearted. The younge
r man knew how pointless it was to argue with him when it came to his habit. Sin
ce they were the only ones in the dressing room, Eiri kissed him deeply to give
him something else to think about while he found a tailor. Knowing the effect hi
s kiss would have, Eiri thought smugly, that’s revenge for teasing about the tight
pants. He followed up the previous thought with; He’s so cute when he blushes.
***
The night of the 24th came around and Eiri was healthy. Damnit. So was Shuichi,
although Eiri may have trouble peeling him off the ceiling when it was time to g
o— figuratively, of course. He’d had lunch with that imbecile, Sakuma Ryuichi. The i
diot was still flying high from the idea of a new duet Sakuma had planned to sin
g with him. Add to that the excitement of the party this evening and ‘hyper-active’
was just too mild a term for Shuichi’s state of mind, energy level, and enthusiasm
.
Maybe I should thank Sakuma for taking the brat out of here, Eiri thought. I don’t
think I could have tolerated this all day. Shuichi was sitting on the couch, dr
essed in his new suit, legs tucked under him, toes in the cushions. Surely he’s no
t an adult. He can’t even pretend to be an adult, Eiri thought, condescendingly. S
hu was loudly singing along with a music video on the TV and bouncing erraticall
y. Eiri watched his lover briefly from the darkness of the doorway. Shu looked a
bout two years old rather than twenty. Eiri must have made some sound, because S
huichi’s head snapped toward him and he jumped up.
“Is it time to go, Eiri? I’ll shut the TV off . . . ” He did, continuing his babble. “I
was just watching this new video an—”
“Let’s go.” Eiri turned away and reached into the closet to grab his coat. It was abou
t sixty degrees and raining lightly— around average for May. Eiri pulled out his k
eys and slipped on his shoes. Shuichi had had to buy new shoes, to go with the s
uit. Sneakers just wouldn’t cut it. Fortunately, shoe shopping had taken a lot les
s time than clothes shopping. With a bound, Shuichi landed his feet in the shiny
new shoes left by the door.
“Okay!” The kid declared. “You look good, Eiri. I like that red jacket. It’s so much che
erier than black! What do you think the party will be like? I’ve been wondering al
l week, ya know?” Shu didn’t bother with a coat. They stepped out and Eiri locked th
e apartment while Shuichi continued his prattle. “Does everybody just stand around
talking about writing? Is there much to talk about like that?” Eiri thought it wa
s a rhetorical question, so he didn’t answer. “Or maybe they just stand around looki
ng sour?” Shuichi smiled at him and poked him in the ribs.
His lover’s implication was clear: Eiri would be required to socialize. Grrrr. Shu
ichi laughed at the growl that trickled out of him, clinging to his arm happily
on the way to the car. It was so hard to be annoyed with that bratt when he laug
hed like that, Eiri thought.
As far as Eiri was concerned, book signings were a “necessary evil” to promote his w
ork, but these kinds of get-togethers churned his stomach. Having Shuichi with h
im would either liven the boredom, or . . . more likely, Shuichi would do someth
ing that mortified him in front of his publisher, editor, and peers. He punched
the key fob with his thumb to unlock the car doors.
This would be the first time he introduced Shuichi to people in his professional
life. It was . . . a little intimidating. Surely, nearly everyone had seen or h
eard about the media ambush on TV wherein Eiri had admitted the nature of his re
lationship with Shuichi. Still, he had never allowed any open discussion about i
t with others. After all, his book appearances were professional, and he made su
re any interview did not include questions about his personal life. This party w
as supposed to be a social occasion. As such, some might consider it ‘open season’ f
or nosy personal questions.
Shuichi could always read him. Climbing into the car, the singer became serious.
“Are you worried, Eiri? I’ll be good, really. I won’t embarrass you.” He buckled his se
at belt and looked at the floor, saying, “It means a lot to me that you’re taking me
with you.”
Eiri noted that Shuichi’s usually messy pink hair had been combed. It still slid i
nto his eyes, though. The kid had even offered to wash out the pink coloration,
to make a better impression. Eiri had told him not to bother. In truth, he had b
ecome used to Shu’s odd-colored hair and its fruity, herbal scent. Eiri remembered
Shu’s original hair color, but . . . it didn’t suit him anymore. Eiri, himself, had
always refused to dye his hair black to appear like a ‘normal’ Japanese. It would b
e hypocritical to ask his lover to change himself for something as petty as an o
ffice party.
Both men defied more than one social custom on a regular basis. There really was
n’t a great need for either one of them to conform, either— especially when they wer
e so successful being themselves. Besides-- the two of them had been public news
for some time and Shuichi mattered much more to Eiri than public opinion. Eiri
started the car and backed out into the street. “I know,” he responded quietly. Othe
rwise, I wouldn’t be going.
***
***
***
[Monday afternoon]
“I’m serious, Mizuki, I want some answers,” Eiri said into the phone. “I’ve been trying to
reach you all damn—“
“Yuki-san, that’s an unusual switch.” She sounded distracted. Eiri heard voices and mo
vement in the background. Normally her office was quiet.
“Yeah, it is a switch. Now—“
“I’m sorry, but I’m very busy. Tech support is taking away my computer and I—“
“Why?”
“It’s the move to the new building. Upper management is really pushing this. I can’t t
alk now, but how about we meet at that café at . . . 4:00?” She must have turned fro
m the phone, because her voice faded and she was yelling, “Hey! I’m not done with th
at! Just a minute . . . !”
“Okay, Mizuki, 4:00.” He hung up. Yes, it was rude, but he felt it was justified. He
ll, she probably appreciated him cutting the call short. It sounded like she had
other things to deal with right now. The offices must be chaos. Mizuki was real
ly flustered and she’s one of the most patient souls Eiri knew. He figured she cou
ld explain it all later.
Eiri still had a little more than an hour until four. Shuichi was due home at si
x.
He moved into the kitchen and went about the process of brewing fresh coffee. Th
is new book division was suspicious. It was *announced* on Saturday, and personn
el were moving to new offices on Monday? Bizarre. I wonder if this is actually a
quiet merger? Eiri thought. Had Eiko somehow usurped a smaller publishing compa
ny? That would explain how the editors already had a new office building. Who do
I know that would have the truth of the story, Eiri mused. He decided if the st
ory didn’t appear in the media within a week, he would track it down.
