Gravitation Fan Fiction ❯ Yuki ❯ Precious (2) ( Chapter 11 )

Disclaimer: Gravitation does not belong to me. Ne, I doubt Gravitation would be as good if I owned it anyway. I'm not making any money out of this either and am just borrowing its characters….

A/N: It just keeps on bloating and bloating - really, I wanted to separate this into two parts but figured you guys would reeaaaally kill me if I did that, so here, one uber long chapter, a mix of everything. Though you'll see the rest of a certain part (what happened after that) in the next chapter as form of semi-flashback. I figured it's best to keep guessing about that first. But, if you look hard enough, there are... uh… more hints! K was really weird here, I know - you'll have to forgive me for his characterization and it is a fact that I know close to nothing about… CIA stuff. ^-^ Never really watched those kinds of shows… But! I'm finally done! Yes! As usual, this is still unedited, while at the same time bloody long - Even longer than the chapter before this. I'd like to say THANK YOU to all of you who have reviewed and - wow - there was a lot! You guys were wonderfulI just can't really put it into words… >.< Comments and criticisms are more than welcome so drop in a review! I promise to work harder in the next chapter if this wasn't good enough. ;_; (I don't like some parts very much… but…) Anyway, Enjoy! And I reaaally hope nobody get's bored…. It's really long.

Oh and (www (dot) deviantart (dot) com/view/4800409/) for a watercolor picture of Yukito!

And finally, this chapter is dedicated to my friend, Marcia, who helped me get out of the writer's block I suffered before finishing the previous chapter. Thanks for helping me write again :-)! *hugs*

Eleven: Precious (2)

"We're almost there, don't open your eyes yet."

It took a good amount of effort not to smile even wider when the owner of the hands currently clasped over his eyes, therefore preventing him from seeing anything, said those words in a soft, gentle whisper in his ears. Knowing that prying those hands away from his eyes was out of the question, not to mention it would ruin whatever surprise was in store for him, he furrowed his eyebrows slightly - an action he was sure his 'captor' would notice easily - and asked a question quietly.

"So, how much longer?" He would have added something in the lines of 'I'm getting bored of this…' or 'I really don't have time…' but decided that was enough. The last thing he, both of them, needed was an argument about his apparent impatience. He didn't really want to ruin the moment by doing that.

"Not too long," came the reply and he could almost swear his captor was grinning by the way the words were said with a tinge of… amusement that was not lost to him. He bit his lower lip to prevent himself from making a sarcastic, or any kind at all, comment on that. He had to remind himself, a little slip and it was going down the drain; whatever it was.

"Okay…." He breathed slowly, nodding his head. His captor gave him a tiny push, a signal for him to continue walking and he complied, his mind drawing possibilities as to where he was going to be taken. For one, it couldn't possibly be back home, since that would require a car and he was sure his fiancée's black Mercedes wasn't parked that far from the Shopping Mall. Could it be that his lovely fiancée had finally succumbed to his incessant pestering for a car? His heart leapt at the thought of that - that was a big possibility since he'd been pestering her for…ever. And he'd been a good boy, right?

It was a car, he thought to himself and he bit his lower lip more, this time in an attempt to keep in the triumphant laughter that threatened to tumble from his lips any moment now. It had better be a blue one, he added, a nice, blue, sports car that can go at the speed of light - not literally of course.

A swish that easily brought an image of the kind of electronic doors they had in most shopping malls snapped him from his daydreaming and he remembered where he was, or rather, what kind of situation he was in. Yes, the surprise - he was dying to know what the surprise was. It had better be a car.

But, how often did car showrooms have doors like that? Usually it was just the traditional glass door, wasn't it?

"Don't open your eyes just yet," his captor whispered and he nodded obediently. Moments later, the warmth and weight over his eyes disappeared and then those hands were placed over his shoulder. Those hands, with their slender digits, gripped his shoulder tightly, though not tightly enough to hurt him, and he could swear his captor had breathed in sharply before leading him forward for a few steps and then making him stop.

"Sit down." His captor ordered in the same quiet whisper and what followed that order was a few moments of uncomfortable silence, punctuated only by occasional faint sounds of shoes thudding on a carpeted floor. He paused - a carpeted floor; it was one detail he totally missed the moment he entered the place, wherever and whatever it was. Now, that totally nullified whatever assumption, and hope, he had that he had been taken to a car showroom.

There was a light thud, followed by a tiny click that made his eyebrows twitch only slightly as curiosity begged him to open his eyes. But, there was no order yet for him to open his eyes so he waited quietly, though not calmly, for just that and was glad he did not wait too long.

