Gravitation Fan Fiction ❯ Ghosts and Inner Demons ❯ Part 2 ( Chapter 2 )

Thank you everybody for reviewing. Your feedback is very encouraging, especially since this is my first Gravitation fic. I usually write Gundam Wing.

Ghosts and Inner Demons

Part 2

Fujisaki Suguru tapped his pen impatiently against the table surface, as he glanced at the clock on the wall.

Two thousand screaming fans expected Bad Luck to appear on stage in less than fifteen and Shuichi was being late, once again. He had left after their morning rehearsal, to grab a bite to eat as he said, and hadn't come back yet.

Sakano stood by the window, looking a little pale, as though he was about to pass out.

K paced forth and back in the dressing room, his expression indicating that he was ready to blow any minute.

Hiroshi was the only one in the group who didn't seem affected by Shindou's tardiness. He plucked his guitar quietly, as though he wasn't the slightest bit concerned. He knew Shuichi well enough to be confident that his friend wouldn't let them down.

"If necessary Hiro and I could go out and warm up the crowd," Fujisaki suggested.

"Don't worry, Shu will be here," Hiroshi replied calmly.

"I really hope so. This is really unprofessional of him, you know. Letting us wait like this. I don't know why Seguchi-san keeps up with his behavior."

"Give him a break, short stuff."

"Five more minutes," K growled menacingly. "I'll give him five more minutes before Mr. Magnum and I will go looking for him. And I swear…"

The door swung open before the manager could finish the threat, and Shuichi Shindou bounced into the dressing room like a hyperactive bunny rabbit. "La Li Ho…Did I miss anything?"

"You are late."

"I can explain, K-kun," Shuichi blinked innocently at the tall blond. "It really isn't my fault, you see. I was just walking down the street, minding my own business when I was suddenly attacked by a hoard of crazy fan girls. I tried to run away, but they chased my down. They pulled me into a car and kidnapped me and tied me down. But when they started to fight about me I managed to escape and …" he spread out his arms. "Here I am."

K glared daggers at him. "Shindou, you are lying like a dog."

"I'm not lying," the singer insisted. "I just have a very active imagination. But who cares anyway, right? Most importantly, I'm here now, aren't I. So cool your jets, K-kun, before you give yourself a heart attack." He winked at the manager as he walked past him.

"Just get ready, please." Sakano pleaded, as he wiped a few sweat drops from his forehead. "The show begins in less than ten minutes."

As he and K left the room, Shuichi started to change into his stage outfit. While he was bending down to tie his shoes he didn't even realize that his butt was perfectly in Hiro's line of view until his friend slapped him teasingly.

"Cute little ass you have there."

"Hey, cut it out. Only one person is allowed to put his hands on that ass," Shu replied playfully. "But do you really think it's cute?"

"You guys are just sick," Fujisaki remarked. "You should be thinking about our concert now and nothing else."

Look who is talking. Shuichi snorted. Aren't you the one who told Yuki that you have the same taste in men as your cousin, before you were even fully weaned off your baby bottle? Now that's what I call sick. And I'll never forgive you for that, Suguru. Nobody and I mean nobody hits on my Yuki; especially not while I'm eavesdropping.

Just then the door opened and Sakano stuck his head into the dressing room. "It's time to go on stage. Are you guys ready?"

"Not really," Shuichi gave him an innocent look. "Can you give us another… let's say thirty minutes?"

"Shindou!?" the producer wailed.

Shuichi grinned, showing him two rows of pearl white teeth. "Just kidding, Sakano-kun. Of course we are ready. You are so gullible."

"You are killing me, Shuichi," the dark-haired man groaned.

***

Eiri leaned back in his chair and removed his glasses to rub his burning eyes.

Almost done, he thought with a sigh of relieve. When the novelist reached for a cigarette he realized that the pack was empty. He tossed it into the trash can next to his desk and rose to get himself a new package. As he walked through the living room his eyes caught a small white envelope lying on the table.

Shuichi's concert, he remembered, as he picked up the envelope and removed a single ticket. Its tonight, isn't it?

::: Begin Flashback :::

"We will be playing at the Koseinenkin at the 27th." Shuichi was lying curled up on the couch, which his head in Yuki's lap. Eiri was playing with his hair while they were watching TV.

"Ah."

"It will be our 100th concert."

"I see."

There was a moment of silence before Eiri spoke again. "Why don't you just ask me? You want me to come to watch your show, don't you?"

"Well…" Shuichi glanced up at his lover. "Would you want to come?"

"I'll see what I can do."

"Great! There is a ticket for you on the table." The younger man smiled.

Eiri snorted in slight amusement as he cupped Shuichi's face. "You got me a ticket before you even ask me if I wanted to go. Isn't that a little assuming of you?"

"Yep, that's me." Shuichi gave a lopsided grin, as Yuki dipped his head to kiss him.