Until then, Eiri planned to focus on the possibility of a Bad Luck biography. Th
e idea of a whole book’s worth of tabloid junk about the band had really upset Shu
. It bothered Eiri, too; more than he let on. The upheaval at Eiko headquarters
would make it difficult to track down information there, right now. Eiri brushed
his hair back, resting his hand on his head. Going to senior management about t
his seemed a little overkill when he still didn’t know if such a project existed.
Of course, he could just write a personal request letter, asking the company to
not release any unauthorized biographies concerning Shindou Shuichi or Bad Luck.
They would probably comply. It would be awfully embarrassing to them if they cr
eated a new book division because of my books and then lost my contract, Eiri th
ought, smugly. Under his current contract, he only had to write two more books.
That fact gave his threat some weight to throw around. I could even put a writte
n stipulation in my next contract, Eiri considered. Yes, I think I will, he thou
ght.
Eiri thought he should do some snooping of my own, too. He pondered the problem.
First, he could ask Mizuki to see what she could dig up, but Eiko certainly was
n’t the only publishing company in Japan. The coffee steamed and Eiri listened to
it trickle into the pot. The smell prompted him to look for a cigarette.
A biographer would want to interview people close to his subject, Eiri thought.
Who would talk, Eiri questioned himself, as he lit up. Maiko, Shuichi’s sister, wa
s the first option that popped into his head. She might be really flattered if s
omeone tried to interview her about her famous brother-- and her mouth was almos
t as big as Shuichi’s! Eiri frowned. Maiko was still in school at this hour. Maybe
he’d call her later and . . . and what? Ask her if anyone had asked her personal
questions about her brother? She probably got those every day from friends and s
chool-mates and happily blabbed all about his life. Tell her not to talk to stra
ngers about Shuichi? Hah! She was about as tactful as her elder brother, too, Ei
ri groused. At least Shuichi didn’t talk to his sister about intimate details.
Maybe Shuichi should deal with her? He was on pretty good terms with her-- as fa
r as Eiri knew. Shu didn’t talk about her much, but Eiri knew he would have heard
all about it, in excruciating detail, if brother and sister had had a falling-ou
t. The coffee pot clicked, setting itself to keep the coffee warm. Eiri grabbed
a mug and poured, inhaling the warm steam and the wakeful scent. The mug was bla
ck with white letters that boldly read, “LEAVE ME ALONE.” It was a gift from Shuichi
. He half-smiled in the (currently) private sanctity of his kitchen and sipped h
is coffee; black and strong. When Shu drank the stuff, he polluted it with cream
and sugar. Eiri held it under his nose, savoring it. This was the way to enjoy
it, Eiri thought.
If could convince Shu to confront his sister, how could the kid question Maiko w
ithout getting himself all upset? Maiko should at least be warned to keep her tr
ap shut, Eiri thought. After all, Izumo had seemed to think that it was only a m
atter of time before a biography came out. Eiri hesitated to even *think* it, bu
t . . . maybe a family visit was the solution? At least Shu’s family wasn’t as dysfu
nctional as Eiri’s. The down-side was that both Shu’s mother and sister were readers
and fans of his books. He sighed and took another drink. I’ll wait to see what Mi
zuki can turn up, he told himself. There was no need to jump to extremes, yet.
Who else might talk? Hiro had a dead-beat brother, didn’t he? Some kind of failed
actor or something? Getting him to talk would probably be a piece of cake; a sim
ple matter of waving money in front of him. Eiri thought the man had some sense
of honor, but guessed the right amount of money could overcome a lot of hesitati
on. Eiri didn’t know anything about Fujisaki. Shu didn’t talk about him much, except
to complain. Did that kid have inconvenient family members, too?
The more Eiri thought about it, the more he felt ill. Life had been so much simp
ler when he didn’t care about anyone. A new thought occurred to him: what if the p
otential biographer went to Tohma for permission instead of directly to the band
? Tohma was a shark and his company did hold certain publicity rights. To him, a
lmost any publicity was good publicity. Tohma would not qualify what material we
nt into print—unless something was printed about Eiri, himself. If Eiri wanted to
protect his Shuichi from some rotten tell-all biographer, he needed to get busy.
The coffee soured on his tongue.
***
Author’s Note: The story grew past its original title, but I’ve left it alone for co
nsistency’s sake.
***
[Friday morning]
Eiri happened to be getting coffee when the phone rang, so he answered it. When
he did, he saw the message light blinking. The little digital message alert said
he had six messages. He frowned. He must have been deeply involved in his writi
ng to be able to ignore the phone six times. This morning, he had finally gained
the focus he needed to work. True, he’d had a lot on his mind this week, and the
majority of it still wasn’t resolved, but his focus probably had more to do with e
arly-morning wake-up sex than any thing else. He smiled, self-satisfied. He hadn’t
produced as much writing during the rest of the week as he had this morning.
“Eiri speaking.” It had become necessary to identify himself first, since he had bee
n on the receiving end of some disturbing, one-sided conversations with Sakuma R
yuichi.
“Finally!” Mizuki’s voice was full of relieved triumph. “I have to warn you: since you s
topped that book, Miyamoto’s been on the rampage. He was about half-finished with
his book, according to his editor, Tsuzuki-san. He took the news badly and he’s re
ally pissed.”
“Why should I care?” He said, coolly.
“. . . Well, he can’t cause you any trouble on the book-end of things, but . . . he
has a reputation for having quite a temper. Tsuzuki-san told me that most of the
book was being done from source-research; facts on public record, old interview
s and TV appearances, pulling together information from articles other people ha
d written— that kind of thing. However, an entire chapter of his material must hav
e come from someone close to *you*, Yuki-san. It . . . wasn’t very flattering.”
“. . . I see.” If Tatsuha is responsible for this, I’m going to throttle him, Eiri tho
ught.
“I thought you should know as soon as possible.”
“Yes, thank you, Mizuki. Good day.”
“You’re welcome. Good day.” Was there a hint of surprise in her voice? Was it so rare
he was civil to her? Naw.
Eiri still didn’t know the real story about his publisher’s new book division. When
he and Mizuki had met on Wednesday evening, his editor’s description of the compan
y meeting sounded more like a pep-rally than anything professional. The executiv
e had spent most of his time handing out new business cards and a bunch of pens
and paraphernalia sporting the new division’s logo. There hadn’t been any constructi
ve answers to the motives behind ‘Never Ending Dream’. Eiri was still planning to de
al with this mystery— just not right now.