"You can open your eyes now…." His captor told him and the hands promptly disappeared. He gave one small nod before slowly opening his eyes. At first what met his eyes did not quite register in his brain and he kept staring at the thing with a blank, albeit somewhat confused, expression. Moments later though, the surprise kicked in and he found his eyes widening when it finally dawned to him what exactly was in front of him, sitting on a display box.

A pair of silver rings was rested on top of a velvety cushion inside an open jewelry box, glinting in the light and displaying their utter perfection. The first thing that came to his mind was the fact that it must have cost a fortune. The second was the way the rings were arranged in such a way that they looked like they were linked together, inseparable and forever bound. He swallowed and then turned to his captor, the tall European woman standing beside him with a calm, simple smile on her face. The surprised expression remained on his face and he knew he did not need to ask a question out loud anymore.

"So you like it, Yukito?" The European woman questioned softly and he could only nod before turning to the rings.

"Like it? I love it… I... I can't believe this….!" Yukito exclaimed, running a hand through his red hair. He let out a laugh before biting his lip and then turning to Freesia once more. He opened his mouth to say something but found out later on he couldn't find the right words to say out what exactly was in his mind. Finally, he settled with a simple "I'm speechless…" which Freesia nodded off in understanding.

"Ai will love these…." He declared, taking a ring from the box. He carefully slipped the silver ring into his left ring finger and then said in a quiet, awe-filled whisper, "It looks like a wedding band…."

"It does now, doesn't it?" Freesia said, grinning at him. Yukito laughed in response, before shaking his head.

"Nah… it can't be!" he said, shrugging off the idea like it was nothing. Within him, he heard a quiet voice that asked, 'Can it?' but he brushed the idea off. It was just too… ridiculous and impossible, though he wasn't quite sure why.

He wasn't even sure why that came to mind but it didn't matter. It was nothing, he was sure. He held his left hand up and began examining the ring in the light, marveling at how flawless it seemed. It really did look like a wedding band.

"Why don't you take a look at what's in them?" Freesia suggested quietly and he gave the European woman a questioning look before bringing his left hand back down and hastily, though just as carefully, removing the ring from his ring finger. Wordlessly, he carefully searched the inside of the ring and was quite delighted to see that it had the name 'Yuki' engraved on it in simple, yet elegant cursive.

"I had your names engraved on the rings." Freesia explained as Yukito traced the engraved words in his ring with his index finger, "For you, I chose 'Yuki' as that is your nickname and that is how your spell it in English. For Ai, I chose to have her English name, 'Anne', engraved in it. Is it well done?"

Yukito nodded and a small smile crept on his lips. He tilted his head to Freesia's direction and gave her a grateful smile before carefully placing his ring back on the box and then taking Ai's ring in his hand. He examined the words engraved on it and slipped a finger into it, just to trace the words 'Anne' engraved in it. His fiancée was going to love it.

"I thought about how you would not think about doing this for her, since you have a different way of showing your affection, Yukito," Freesia paused and from the edge of his sight he saw her crossing her arms across her chest. "So I decided to give you two a gift. Call it an early wedding gift, maybe?"

"Maybe…" Yukito whispered as he eyed Ai's ring. The small smile on his face disappeared suddenly and a slight frown marred his youthful face. "Freesia…." He began, tilting his head up to look at the European woman worriedly, "This ring… it's…. it's too big for Ai…"

The European was smiling at him quietly. Her green eyes were fixed on him and it struck him suddenly how indescribable they were and at the same time… disturbing. As if those eyes were wrong. Just wrong. Freesia remained rooted on the spot, motionless, smiling, even after a few long moments.

"Freesia….?"

Yukito was snapped out of his reverie by the sound of his pencil rolling off his keyboard and hitting the carpeted floor with a dull thud. He blinked at himself, realizing the fact that he'd drifted off to daydream-land while working on his composition, before breaking into quiet chuckling. With a silly smile on his lips, he bent down to pick up his pencil before turning his attention to the music sheet in front of him. The Music Fes was a little more than a month away and even if he did finish the song sometime before that, there was still the matter of Takumi and Ruka having to get used to the song itself and that needed at least a month.

He heaved a sigh and began chewing on one end of his pencil, wondering about what to do with a certain part in the song. He just couldn't find the right words for this one part - the part after it, he could re-use a stanza or two since it was towards the end but this one part he was just… at loss for words.

"seijyaku no toki o…" he began, drumming his pencil softly on the keyboard to the beat of the song, trying to see if it fit or not. "uchi otosu tame ni-" he stopped and heaved a heavy sigh. It was coming out now, at least, however slow it was doing so. He was getting the words, slowly, and they fit with the tune though he wasn't sure how long this fit of sudden-inspiration would last. To knock down the silence - then what? He sat back on his chair and folded his arms across his chest.