::: End of Flashback :::

Eiri glanced at his watch. The concert has already started, but if I leave now I should be able to catch the end of the show. We could go out afterward for a drink or a bite to eat - as long as he doesn't insist on visiting one of his usual burger joints.

The blond novelist nodded to himself. I can finish the script tomorrow before my meeting with the publisher. And I really could take a break right now.

He walked into the bedroom to change his clothes. Less than ten minutes later he pulled out of the driveway and headed toward Shinjuku. It was Friday evening and traffic was still heavy. Eiri rolled down the driver-side window. The cool night breeze felt refreshing on his face.

*****

"Thank you! Thank you everybody for coming!" Shuichi smiled and waved at the crowd before he and the rest of the band walked off the stage.

The fans clapped, screamed and whistled for a while longer, but when they realized that they didn't get any more encore performances, they started slowly to leave the club.

After jumping around on stage the way he did, and singing his heart out Shuichi should have been exhausted, but at the moment he was till so high on adrenalin that he could have given another show in a heartbeat.

One hundred concerts and he still got excited every time he faced the crowd. This was what he and Hiroshi had dreamed off when they first started practicing in his parent's garage. Sometimes he still couldn't believe that they had actually made it. Bad Luck didn't turn out to be so unlucky after all.

"Let's go somewhere and celebrate!" Suddenly Shuichi pounced at his friend, wrapping his arms around Hiro's neck and his legs around the young man's hips.

"What the hell are you doing? Stop that. If somebody sees us they might get the wrong idea."

"Are you worried about my reputation or yours?" Shu grinned. "You are the only one who can tease, you know." He took a nip at his friend's earlobe, making Hiroshi actually blush.

"Baka, stop that."

Shuichi laughed.

"Don't you guys think that's enough? Let's get packed up and out of here." K rolled his eyes. Worst than a bunch of school kids When he looked toward the backstage exit he thought he saw somebody standing just outside the door in the corridor. All he could see in the dim light was the outline of a tall, slender man.

"K-kun," one of the stage-hands asked him. "What about the microphones?"

"Those are ours. Load them up together with the instruments," he called over his shoulder. When he turned his head again the figure by the door was gone. The blond frowned and wondered if he was just imagining things.

"Shu, you are heavy. Get down before I drop you."

"What, are you saying I'm fat?" Shuichi managed to sound offended.

"No, you said that," Hiro freed himself from his friend's grasp and dropped him unceremoniously onto the ground.

Shuichi let out an undignified yelp as he landed on his butt. "Hey what was that for? That hurt."

"Stop!"

Both Shuichi and Hiro froze as they suddenly stared into the black barrel of a gun.

"May I introduce you to Mr. Magnum 44?" K spoke casually. "If the two of you don't stop fooling around Mr. Magnum will get really angry. And that wouldn't be good, trust me; because if Mr. Magnum gets angry brains will be flying everywhere. You don't want that to happen, do you?"

Shu and Hiroshi swallowed, then shook their heads in unison.

"Good," K nodded in satisfaction as he re-holstered the pistol. "It's a real bitch to clean up blood and brains"

***

I should have known better. Eiri felt numb, as he left the club and walked back to his car. I should have known better than to allow him to get this close. I should have thrown him out the moment I got bored with him. That has always worked in the past. How could I for only a second believe that the little brad was serious about anything he told me? Am I really that desperate that I allow myself being put through this shit again? I don't think so.

Numbness was starting to give way to anger as he climbed behind the wheel of his Mercedes. He's played with me. The fucking asshole played with me, and I bet he got a good laugh out of it too.

***

Hiroshi was woken by a knock - no, a bang - at his apartment door. He glanced at the clock on the nightstand as he pushed away his covers.

It was shortly after three o' clock in the morning. He had gone to bed little more than an hour earlier. After their performance the band had gone out to celebrate their 100th concert. But once the adrenalin rush was over he had realized how exhausted he was, and he had split after only a few drinks.

Hiro cursed as he climbed out of bed, who the hell wanted to see him at this hour of the night. His visitor, apparently not the most patient person either, pounded against the door once more.

"Alright," he yelled, his voice heavy with sleep, as he shuffled to the door, "Alright already, I'm coming."

The moment he opened the lock, the door was pushed open with force. Hiro instinctively took a step backward. He blinked in surprise at the intruder. "Yuki Eiri?!"

The blond writer glared down at him. "Is he here?" he barked, as he fully pushed his way into the apartment.

"Is who here?" Hiroshi scowled back at the taller man. "Who the hell are you talking about?"

"Don't play games with me. I'm in no mood." Eiri growled. "You know very well that I'm talking about Shindou." He grabbed the young man by the front of his T-shirt and slammed him against the wall.

The impact momentarily knocked the wind out of Hiro, and he saw stars when the when his head hit the hard concrete. There was something in Yuki's eyes that made his blood freeze. He swallowed convulsively, the last sign of sleepiness gone from his startled eyes. "What makes you think that Shuichi would be here?" he asked, once he was able to breathe again.