He kept the handset and touched the phone hang-up lever. He started to dial Tats
uha’s cell phone when the front door slammed, jarringly. A second later, his siste
r waltzed into the living room, banging that door open, too. “EIRI!!” Mika hollered.
With a grimace, Eiri practically threw the handset into its cradle. He stepped i
nto the kitchen doorway, and growled, “What do you want?”
“Eiri.” She smiled evilly and slipped off her sunglasses, stowing them in her design
er hand-bag. That was the smile she gave him when she achieved a rare check-mate
against him. “Father would like you to visit him.” She made a casual, graceful gest
ure to brush her long hair back over her shoulder.
He narrowed his eyes at his sister. She was always playing errand-runner for the
ir father. Trying to get him to visit the family temple was not normally a cause
for her to smile, though. Pull teeth and hair, maybe, but not smile. She had no
reason to look at him like that unless he didn’t have a choice. “Coffee?” He asked gr
uffly.
“That would be nice.” She kept up her evil smile and settled on his couch, keeping h
er knees together tightly in her very short, black mini-skirt. Her high-heeled b
lack boots left stab-wounds on his rug. He grimaced at her rudeness for not remo
ving her shoes at the door and he went back into the kitchen, filling his mug an
d another with coffee. What kind of blackmail did she think she had on him this
time? He brought Mika the second coffee mug and sprawled next to her on the couc
h. He set his own mug on the end table and scooped up his lighter, while locatin
g cigarettes in his shirt pocket. Like asking her to show her poker hand, he sai
d, “What have you got?” He lit a cigarette and dropped the lighter into his pocket w
ith the rest of the pack.
She sipped the coffee, still smiling. “Father won’t let Tatsuha come to Tokyo until
you visit.”
“Pffft. And why should I care?” He exhaled smoke and set his right ankle on his left
knee. What kind of lame threat was that? “The old geezer couldn’t keep Tatsuha home
if he wanted to, anyway.”
Mika’s smile got wider, and toothier. “He can and he will.” She hummed a little. Ooooo
, she’s really pleased with herself over this one, he thought. He watched her sip
the coffee some more. “What would happen if Ryuichi-kun couldn’t see Tatsuha?” She ask
ed, rhetorically, silky-sweet.
He frowned. “Make your friggin’ point.” He guessed where she was going with this. It w
ould be a new low for her. She hadn’t had this kind of leverage against him before
Shuichi came into his life, but she had always excelled at exploiting his few w
eaknesses.
“Fine. If Ryu-kun can’t see Tatsuha, he’ll start driving everyone crazy. Tohma’s out of
town--” That explains why he’s not taking calls, Eiri thought. “—So he’ll have plenty of e
xtra time to visit with his friends . . . ” Like Shuichi; Eiri silently finished h
er implication. She took another sip of coffee, humming again. Oh, she was in a
fine mood. He could feel his jaw tightening. “Poor Ryu-kun,” she said mockingly, “he d
oesn’t like to be alone. Did you know that? Hmm. Who would he spend his time with,
when Tatsuha’s not available to play with him?” She tapped her long, red-lacquered
fingernails against her jawbone in fake contemplation.
Mika and Tohma suit each other, he thought, they’re both sharks. He blew smoke in
a long sigh. It *was* check mate. He didn’t want Ryuichi taking up Shu’s time; espec
ially right before another goddamned Bad Luck concert tour. He didn’t want that mo
nster in his house, either. The last time Shu had invited him over, he’d colored o
n the wood floors with marker. Damn, damn, damn! Oh, there were a few ways aroun
d it but in most circumstances, it would be less painful to visit Kyoto.
He would have to go there for at *least* a day. Shuichi probably would not be ab
le to get time off, since everyone was working hard to set up for the concert. N
G had hired a choreographer this time around and Shu had been bitching about it.
That probably meant the kid still needed a lot of work, as far as the choreogra
pher was concerned. Shuichi was scheduled to visit the Shindou family after work
tomorrow, anyway. Eiri had planned to go with him, but considering today’s visit
from his sister, plans would have to be changed. Damnit! I am going to kill Tats
uha for this, he thought.
“What does the old man want, anyway?” Eiri was defeated. He may as well accept it.
“He didn’t say,” Mika said flatly. She finished off the coffee and placed the mug on t
he table. She really didn’t know? Odd.
Eiri raised an eyebrow at his sister. “Are you planning to be there, too?”
Her evil smile turned into a full-blown grin. “Of course I am! Both of my brothers
and my dear father at the family temple, while my loving husband is away . . . ”
Her laugh is just as black as her twisted heart, Eiri thought. He snorted. She m
ay as well admit that she just wants to watch the show . . . and the fireworks t
hat are certain to follow, he thought, ruefully.
***
[Saturday afternoon]
Shuichi had not been happy about the change in plans. Eiri wasn’t, either. Shu wan
ted to go with him. He couldn’t get out of work, and when he’d tried to cancel dinne
r with his folks, his mother had laid a thick guilt trip on him and he’d caved in.
He promised Eiri he would be in Kyoto by Sunday. Neither one of them thought th
at Eiri would get away from family before then.
Now he was on his own in Kyoto. He wasn’t going to change into a kimono— just to emp
hasize his interest in making this visit temporary— until Mika had informed him th
at his father would not see him unless he did. He’s getting a lot of mileage out o
f this one, Eiri thought as he reluctantly dressed in his traditional under kimo
no, kuro-kimono and haori [1], setting aside the Western-style clothes he prefer
red. Afterward, he went to find his father.
To Eiri’s great surprise, his father was at the back of the house, sitting and dri
nking tea with . . . Miyamoto! The shoji [2] had been opened so the two men coul
d look over the garden. They were chatting like old friends about *temple archit
ecture*. At that moment, several isolated bits of information fell into place. A
pparently, Tatsuha wasn’t the one who needed killing.
***
[1] Kuro = black. This is the kimono Eiri wears when he’s home. The haori is the m
en’s half-jacket worn over the kimono on formal occasions or bad weather. Eiri’s kim
ono looks to me like the men’s version of a tomesode— which married women wear. It i
s black with small family crests on it— but I couldn’t find any special name for the
men’s version. The under kimono has a special name, too, but it’s essentially the s
hort, plain white kimono that is worn under the outer kimono and typically slept
in.