Yukito sat there, thinking for a few long minutes before finally giving up and tossing his pencil aside. He let out a huff as he folded his arms behind his head and fixed his gaze on the bare ceiling above him, wondering if by doing so he would get ideas, somehow.

"Ruka's going to kill me…" he told the ceiling with a tinge of bitterness as his face scrunched up in a mock-frown. He knew the redhead would never do anything to upset him really but he still felt bad about not being able to finish the song sooner. As patient and understanding Takumi and Ruka were, he knew he couldn't make them wait for too long. Then, there was the fact that it had been his idea to finish the song he was currently working on before the Music Fes so they could perform it on the event. "This is futile…" he whispered, before shaking his head and heaving a long-suffering sigh. "I can't believe this song isn't finished yet… even after a year!"

He pouted and closed his eyes. There was always tomorrow, right? If the words wouldn't come today then he'd work hard to get it done tomorrow and this time, it was for sure. He grinned at himself, proud of his optimism and determination. He had to admit it - those two were his best traits and everyone around him seemed to think so too.

"So, what are we going to do now, Yuki?" he asked himself quietly, his lips curving into a tiny half-smirk when he became suddenly aware of how he had the mansion all to himself, for the most part anyway. Then again, the blonde man was deathly asleep when he left him on his bed so he was the least of his worries. "So! How about a tiny little song, Fujiwara Yukito?" he asked himself, the tiny half-smirk on his lips growing into a full-blown, mischievous smirk. "Maybe that'll get you all inspired to write lyrics again, ne?"

"That's right." He answered himself, his pitch higher, before breaking into chuckles. He sat back up and brushed the stray locks of dyed brown hair from his eyes before turning wistful suddenly. "And tonight," he began in a soft wistful voice, "Fujiwara Yukito will sing….. Glaring Dream by Bad Luck…! Please clap your hands as we welcome him!"

He rose from his chair and took his place at the center of the room, imagining himself to be a famous singer, instead of the keyboardist and songwriter he was, asked to sing for a famous music show on TV. He had always dreamt of becoming just like Seguchi Tohma but that did not mean he had no dreams of becoming a singer and being able to sing for the thousands with a powerful, enchanting voice just like Sakuma Ryuichi. Only… he could not do that, he could only be one of those two and even then he knew his skills would never reach Seguchi Tohma's level, however hard he tried despite whatever the ex-Grasper keyboardist told him.

He shook his head quietly, picturing the great worry on the audience's faces when he stalled and smiled. "I'm okay…" he whispered to the empty room before closing his eyes and beginning to sing in a slow, heart-wrenching voice.

"nigiyaka na hitogomi ni tokeru tsubuyaki ga

ashi moto ni chirabatta omoide nijimaseru

mayoi aruku machi no kagayaki wa glaring one way

kogo e sou na boku o terasu-"

---

The mansion was deathly silent when Eiri found himself standing in front of a thick mahogany door, bearing the same elegant design carved on every other door he'd come across so far. It was ajar, allowing bright light to spill forth into the dark hallway he was in from within the room beyond it. He pressed a hand over the cool wooden surface of the door gave it a little push. His hand froze though when the voice which had singing minutes ago, filled his ears.

"awaku somaru kisetsu o miageru Life Winter Dream

tachi domaru boku o sarau

kaze ni kisareru torinoko sareru mune ni kaji kamu akogaremo"

He carefully pushed the door open and entered in as quietly as he could. The brunette who had his back against him caught his attention immediately. He was the one singing; that much Eiri gathered when the boy stretched a hand out as if to reach for something and continued singing, mesmerizing Eiri.

"tsumetai toki ga yume ni tadayou sono te no naka ni uketomete

negai kazo e mezame ta toki ni yureru maboroshi ni kimi ga utsuru

boku o michibiku kasu kana-"

Eiri took a careful step forward and wondered whether the brunette knew of his presence, or not.

"-shiruetto" The boy finished, skillfully stretching his voice as he let the final word roll of his lips, adding a variation that made it seem wistful and sad. Eiri noticed this and he found himself wondering further about the boy and his voice. The brunette's voice, which reminded Eiri so much of his own Shuichi's, had drawn him to the place, almost as if Shuichi was calling to him.

But the boy in front of him was not Shuichi.

"Thank you for listening…" the boy whispered quietly, though the silence projected it, made it loud enough for Eiri's ears to pick up easily, and for him to wonder if the boy was referring to him.

"…I hope you liked it…" The boy murmured before breaking into soft laughter and turning around "…what am I doing-I'm alon-"

The word died in his lips as he found himself staring at Eiri.

Eiri, for his part, found himself in complete disbelief - shock, perhaps, was a better word for it - when he got a good look of the boy's face. Save for the hair and the small glasses perched on the bridge of the boy's nose, he was the splitting image of Shindou Shuichi. Or was he?