Eiri removed his hand from Hiroshi's shirt, only to grab him by the throat instead. "I saw you and him together after your concert." His amber colored eyes darkened, as he tightened his grip slightly. "If there is something going on between the two of you I want to know. And you'd better not lie."

"Does it really matter to you?"

"It does," Eiri confirmed. "I'm not going to waste my time on somebody who…"

Hiro saw red. His fists clenched in rage. Forgotten was the threat in Yuki's eyes, and the fact that the man could break his neck like a twig if he chose to. "Wasting your time?" he growled. "What the fuck are you talking about, you egotistical son of a bitch? You are the one who has been stringing Shuichi along for the past two years. You are playing with him like he is some kind of toy. How dare you talk about him wasting your time? I do care for Shu, that's true, because he is my friend - if that concept means anything to you? But even if I wanted more, I would never have a chance against you, because Shu loves you more than anything. He loves you, and he worships the ground you are walking on. Maybe if you wouldn't be so fucking self-centered you would realize that.
I don't know what you saw, or what you think you saw, but there is nothing going on between me and Shuichi. He was only joking around."

Eiri blinked. He slowly removed his hand from Hiroshi's throat, turned and walked away without saying as much as a word.

Hiro swallowed and reached up to massage his sore neck. The guy is fucking nuts, he thought. When he pushed away from the way to close and relock the door he realized that his knees were shaking.

*****

Eiri barely noticed that it had started to rain when he left Nakano's apartment complex and walked across the street where his car was parked. He wasn't even angry anymore, just tired.

He wasn't sure if he had preferred it if Hiroshi would have admitted that he and Shindou were more than just friends. At least that would have confirmed his suspicion that there was no such thing as love; that Shuichi was not much different from Yuki, and that it wasn't a good idea to allow anybody to get too close.

Was he just being paranoid? Was he seeing things that didn't really happen? Part of him still wasn't fully convinced.

He climbed back into his Mercedes and drove of. At this time of night the streets were nearly empty. Eiri glared at the road ahead of him. He didn't even realize that he was speeding.

Suddenly there was something in the middle road; a dog, or maybe a raccoon, Eiri couldn't be sure. It happened way too fast. He only saw dark fur and a pair of golden colored eyes when the creature was caught in his headlights.

Shit! He pushed the breaks and jerked the steering wheel around, trying to avoid the animal. On the rain-slick street his tires lost traction, and he could feel the Mercedes swerve. Before Eiri was able to react the car spun out and crashed into a road sign hard enough to inflate the driver-seat airbag.

Eiri cursed as he climbed out of the car, slightly dazed. He could feel something warm and sticky run over his face. Carelessly he wiped the trickle of blood away with his sleeve, as he settled down on curb.

He was still sitting there when a police car pulled up behind his Mercedes.

******

"I'm sorry for bothering you at this time of the night," Eiri apologized as he climbed into Seguchi's car, in front of the police station about two hour later. "I just didn't know who else to call."

Tohma gave him one of his brilliant smiles. "Please Eiri, you can call me any time, day or night, and I would never consider it a bother. More importantly, are you alright?"

Eiri nodded, as he touched the bandage on his forehead. They had checked him over, right after given him a sobriety test and before booking him for driving under influence of alcohol. "I'm fine. But the press will have a field day with this."

"Don't worry about it, I'll take care of that," Tohma assured him as he started the car, "unless of course you would like a little publicity, now that your new book is about to be released."

Eiri gave his brother in law a humorless smile. "This is not the kind of publicity my publishers would like, trust me."

"You really shouldn't drink and drive, Eiri." Seguchi's voice was very soft and very gentle.

The blond novelist snorted. "I had a couple of beers during the day and a few drinks at dinner. I'm not drunk. I was trying to avoid running over a fucking dog."

"Would you like to come over to my place for the rest of the night? We could talk." Tohma looked at him from the site.

"Thank you, but no." Yuki gave a cynical huff. "The last thing that I need right now is one of my sister's lectures on how to live my life."

"Mika isn't home. She left for a trip to Europe this morning, and she won't be back fro at least four to five weeks. So, you are welcome to stay for a while if you want." Seguchi offered.

Eiri shook his head. "I have a meeting with somebody from my publisher's office later today. I need to get some sleep and my script finished."

"How is it coming? The script I mean."

"It's pretty much finished. Just some editing I still have to do."

"That's good." Tohma gave the blond another look from the side. "And how are things between you and Shindou-san?"

"Wonderful," Eiri lied without even blinking. "Things really couldn't be better. Thanks for asking."

______________________________________________________________________ ____________________

T.B.C.

Author's Note:

This fic is probably based more on the manga, therefore I'm using a little stronger language than the anime would use.

Feedback is greatly appreciated, constructive criticism is welcome :-)