[2] Shoji are the door/walls of wood and covered with rice paper in a traditiona
l Japanese home.
***
***
[1] Tatami mats are the bamboo floor squares in a traditional Japanese building.
They actually lift off the supports and stuff is stored between the floor and t
he ground. (Thus, the hollow thud sound when Shu knocked Eiri to the floor.) Tha
t’s part of the reason the Japanese houses look so sparse, too—everything’s kept under
the floor. Modern homes have non-removable flooring and can make use of more fu
rniture that is heavy or solid, and Western-styled.
***
Author’s Note: Has anyone been wondering about Tohma?? What about those pesky unan
swered questions, like what *is* the deal with the publishing company? What *has
* Tohma been doing this past week? What other sorts of presents did Ryu bring? .
. . and is that really the end of Miyamoto? Keep reading. ;]
“Right,” Eiri agreed. “You get to pick up the cigarette butts, then.” He walked in and w
ent to his sister’s room. It was quiet inside, but the door was shut. “Mika?”
“I wondered who would come.” She sniffled. “Come in,” she said with resignation. Eiri wo
ndered if her reaction was because she didn’t want to be bothered, or because it w
as him. He pulled the door open and shut it behind him. Mika was sitting on her
rumpled sleeping mat and there were still wet tear-traces on her pillow. Her eye
s were red and puffy. Eiri sat on the floor next to her. He pulled out what was
left of his pack of cigarettes, silently offering her one. “No, thanks,” she said. S
he hugged her pillow across her stomach. Eiri figured his sister would crack fir
st if he didn’t say anything. He located an ashtray on her desk, rose to snag it a
nd she spoke again. “I suppose you want to know where he’s gone.”
“Nope. I don’t care,” he said honestly.
Mika sighed heavily with the hint of a sob. She tried to make light of herself,
saying, “Did you draw the short straw?” Eiri shook his head. They both knew he wasn’t
about to say something mushy about caring for his sister. “It hurts,” she confessed.
“Father…” tears trickled from her eyes and she held her chin up. She looked at him, b
leakly. “My marriage with Tohma was always treated as a business deal. I accepted
that, because I do love him.” She grabbed a tissue and blew her nose. She tossed t
he tissue toward the trash, missing the basket. She slumped. “I was holding on to
the fact that I had done my proper duties; as a daughter to contract a beneficia
l marriage and as a wife. . . ” Her voice broke.
Mika sagged forward and Eiri moved slightly, to hold her head on his lap. Her fa
ce was hot and he could feel her tears soaking into his kimono. He hesitated to
comfort her. He didn’t remember ever doing this for her before. He wondered if Tat
suha had? Mika had always taken care of herself while watching out for her broth
ers. Cautiously, he reached out and smoothed her hair back from her face. It was
n’t the same sort of gesture he made for Shuichi, but there was some similarity. H
is sister cried brokenly while he pet her.
Eiri tended to think of Shuichi as his weakness, but Shu had given Eiri the stre
ngth to do this for Mika. In an odd way, it felt . . . satisfying to help Mika.
With her pushy ways, she intruded into Eiri’s life, again and again; attempting to
‘help’ him by bullying him into doing what she thought was best. Most of the time,
she had been wrong. Now, Eiri was just here for her and that may be just what wa
s needed. It certainly didn’t solve any problems, but it comforted her against adv
ersity. He wasn’t sure how long he sat with her.
After a while, Mika pulled back. Eiri thought she had cried herself dry. She ble
w her nose again, this time getting the used tissue into the basket. She looked
at him, smiling bitterly. “Tohma’s on vacation. Nittle Grasper was taking a break. B
ad Luck doesn’t go on tour for another …well, Thursday, right?” Eiri nodded. “He plans t
o be back Thursday. Work wasn’t too busy.” That didn’t seem right, Eiri thought. Setti
ng aside the fact that he didn’t take his wife with him on vacation; why would Toh
ma not tell any of his family, friends, or band-mates where he would be? It didn’t
make much sense, until Mika spoke again. “He’s found someone who makes him happy.”
Now what? Eiri wondered. His father had been right. Mika had followed the rules
and she was miserable. Eiri and Tatsuha fought conformity and gained happiness.
It was completely against what tradition taught them all. A part of him said, ‘Mik
a knew what she was getting into’. He didn’t feel any need to avenge her, nor any re
ason to punish Tohma. Eiri couldn’t think of anything he could do for his sister. ‘A
t least he’s discreet’ would not be a helpful thing to say…
“Eiri? Mika? Are you in there?” Shuichi called from the hallway.
“Idiot. What is it?” Shu’s soft footsteps came closer.
“Want to open presents? Ryuichi-kun . . . um, he’s kind of anxious,” Shu said from the
other side of the door.
Eiri knew there was a world of understatement in that. He looked at Mika. She sh
rugged and made a slight, sideways nod of her head. He took it for ‘yes’. “Okay, we’ll c
ome in a minute.”
“Okay!” Eiri heard the hollow patter across the floor as Shuichi ran off.
“You go. I’ll clean up and be there shortly,” Mika told him. He nodded and stood up, p
utting the ashtray back on the desk. She stood, too. “Thanks,” she said quietly. She
ran one hand across his upper arm and turned away. He left.
In the hall, he realized that his right foot had fallen asleep and his kimono wa
s wet from Mika’s tears, so he changed into black pants and a loose, white shirt.
He transferred his lighter and cigarettes into the shirt, too. The clothes made
him feel more like himself. What would it take to restore Mika to herself? He fe
ared it would take something that only Tohma could give her. As generous as he w
as with his wife, Eiri wasn’t sure if Tohma was capable of giving her more love th
an a friendship.
***
With both energetic singers bouncing around the room, unwrapping presents became
an interesting show to watch. It seemed that Ryuichi had done his shopping at t
wo stores: an antique dealer and a professional costume shop.
Mika was given a beautiful rhinestone tiara that picked up and refracted light,
nearly making her glow. It made her happy, even though it was completely impract
ical. Ryuichi called her ‘Queen Seguchi’ and Tatsuha played along, waiting on Mika a
nd asking if her highness would like anything else? She hit him.
The Uesugi patriarch had been very pleasantly surprised by the presentation of t
he shrine and a set of jade prayer beads. When the present-opening degenerated i
nto Tatsuha and Ryuichi dressing each other up from a trunk of costumes, the old
monk departed, claiming temple duties.