He suddenly had an urge, an urge that became harder and harder to deny by the moment, to walk up to the boy, take him into his shoulders and ask, just ask, whether he was Shuichi or not. He wanted to take the boy in his arms and cry just because he looked so much like Shuichi, wanted to believe it was Shuichi even but knew that would just be wrong. Shuichi had died almost two years ago, in a car-accident that was deliberate; he was murdered. The boy in front of him couldn't possibly be Shuichi, unless he was a ghost which he clearly was not.

The silence was deafening, unnerving.

"You..." the boy breathed, face paling. The boy frowned and bit his lower lip, trembling slightly, before suddenly clamping a hand over his mouth and breaking into a run, disappearing behind a door in the far end of the room.

Eiri found the release he'd been waiting for and he stumbled towards a chair nearby before collapsing onto it and burying his face in his hands.

'Calm down, Eiri…' he told himself, 'Keep your cool...'

Deep down, while he assured himself that he would be facing this calmly, with a straight face, he wondered just how he would do that, what with a boy who not only looked, but sounded just like his Shuichi.

'Shuichi… '

---

Hiro did not blink when the man in the footage aimed his gun at Shuichi's prone body in the footage and then fired several shots. Instead, he balled his hands into fists. Each time he watched the footage, each time he saw Shuichi get shot, he found himself wishing harder and harder that he could do something, anything to the people who had hurt and killed Shuichi so much.

The footage and his eyes ended and closed simultaneously and Sakano who was holding the remote control for the VCR pressed the rewind button again, much to Hiro's chagrin.

"How many times are you going to make us watch this?" Hiro questioned sourly, keeping his eyes closed. Sakano made an apologetic gesture with his hands before pushing his thick-rimmed glasses up and giving Hiro a low bow.

"I know this… this is unnerving…. But… K told me to make you watch it over and over again." Sakano explained and Noriko let out a loud sigh as she flipped through a teen magazine she picked up on the lobby.

"Where is K anyway?" Hiro questioned back.

"He'll be here soon," Sakano replied before heaving a sigh again and turning to the TV and pressing 'play' on the remote control. Soon, the sounds of static filled Hiro's ears again and he clenched his eyes shut, not wanting to open them and see the people who'd killed his Shu-chan, his bestfriend… "He said he'd be late today because he's looking for… things."

"Late…?" Hiro hissed, "It's already been an hour and a half--!" 'And you've been repeating this damned footage for… how many times… God…'

"I'm sorry, Hiro…"

Hiro kept silent, gritting his teeth. He wanted this to end. He could accept the fact that Shuichi was murdered, could move on, but not if he had to watch the footage over and over again for… how long? He didn't need to have the painful truth rubbed in his face every five minutes long after he'd accepted the fact.

He opened his eyes and found himself watching the part where Shuichi gets shot again. However much he despised that part, he just couldn't bear look away or turn a blind eye on it. It was the least he could do, after being unable to do anything for the pink-haired singer almost two years ago.

"Good Morning!"

The doors to the conference room burst open and their blonde, American manager entered in. Hiro lazily turned to the Manager's direction with a clear look of displeasure of his face. "Great, you're here - can we stop watching the footage already?"

K gave him a look before breaking into laughter, "Ahh…Touchy, Nakano-san?" He walked over to where they sat and turned to Sakano. "Rewind it." The black-haired Producer gave him a quick nod before pressing the rewind button again, all that time ignoring the glare Hiro directed towards him.

Noriko shook her head at him. "K, you should stop this - Hiro's clearly not pleased with all this…" She tilted her head towards where Ryuichi sat, abnormally quiet, "And Ryuichi clearly doesn't look too happy about this too…." She trailed away folded her arms across her chest. The American only grinned, which unnerved Hiro more than he wanted to show.

"No.. no.. no - Just one more time, Hiroshi. One last time." K told him and asked Sakano for the remote before taking his place in front of the TV set.

"One last time…" Hiro said slowly, rising from his seat "What's the point in this? So we could confirm to the reporters downstairs that, yes, Shuichi was murdered?"

"No." K smiled, and the smile was unlike any of the smiles anyone in the room had seen him wear; It was predatory, "You see, Hiro: Ignorance is a sin. So sit down while I answer the questions you haven't even asked."

They were silent and K, satisfied, played the footage over again. In a span of a few seconds, he suddenly transformed from their crazy gun-toting Manager to an eerily, serious-looking CIA-agent which reminded Hiro easily of the American TV shows Shuichi and him liked watching when they were younger.