Shuichi was given several boxes of strawberry pocky. He was ecstatic— but it was o
nly a slight elevation from his usual level of hyper activity. Most of the time,
Shu was incredibly easy to please.
Ryuichi gave Eiri a katana and wakizashi, complete with display stand. In his ch
ildlike voice, wearing a hairy grey wolf’s mask, Ryuichi explained that the swords
were used by samurai who protected their clan and family. Tipping the mask back
, he winked at Eiri. Then he put the mask back into place and bounced away, sing
ing to his stuffed rabbit, gruffly. Like a wolf, Eiri guessed. Shuichi joined in
the singing and pretty soon, the room filled with the sounds of a campground-li
ke sing-a-long.
Eiri did not sing. Instead, he considered the swords, pulling the katana from it
s sheath and inspecting the blade. The hilt alone was about a foot long, wrapped
in black cloth, pattern-twisted. The blade was a little longer than two feet, c
urving slightly and finishing in a diagonally-edged blade tip. [1] The blade was
really beautiful; finely polished steel with a raised hamon temper line down it
s center. The sheath was unadorned; smooth, black, lacquered wood. The tsuba was
a plain metal disc separating hilt and blade. The weapon was breath-taking in i
ts simplicity and violent purpose.
Living in a temple and training as a monk didn’t encourage sword study or weapons’ t
raining. Buddhists were schooled to strict non-violence. Eiri smirked. He knew w
hat his balance of karma looked like. He had a long way to fall in his next life
. Eiri had studied Japanese swords and armor once for a book he’d written, set in
the Sengoku o-Togi Zoushi [2]. He liked this katana. It was a very nice example
of its kind. He sheathed it, considering the role of family protector. He suppos
ed it was true. It brought his mind back to Mika’s problem.
Eiri had emerged from his past, thanks to Shuichi. In many ways, he had grown up
since then. He had become . . . more human and less like the cold snow of his s
elf-imposed namesake. It was one of the reasons that he had asked Shuichi not to
call him Yuki anymore. It was no longer who he was. Eiri had thought that Mika
had grown up a long time ago, but maybe she had just chosen a different way to h
ide in childhood.
Shuichi’s face was suddenly two inches from his own; large, merry, blue-violet eye
s filling his vision. Eiri jerked back, instinctively. Shuichi kneeled in front
of him, grinning. He probably would have jumped into Eiri’s lap, if Eiri hadn’t been
holding a sword. The writer set it aside and his lover took that for an invitat
ion, sitting on him and wrapping legs around his waist. “Yes?” Eiri said coolly.
Shuichi laid his head against Eiri’s shoulder, wrapping arms around his neck. “I’m hav
ing so much fun,” he said, “but I want to go home and be with you.”
“Idiot. You are with me,” he teased warmly, putting one arm around Shuichi’s back. He
knew what Shu meant.
“Mmmm,” Shu answered, nuzzling Eiri’s neck. “*Just* you . . . and me.” Shu’s breath brushed
his skin.
“Stop that,” Eiri scolded. He looked around the room, self-consciously. Mika was lau
ghing over Ryuichi’s and Tatsuha’s antics with the costume trunk. Shuichi nibbled Ei
ri’s neck, causing nerves to fire and those fires spread. Eiri dumped the singer o
nto the floor. With a glance, Shuichi knew he wasn’t truly angry and the kid laugh
ed. Eiri growled, causing Shuichi to laugh more. The others were oblivious. “Get y
our stuff. I’ll say my good-byes,” he instructed.
Shuichi bounced up. “Goody,” he said. “Shall I put our stuff in your car?”
“Okay. The keys are—“
“—in your left-hand coat pocket, I know.” Shuichi gathered up the swords and pocky and
took them away. Warning Shu to be careful was probably a waste of his breath, s
o he didn’t bother.
Eiri approached his sister. She was still wearing the shining crown. “We’re leaving.
If . . . if you need me . . . ” he started, awkwardly.
She looked surprised. “Thank you. I’ll see you on Thursday, for the kick-off concert
, right?”
Eiri nodded. “Shu wouldn’t let me miss it.”
She smiled a little. “I’ll be okay,” she lied, giving him a reassurance he neither nee
ded nor believed. “See ya.”
“Bye, Tatsuha, Ryuichi,” Eiri said. Ryuichi waved Kumagorou in the air at him, not b
reaking his song.
“I’ll see you Thursday, Aniki. I can stay over, right?” Eiri nodded. Tatsuha and he co
uld be lonely together . . . if Eiri decided to stay home for the first part of
Bad Luck’s tour.
Eiri went to the temple to tell his father good bye. The old man was lighting in
cense. “I’m going home, Father,” he announced.
Old Uesugi nodded. He stood and turned toward his eldest son, setting a hand on
Eiri’s shoulder. He frowned. “I pray for you all, but look after your sister, Eiri.” I
t was possibly the most practical request the old man had made of him since he’d m
oved out. Well, besides the old saw, ‘quit smoking’. That was practical, but there w
asn’t any chance the old man would ever see it happen. “And quit smoking!” Hypocrite.
***
[1] Okay, so I’m American. I work in feet and inches even though *I know* metrics
are used every where else in the world. One foot = 30.48 cm; and the length of t
he whole blade: 91.44 cm. Incidentally, the katana information is true and tsuba
= hilt guard.
[2] This is alternately called the ‘feudal period’ or ‘warring states era’.
***
Author’s Note: It was kind of a ‘downer’ chapter, so I tried to liven it up a little a
t the end. I hope I succeeded. I wanted to show how Eiri’s become more accessible
to others— not just for Shuichi. Shu still gets the biggest benefits of Eiri’s good-
side, though. I was also able to put in my reason behind using ‘Eiri’ rather than ‘Yuk
i’.
About Tohma: apparently, there are some Tohma-haters out there, but I think he h
as his place. I don’t *like* him, but I feel like he is a deeply neutral, gray-are
a; neither good nor evil.
***
Tadaima = I’m home. Standard response should be Okaeri = welcome home.
***
Author’s Note: This is kind of a holding chapter, setting up for the next action.
I hope it’s enjoyable, anyway. Sorry to set up a lemon and mess it up for them, bu
t that’s life!