"The reason I made you watch the footage over and over again is to see if any of you would notice anything... distinguishable with our… suspects." He turned to the TV behind him and then, seconds later, hit the pause button. "For example, you'll notice that suspect one is wearing a uniform-" he moved his hands across the screen, his index finger tracing the outline of the first suspect. "-I had it checked too, and it's a good copy, he even had an ID too if you look at here…." He pointed at the tiny white spot on the man's chest, something Hiro didn't dream of noticing on his own. Suddenly, he found himself interested.

K pressed the play button again and then paused it again when the second suspect came into view. "Suspect two isn't is wearing a uniform too, if you notice, just like suspect one." K paused and took that time to give Hiro a wary glance before continuing. "He has one defining trait, too, which you don't really notice until later on. He wears glasses-" he circled his fingers on the second suspect's face. Hiro suddenly realized how you couldn't see much of the second suspect's face, but could make out the glasses. "See that, they're there. Those glasses made it impossible for me to get a decent picture of him - but that's for later on."

He let the footage play again, until the last part and then paused just seconds before it ended. Then, sure he had their full attention on the topic, began giving them his analysis. "If you notice something towards the end, they didn't shoot at Shuichi's head." He waited for their nods before continuing, "That implies three things…."

He began walking around and Hiro's eyes followed him intently. He began counting with his fingers, "One: we're dealing with amateurs. Two: sadists… and Three: their intention wasn't to kill Shuichi in the first place…"

Hiro opened his mouth to say something but the American shot him a look which clearly said 'Wait' and he sat back down, mouth closed. He produced a gun from his arm holster and placed it carefully on the conference table. It hit Hiro that it wasn't his magnum at all, instead it was a pistol.

"They don't look like amateurs." K began again, using his hands to elaborate, "They had uniforms, had IDs, had gloves….A normal hitman wouldn't go as far as that if it's a simple in and out job. A normal person with sheer hatred for Shuichi wouldn't go as far as that either, he could have just walked into the place and shot Shuichi, done and done."

"What are you getting at…..?" Noriko questioned suddenly, a puzzled look on her face. Her eyebrows were drawn and she was giving K a suspicious look which K shrugged off with a smirk.

"Then… there's the matter of the shots…" K trailed away and picked the gun he left on the conference table, "If I'd wanted Shuichi dead-" he shifted his weight and trained the pistol on the television, "I'd have him shot in the head, no questions asked. It gets the job done, fast and easy….."

"But they didn't-" He said abruptly before whipping around and suddenly firing at a chair beside Hiro, causing Sakano to almost faint and them to jump off their seats.

"What on earth was that for?!" Noriko cried, waving her arms in disbelief. K only grinned at them and Hiro, who recovered moments later, rose from his seat and examined the chair K fired at. There, on the cushion, instead of a gaping, smoking bullet hole was a small green dart embedded on the cushion. Hiro, with widened eyes, turned sharply to their American Manager.

"It's a dart…" he whispered in disbelief, loud enough so everyone could hear.

"It's a modified military M9 pistol - the type you can only get around here in the Black Market-" he explained, waving the pistol around. "I had a few of my friends examine the footage last night and I got a tiny itty bitty surprise when I recognize the gun they used."

He laughed then, "The reason I was late was because I was gathering more information on this and… I had run into a bit of trouble trying to acquire this little baby."

"So you mean…." Hiro trailed away and K finished for him in a highly amused, tone.

"So, what I mean, Nakano-san, is that their motive wasn't to kill Shuichi in the first place. I could go on more about that but I think this explanation is enough." He sat himself on the conference table then and smiled in satisfaction.

"I got a Go-signal from Seguchi today, by the way." K explained, "Last year, I'd wanted to work on this case, but he wouldn't let me-" he smirked, "-but now that he doesn't have an excuse to not let me snoop around this thing! Hah… I intend to stick around until I get everything solved."

He turned to Hiro and gave him a grin. "There's hope."

Hiro nodded slowly and Ryuichi perked up. "There's hope, na no da?!"

K laughed and then jumped off the conference table. His face turned serious once more, "Oh, and there's more. I have suspect one identified, by the way." He produced a manila folder from his coat then took a photograph from it before showing them the picture. The picture had a strikingly handsome young man in his mid-twenties, tall, well built and with light brown hair. "This is Fujima Kouji twelve years ago-" K slid the photograph across the table to Hiro while Noriko and the rest watched, and listened to his explanation, intently, "Wanted all over America and Europe for murder, fraud and homicide, he's half-Japanese, half-Dutch. A gun-for-hire who's pretty famous in… circles, he was last seen in America… around eight years ago…"

K paused before adding with a knowing smile, "His was the last case I worked in. I was surprise to see the results of the test we ran on the footage - it gave a clear close-up, courtesy of the latest breakthrough in technology, of Fujima and I recognized him easily."

"So there, Hiro - your suspect." He finished quietly, "We couldn't get a decent shot of the second man, but we have a lead now, don't we?"

Hiro nodded slowly as he stared at the picture in his hands, eyeing the smiling young man in it bitterly. "You're going to really solve this?"

"I hope I do." K grinned. There was a beat of silence and the American manager quietly returned the M9 pistol in his arm holster. For a few long moments, everyone thought and struggled to digest what K had just told them. Hiro found it hard to believe that, indeed, there could be hope… but… he knew if he just believed then, perhaps, there was a chance.

"OK, back to work! Back to work!" K began yelling in English suddenly, breaking their silence. "Ryuichi! Have you decided? I think it's better if we get out of N-G before the reporters downstairs make leaving this building virtually impossible!"

Hiro watched as their brunette singer stood up on his chair, one arm wrapped around his Kumagorou plush. There was a cute pout on the singer's face and then a smile slowly broke on his lips. "Na no da! Of course! So, we're going to Shibuki to tell the Principal, right? Right? Ne?"

Sakano let out a relieved sigh as Ryuichi's cheerful outburst seemed to have broken the awful tension in the room and Noriko smiled.

"Haha - of course, Ryuichi - now let's go--!"

Hiro, shaking his head, rose from his seat, heart uplifted by the chance of hope. 'Shuichi… if you're alive somewhere… where would you be? Are you still alive?' He followed Sakano, who was last to leave the room, and stopped abruptly when his mobile phone sounded.

"Hiro!" It was Rage. He ran a hand through his hair; her timing was perfect. He knew Rage would love to hear about what K had just told them.

"Yes, what's up?" he questioned, seeing it as a fitting way to start a conversation. He'd have to pop the facts later, after listening to whatever Rage had to say.

"You're going to Shibuki, right?" Rage began, but before he could answer she continued, "I'm at Shibuki right now, stuff - but I have someone with me you'd like to meet-"

"Hey, who are you talking to, Melissa?" a female voice in background said in English.

"You'll know later-" Rage said in English before finally resuming in Japanese, "Meet me at Shibuki - you know the place right? They told me you were here yesterday…"

Hiro nodded, slightly confused. "Yeah…" he said, trailing away.

"Good - I'll wait for you then, see you in a bit. We'll have a lot to talk about."

"Wai-"

There was a click and he figured Rage had hung up on him. He stared at his mobile phone before moving his gaze to the conference room doors. A thought hit him suddenly; K would like to hear about whatever Rage found out. From the sound of it, she did sound like she had found out something important…

"Things just got better…" he whispered quietly before exiting the Conference Room.

---

Seguchi Tohma marched along the corridor, catching the attention of every man and woman he passed by and bringing with him a sense of foreboding. The N-G President was known for his schemes, though few would freely talk of that, and the disturbingly blank look he wore spoke volumes about his purpose for visiting the TV Station so early in the morning.

He came to a stop when he reached his destination, the Executive Producer's office, and eyed the door that separated him and the reason he made the early morning visit sharply. He made two sharp raps on the door and entered in, making sure he had look of clear displeasure when he did.

"S…Seguchi-san…!" the middle-aged man seated behind the desk at the center of the office stuttered. He had been talking to his secretary on the phone the moment Tohma entered in and he took that very moment to hang up and devote all his attention to the less-that-pleased N-G President in front of him. "I… I didn't think you'd come so early, S... Seguchi-san," the Executive Producer motioned to the leather chairs in front of his desk, "T..Take a seat, Seguchi-san…"

Tohma smiled at him, giving the man the kind of smile that caused more worry than relief. "That's quite alright, Fukuda-san, I don't intend to stay for long." His voice dipped and there was a hint of warning present in his voice.

Fukuda swallowed hard, paling visibly under the N-G President's scrutinizing gaze. He was silent for a few uncomfortable moments before finally speaking in a slow, almost hesitant manner, "What did you wa-no need to see me for, Seguchi-san?"

Tohma folded his arms across his chest. The smile on his lips never wavered. "I think you already have an idea of why I'm here, Fukuda-san."

The other man froze and sat back on his seat, moving his gaze away from the blonde in front of him, as if suddenly afraid to meet his gaze. "Seguchi-san…" Fukuda mumbled, but before he could say anything more, the N-G President cut him off.

"Who was behind it?" Tohma took a step forward and his voice was soft, as it usually was, but with a certain harsh quality in it.

"S..Seguchi-sa-" A few steps more and Tohma was right in front of his desk.

"Who gave you the tape, Fukuda-san?" Tohma continued, "Who gave you the report?"