Eiri woke up in a really bad mood. K’s untimely interruption had soured the previo
us evening— not to mention the bad news he’d come with! Then, Shuichi had had nightm
ares about people shooting at him. Eiri figured he’d had *maybe* two hours’ sleep. K’s
deep snoring was an atrocious sound. A nightmare of his own had woken him last.
His bedside ashtray was full. He needed more cigarettes, damn it. He was sick w
ith worry. He hoped the stress didn’t affect his health so badly that he wound up
in the hospital again. He hated that place. He had planned to spend today doing
something with Shuichi. Now that was spoiled, too. It all added up to a very bad
day.
Shu whimpered beside him, reaching out for him in his sleep. Eiri put his hand o
n Shu’s hair and he settled. How did he remain such an innocent? He wasn’t, really;
he just looked and acted like it. So much had happened to him that could have, *
should have* altered Shuichi’s world view. He just seemed to be able to maintain t
he same childish naivety, despite what had been done to him; a belief that most
people were good or kind. Eiri’s eyes narrowed in sudden determination, watching o
ver his sleeping lover. *I* am the one who is wise to the world and I will make
certain that nothing bad happens to Shindou Shuichi.
Who would want to kill the kid? Eiri considered the problem. Rabid fans? Some tr
aditionalist against pop music? Maybe someone with a prejudice against gays? Miy
amoto? Would he go that far? That idea led to another can of worms, so to speak.
Since Eiri and Shuichi’s relationship was public knowledge, it may be one of Eiri’s
rabid fans. He shook his head. He had witnessed some of the lengths fans went t
o just to see either of them, or to get an autograph. If one of them had become
obsessed and jealous . . . What a tangle.
Then there was the tour to consider. K said that professional body guards were b
eing hired for the tour. Security had better be a big concern, Eiri thought sour
ly. In his mind, there was no longer any doubt that he would travel with the ban
d.
At 7:22, he finally decided there was no longer any point in staying in bed. He
rubbed tired eyes and got up for the day.
---
Eiri was puttering around the kitchen, eating some leftover take-out for breakfa
st, when K came in, wearing wrinkled clothes and looking sleep-mussed. “Coffee?” He
asked, sniffing the air.
“Mugs are there.” Eiri pointed to the cupboard over the coffee maker and leaned back
on the counter, eating.
K poured and drank some coffee. Then he turned around grinning and cheerily said
, “Good morning!”
Eiri snorted disdainfully and said, “’Morning.” He finished off his breakfast and told
K, “There are more leftovers in the ‘fridge. Help yourself.” He glanced at the clock
on the microwave. It read 8:19. “Shuichi should be up soon. I’ll be in my office.” He
put his plate and chopsticks in the sink and took his coffee with him.
“Wait,” K said in English. “Will you be touring with the band?”
“Yes.”
“Oh no! I lost the bet,” he said. He sounded overly cheerful.
Eiri spun on him angrily. “Shuichi gets a death threat and you’re worried about a st
upid bet at work!?!”
“I’m taking that very seriously,” K said, in an authoritative tone. Looking into his e
yes, Eiri could tell it was true. “This morning, we have a team repairing some rec
ent sabotage to Bad Luck’s tour bus. It is not a joke.” He drew his ever-present han
d gun from its holster and caressed it disturbingly. His blue eyes acquired a ma
levolent shine that spoke ill for those who crossed him.
Sabotaging the tour bus was certainly not a joking matter. Security teams were o
nly one step, though. “Have the police been called?” Eiri asked sharply.
“Yes. They have the original note, too. NG is co-operating with them.”
Eiri nodded. “I have some more information for them. Who do I call?” K walked forwar
d to hand him a police detective’s business card from his shirt pocket. Eiri took
it. “Has Tohma returned?”
K shook his head ‘no’. Eiri realized K’s hair was down. He must have taken out the pon
ytail to sleep. “He is supposed to come to his office at 10:00 today. I have left
messages so he will know what is happening.”
Eiri nodded again and retreated to his office. In the hallway, he could hear Shu
singing in the shower. It sounded like bits of SuperDrive, “. . . don’t forget to s
mile again . . . I just want to keep on dancing forever.” Eiri smiled. Amidst a de
ath threat and nightmares of assassins, the kid could sing about smiling and dan
cing. Eiri shook his head. I really don’t deserve him, he thought for the thousand
th time. [1]
About half an hour later, Eiri had sent the police detective, Yoshiro Mamaru-san
, an e-mail with an attached file of information including names of enemies or p
otential suspects complete with any contact information and a short note about e
ach. He had also given the detective Mizuki’s contact information so that they cou
ld talk to her and access his fan mail at the publishing office. Since the media
had staked out the apartment and broadcast its location on national news, a lot
of their fan mail had been coming here. He would have to contact the post offic
e about holding onto it. It probably wasn’t safe to open right now. Besides, they’d
both be gone for at least a week—maybe even the whole month. Eiri sent one last e-
mail to Mizuki, with Yoshiro-san’s contact information and warned her that he woul
d be in touch and why. She’ll love that, he thought sarcastically.
He hit ‘send mail’ about the time that Shuichi came in, yawning. The singer was dres
sed in a black Nittle Grasper t-shirt with the band members outlined in silver a
nd loose shorts with suspenders. He had a towel draped around his neck and Eiri
could see that his hair was still damp. It had that slightly-limp, not-so-fluffy
quality to it that it only attainted when wet, and it was a darker shade of pin
k when wet. Shuichi was humming SuperDrive. He took his place on the stool besid
e Eiri’s desk. Eiri looked at him.
“Good morning!” He said exuberantly. Eiri winced. His ears were always more sensitiv
e to sound when he was sleep-deprived. “Ooo. Sorry,” Shu said in an exaggerated whis
per. “Eiri? Didn’t you get any sleep?” Shu jumped up and stood behind him to rub his s
houlders.
“Not much,” he replied, leaning into Shu’s fingers. Obligingly, his lover dug his fing
ers into sore muscles, coaxing out the tension.
“K said I’m not allowed to go anywhere,” Shuichi pouted. Eiri stayed quiet, relaxing u
nder his touch. “I wanted to go out and now . . .” His voice caught in a sob and he
sniffled.
Eiri pulled away. “Shut up. Don’t you dare cry about not going out!” He was incensed.