Tohma's voice never increased, but it seemed to Fukuda who was edging away slowly in his chair that he was and it frightened the older man, almost to the point that he fell off his chair. When he was sure that was the extent of the N-G President's questioning, he quickly got off his chair - with less dignity than he'd probably intended - and bowed down several times as a sign of apology.

"I..I'm sorry, Seguchi-san. I… I ..can't say." He made another bow and didn't stand up straight again until Tohma spoke.

"You can't say?" Tohma repeated. The smile on his face disappeared momentarily, only to be replaced by a gentle, intimidating sneer. "Or you don't want to say?"

Fukuda gulped, before managing in a flustered tone; "I..It's…. confidential, Seguchi-san." He stole a glance of the impatient N-G President in front of him before continuing with a little more confidence and tact. "It's the Station's rules; not to disclose the identity of the source unless-"

"I know the rules, Fukuda-san." Tohma said calmly, waving a hand in dismissal. "And I also know the agreement we had almost two years ago."

Tohma's lips curved into an uncharacteristic smirk that sent shivers down the Executive Producer's spine. "Unless, of course - Fukuda-san - you've forgotten."

Something flickered in Tohma's eyes and the office was filled with a pregnant silence. The silence stretched for a few long minutes, but words were not needed to understand the warning and mysterious glimmer in the N-G President's amber eyes. Finally, Fukuda bowed his head in defeat before sinking into the leather office chair behind him and heaving a long and tired sigh. Knowing he'd won, Tohma allowed a smirk to play on his lips. His eyes no longer holding threat in them and his lips curved into a smirk, Tohma no longer looked threatening as he did moments earlier.

"Kyoko." Fukuda spoke in a quiet whisper, "Amano Kyoko."

Tohma looked slightly amused. He lifted his chin up slightly and arched an eyebrow. "That's not her real name, is it?" the N-G President questioned.

"N..no…. I mean.. I.. I don't know…" Fukuda took a deep breath before finishing quickly. "I swear, that's the only name she gave us. And if I knew, I'd tell you, Seguchi-san….y..you'd find out eventuall-"

"That's quite alright. You've said enough." With flourish, Tohma spun around, his long black coat twirling behind him and the black feathers on his coat's collar reflecting the light shone on it, giving him an almost sinister flair, and headed for the door. He took a few steps forward and stopped, just as Fukuda was heaving a relieved sigh. He looked over his shoulder just in time to see the older man sit up sharply; "Since it's not likely you will be giving me…. Ms. Amano number, Fukuda-san." He paused, knowing how nervous the Executive Producer was getting by the second. He took one step back and gave Fukuda a meaningful sideways glance before continuing, "How about you arrange an appointment with her for me?"

Before Fukuda could say anything, much less react, Tohma was out of the office and making his way down the corridor, heading for the elevator. It wasn't a question, a request, or a suggestion; it was a statement and an order from Seguchi Tohma, N-G President.

Fukuda sank back down into his seat and closed his eyes, letting the troubling thoughts swirl in his mind for a few minutes before finally picking up the phone and dialing the extension number for his secretary. He spoke in a slow, tired voice over the phone and his secretary easily guessed what happened between him and the N-G President.

"Miyu, get Fukuyama on the phone for me, please? I have… something to tell her."

---

"My name is Fukuyama Kyoko, it's a pleasure to meet you!"

Hiro watched as the black-haired young woman Rage had introduced to them as her 'source' extended a hand out to their Manager. There was a grin on K's lips as he took the smaller woman's hands in his. "It's K, I'm Nittle Grasper's Manager."

Kyoko laughed before going, "I knew that, Mr K. I've been a big fan of BAD LUCK ever since they came out, so I should know you."

"I like your attitude…." K said, grinning even wider. "Fukuyama - your father wouldn't happen to be Fukuyama Ernest?"

"How did you know?" Kyoko asked suddenly, looking inquisitive. Then her eyes widened, "Crawd Winchester! Oh God! I did not realize!"

If it were possible, K would have grinned even wider.

Hiro blinked and Rage, who was beside him, gave a low whistle. "I knew something was fishy when she began talking about her dad having sources…. Turns out her dad has lots of friends in the CIA…."

Hiro nodded slowly then turned his attention to Noriko and Sakano who were standing together in a corner, both looking completely lost. He couldn't blame though, it wasn't as if he wasn't confused by all of this too. Ryuichi was nowhere in sight, but that was because he'd excused himself earlier under the pretense of 'having to go to the restroom.' Hiro suspected there was something more to that, and then some.

"I wonder where Ryuichi is…" he thought out loud and Rage gave him a look.

---

Ryuichi quietly leaned against the stall's wall, Kumagorou clutched in his arms and while he fixed his gaze onto the ceiling, he strained his ears, listening intently to the sound of water running. If he listened harder, he knew he would hear something else, but decided he was content enough with this.