How could the younger man not understand the gravity of his situation? Someone w
anted to kill him! Eiri was concerned about his safety at a concert with securit
y teams and body guards. He let his worry loose and lit into the singer, “There is
no way you are leaving here, unless I’m sure you’ll be safe!”
The younger man’s eyes swelled with impending tears, but he was smiling. “You care a
bout me so much!” Shuichi latched onto him, hugging his arms to his chest, while h
is small body spilled over Eiri’s lap.
“Ug! Get off! Of course I care, Idiot!”
K was suddenly standing in the doorway. “I’m glad we agree that no one’s going anywher
e today,” he announced with a smile.
Have I *no* privacy? Eiri wondered angrily. He looked up at K from his desk chai
r/Shuichi prison. “What do you mean, ‘no one’s going anywhere’? I’m almost out of cigarett
es.”
K whistled, polishing his gun. “No one,” he repeated, happily.
“And you,” he said, directing his comment to Shuichi, “Let. Go.” He pushed his lover off
, forcibly. He was in no mood for cosseting. This was bad. He didn’t think he coul
d tolerate K’s barging-into-rooms, Shuichi’s whining and pouting over being grounded
, worry over the death threat, a headache from lack of sleep, and NO CIGARETTES!
It was unthinkable! His stomach tightened in warning of his stress level. He gl
ared at both of the other men in the room and left to find his pills.
Shuichi hit the floor on his butt, but quickly popped up again, wiping his shirt
sleeve across his eyes and nose. “You could call Mika to bring you some cigarette
s,” he offered.
Eiri rolled his eyes. He brushed past K. There was another headache. He hadn’t tal
ked to Mika since Sunday and he felt just the slightest bit guilty about that. H
e consoled himself with the fact that he had told her, ‘if you need me,’ which certa
inly implied that she could contact him. Since she hadn’t, she must be okay. On th
e other hand, he couldn’t think of anyone else who would run the errand for him. H
e frowned.
“You could invite her for lunch?” Shuichi said, following him, testing Eiri’s acceptan
ce of his suggestion. Eiri sighed. The alternative was worse. “Maybe she talked to
Tohma this morning. Wouldn’t you like to know?” Shuichi prodded.
Eiri rummaged around in the bathroom drawer. He couldn’t find his pills, so he con
sidered the question. Actually, he would like to know. “Fine,” he said grumpily. “I’ll c
all her.” He brushed past Shuichi and headed into the bedroom.
“Hey!” Shuichi started. He stepped back when Eiri turned his golden gaze on the sing
er, but Shu stood his ground this time, angrily setting his hands on his hips.
“What?” Eiri knew his voice was cold and tight with pent-up frustration and anger.
Shu frowned back at him, leaning forward to stick his face in Eiri’s way. “You bette
r ask her nicely or she won’t help you out, you know!” Eiri knew he was right but di
dn’t want to admit it, so he glared, and continued his search, looking around the
bedside table. A rattle from behind made him turn. Shuichi was holding his presc
ription bottle, watching him to see if he’d stuck a nerve.
He had. Eiri stepped forward with his hand out, “Give it to me,” he ordered.
Shu’s face crumpled as he place the bottle in his hand. “You’re not taking care of you
rself, again, are you?” The singer sank down, folding his knees up and sitting on
his butt in the doorway and his tears started again. Eiri ate two pills, swallow
ing them dry. “It’s my fault, isn’t it?” Shuichi moaned. “All this is going on and you . .
. you’re getting sick again, aren’t you? Eeeeiiriii!” Shuichi buried his face in his
hands.
Why did Shuichi pick the worst times to have emotional break downs? Never mind;
he has them all the time, Eiri thought. Some of the time, it was just more incon
venient. Like now. He felt so tired, physically and emotionally. He snapped the
medicine lid shut and dropped the container into his pant’s pocket. He ruffled Shu
ichi’s pink hair, in a cursory apology and stepped over him.
He pushed past K, who was standing in the hallway eavesdropping, and he went to
the phone. He dialed, trying to keep his bad mood under control. Gritting his te
eth, he listened to the sharp, digitalized ringing. Mika’s voice mail kicked in. E
iri found it easier to talk to the unemotional, non-judgmental recording. He lef
t a brief message that wasn’t polite, exactly, but neither was it insulting. He ho
ped his sister followed through or he’d . . . damn. He’d only have two cigarettes un
til someone from NG came to pick them up for the concert, or he sneaked out the
window, that’s what!
Only a couple of minutes had passed when the phone rang. K moved toward the phon
e immediately and read the number off the phone’s small LCD screen. “It’s Seguchi-san,”
he said, picking up the receiver.
“Hey!” Eiri was annoyed all over again. K didn’t have the right to answer his phone! H
e moved forward, to take the phone away, but the conversation was too short.
“K, here. . . Yes. . . Okay. See you later!” K set the phone down again. “Seguchi Mika
-san said she will be coming for lunch at 11:00 and she will bring your cigarett
es.” K grinned at him. “What will we be having?”
***
[1] At the beginning of track 15 in the manga, Eiri says, “I don’t deserve anyone no
w. I gave up on deserving anyone a long time ago.” TokyoPop translated it differen
tly in their official version, but I like the fan-trans version cited here.
***
***
Author’s Note: Well, K. was very quiet, but I guess he was busy stuffing his face
and watching the scene. ;-) The questions are being answered and this fic will b
e wrapping up pretty soon. Are you looking forward to the concert??
***
[1] I don’t know what they call this V-fingered hand sign in Japan. In America, it
is used for ‘peace’ or for ‘victory’ depending on generation and on the situation. Vict
ory seems to suit, here.
[2] I don’t know if MC is universal, or some American adaptation. . . It stands fo
r Master of Ceremonies. It’s the announcer for a stage performance.
[3] Aniki = an old form of ‘big brother’, just in case you didn’t know. ; )
***
“Shuichi, when you get your juice, would you grab my coffee?” Eiri set the plates on
the table, shoving the mail around a little to clear a spot.
“Sure. Oooo. One from Never Ending Dream, to both of us!” Shuichi remarked, setting
in the center pile. The singer shuffled another three letters in his hands, drop
ping them into his pile. Eiri snatched the pink Never Ending Dream envelope from
top of the mutual pile. Shuichi smirked at him and sauntered over to the refrig
erator for drinks, whistling ‘Time in My Heart’.
Privately, Eiri blamed the last letter from his publisher for all the trouble wi
th Miyamoto. Eiri *would NOT* be going to any more book-related parties with or
without Shuichi! Quickly, he ripped open the envelope. If necessary, he hoped he
could get rid of it before Shu tried to read it. Eiri scanned the flowery-scrip
ted letter, which invited him to a party in his honor, to celebrate Never Ending
Dream’s first book release to be number one on the best seller list. ‘Golden Sands’,
his last book title. He shredded the paper and its flowery script into tiny piec
es in his hands. Are the pieces too small to put together and read, he wondered?
Where can I hide them?
Shuichi broke off his whistling, setting the coffee in a little clearing between
stacks of mail before the writer. “So what was it?”
“It just informed me that ‘Golden Sands’ made number one on the best seller list,” Eiri
said blandly. He was a much better liar than Shuichi. A partial truth was the be
st way to pull it off. “We should bring the trash basket in here.”
“Here,” Shuichi said, sitting and handing him the bag the mail had been kept in. “I’ve b
een using this.” Eiri nodded and placed it between them, and to his right, on top
of some of the mail. He tossed the pink scraps into the bag, making a mental not
e to be certain that this bag found its way to the incinerator before Shuichi go
t too curious. “Why’d you rip it up, then?” Definitely, too curious.
Eiri frowned. “I’ve told you before; I don’t need or want accolades for my work.”
“Yeah, but . . . Eiri, people want to give them to you. Can’t you just, you know, ac
cept that?” Eiri met his lover’s earnest gaze across the table. Shuichi gestured vag
uely toward the hall. “It’s like all that stuff that people give to me. They just wa
nt me to see them. They can’t have a piece of me, because I’m all yours!” Shu grinned.
“They can listen to my music, and they can give me something from themselves. Tha
t’s enough for them, er, most of them.” Shuichi took a couple of bites of brunch, wa
tching him.
The singer was probably hoping to avoid another discussion about rabid fans. The
re had been several over the course of the tour. Eyebrows coming together, Eiri
thought about what he’d said. Sometimes Shuichi’s naivety held unexpected wisdom. “May
be you’re right,” he muttered.
Shuichi’s brows went up. “What was that, Eiri?” Shu mocked him, cupping one hand aroun
d his ear, “Did you say, ‘you’re right’??” Shuichi giggled and grinned at him.
“Shut up.” Shuichi laughed some more.
Once the mail had all been placed in stacks, Shuichi shuffled through his piles
to find the ones he wanted to read first. “It’s from Maiko,” he said, holding it up to
show him an envelope decorated with a strange doodle of . . . a dog? Shu’s sister
had a very odd sense of humor. The kid pulled out a newspaper clipping and a le
tter. He read the clipping first. “Eiri, read this!” Shuichi dangled it in front of
him, so he set down the mail he’d intended to open.
The headline read, “Would-be Killer Gets Maximum Sentence”. Eiri read through it. Mi
yamoto was found guilty and had been sentenced to life in prison for two counts
of assault with a deadly weapon, four counts of attempted murder, and he was cha
rged for assaulting police officer. The judge found Miyamoto to be ‘unremorseful’ fo
r his actions and because of the nature of his crimes; the public prosecutor had
argued that the author was ‘a danger to society’. Mixed with the profuse public out
cry against him, the judge had decided to invoke the maximum penalty. Though the
trial and sentencing had been completed in a near-record time frame for a crimi
nal case, the article noted that Miyamoto was appealing the sentence and the fin
al outcome may take years to settle. It didn’t really matter how long it took to a
rbitrate the man’s appeals. Eiri was confidant that Miyamoto would never get out o
f jail.
“Maiko said everyone’s well and they’d like us to visit when we get back.” Shuichi dropp
ed the note. “I’m glad Miymoto is in jail. I hope he stays there.”
“Me, too. It’s what he deserves.” Shu nodded once in agreement. Eiri wondered if Shu e
ver felt vindictive about Taki’s assault on him. Eiri would have liked to have see
n that bastard get thrown in jail, too.
“Here’s one I don’t recognize, but it’s addressed to both of us.” Shuichi held out another
envelope. Eiri took it. Kazekura? Hm. The return address listed was here, in To
kyo. He opened it and a snapshot photo fell out. It showed a large smiling man i
n a blue hospital gown, tucked into a hospital bed. At his bedside stood a prett
y young lady holding flowers. He passed it to Shuichi and read the note. In a fe
minine hand, the letter thanked them profusely for covering all of Kazekura Tomo
ko’s medical expenses and for sending the flowers. He was expected to make a full
recovery. The picture was of the bouncer that had been shot, three months ago, p
ictured with his daughter.
Eiri passed the note to Shuichi, who burst into tears over it. “That’s SO nice!” Both
of them had wanted to do something to thank the man. Paying his hospital bills h
ad been a simple matter, but important. The flowers had been Shu’s idea. The singe
r sobbed and sniffled, blurring his words. Lots of translation practice on Eiri’s
part allowed him to decipher what Shu was saying. “I’m so glad he’s okay. It says he’s g
onna be fine!” Shuichi climbed into Eiri’s lap, burying his face in his lover’s neck. “I
t could have been one of us. That bullet might have hit . . .”
“Shhh. Shuichi, he won’t hurt anybody anymore. He can’t.” Eiri laid his hand on Shuichi’s
soft hair. “Everything’s okay. Kazekura-san has probably already made his recovery.
No one else was harmed. Miyamoto will never get out of jail,” Eiri said, with the
voice of conviction.
“You’re right,” Shu said with a little more clarity.
“I usually am,” Eiri commented blithely. Shuichi giggled.
***
Author’s Note: I had to do some research on Japanese legal issues to complete this
epilogue. Essentially, capitol punishment was only an option for Miyamoto if so
meone had died, i.e. Miyamoto murdered the security guy. I wanted the poor guy t
o live, so I guess Miyamoto gets life in prison. That’s harsh. It’s worse than death
, in my opinion. (Especially when you look at Japanese prison conditions!) Sorry
, my bloodthirsty fans, but I couldn’t have him hanged. ^_^ Still, he’ll get what he
deserves, eh?
I am messing with the usual legal timeline . . . a sensational trial like this w
ould normally take an absolute minimum of six months, but I wanted it to coincid
e with the end of Bad Luck’s three-month-long tour. Artistic license at work! I ho
pe you liked it.