"It's a hangover…" a quiet voice said finally and the sound of running water stopped. The sound of slow, shallow breathing punctuated the silence after the voice trailed away.

"….What happened last night?" Another voice asked quietly. There was a beat of silence and the second voice spoke again, this time in a louder, sharper voice, "This isn't a hangover, is it?"

Silence once more.

"Is it?"

"No… it.. isn't-" the first voice said finally and its owner took a deep breath. "I'll be fine though!" it continued in a cheerful, yet strained voice, "I took pills for it… they should be working soon…. Don't tell Ai or Freesia, please."

"How long…?"

"No... it's just this night. I told you it's nothing… it's nothing, okay?" Another pause, "I'd rather not have Ai and Freesia know about this... okay? It's just nothing… I'll be perfectly fine in no time…"

"You know what the doctor said…."

"I know… but really, it's nothing!"

A sigh; the owner of the second voice heaved a heavy sigh, before asking once more. "Yuki, tell me what happened last night. If you won't tell Ai or Freesia then at least, tell me…"

There was silence and then the sound of something slapping against the smooth, ceramic-tiled walls filled Ryuichi's ears. His lips disappeared into a thin line and he tilted his head, narrowing his eyes as he stared distantly at the wall in front of him.

"….there was this man… I…. I ran over him.. or something - okay? Happy? He told me my song is… crap, no questions asked. He had the gall to say that to my face after running in front of my car and wanting to commit suicide-"

"Yuki…"

"No… no.... please, just…. don't touch me. Don't pity me, okay? I know my songs aren't good… I know… I know…. But couldn't he at least… understand? Does he know that's the only thing I can do? Does he? I try my hard… I.. I…" Breathing. There was silence again, "I'm sorry… it's nothing, really!"

The sound of rushing water filled the silence that came afterwards and when it stopped, the first voice spoke again, this time in a cheerful voice. It was as if nothing had happened and Ryuichi knew something had happened.

"Well, that's forgotten… I won't be seeing the man again, so there... that's… that's a good release.-"

"Chibi, you prick." The second voice said softly.

The owner of the first voice laughed, "Oh yeah - I forgot to show you yesterday… the reason I came to school was to show you this. Tohma-kun dropped by early yesterday and gave this to Freesia-"

"Chibi - you do know what this is right…? Damn, you really are a prick!"

Laughter. "I know… I know… isn't it neat? I didn't think he'd actually do it but see… authentic copy! Grasper's latest album, Limited Edition and it's only coming out of the shelves when…?"

Ryuichi closed his eyes and listened as their voices died down and finally, until silence reigned in the restroom once more.

"Tohma, what have you done?" he whispered softly then, once he was sure there was no one else but him in the restroom. His voice echoed, and then he stood away from the wall and stepped out of the stall, intent on getting back to his bandmates.

---

I'm trying to avoid using the number thingies, but I'm pretty sure there are stuff in here that warrant a number thingie… But still, I'll just keep it clean for now, unless I really need them…! Anyway, response to the wonderful reviewers from both Gurabiteshiyon.net and FF.net ^_^!

Pato San: Wow - I can't even really begin to describe what I feel about your reviews ^^ So uplifting… XD I feel extremely flattered and when I read them I really felt like working even harder… I'm glad and honored that you love it ^^ Waah… such kind words. I'll work harder! I hope you liked this chapter… >.<! :-O!!

rulerofthecows - So you noticed the comment on the Volvo, ne? Hee… I hope this chapter was okay because this is longer than the previous chapter…:-O! And I was working hard to keep what I'd had originally planned for this chapter in it… instead of splitting it into two chapters again and stuff! : 3

lost in a reverie - *grins* Getting ideas, ne? But yeah, Yuki's Yukito's nickname… hee.. *not saying it differently* I inserted a part on how Yukito got the ring.. and stuff. : 3 Oh, I'm pretty sure I'll have more Eiri/Yukito stuff later on…

anime-earth - Happy Chinese New Year to you too :-D Whew! I would have finished this earlier… but… my new-found obsession with Chihiro Onitsuka…. got in the way ^^ Just you wait til' next chapter. You'll see what Ryuichi has planned for them… mwahahaha-

Seishirou - ^^; Well, we do get his reaction after seeing Yukito's likeness to his Shu-chan, ne?

Boogie-chan and Co. - Whew! *waves* I'm still working on your pic - I'll probably have it water-colored, since doing it digitally takes forever…. Oh, and I still have a few surprises up my sleeve : 3 Have you noticed something already? ^^ And that's a wonderful theory, *grins* I can't tell you though if you're right or not but, I think you're getting a bit of the idea now… hee.. I hope you like this chapter….XD!

Lara - Yay! Here's my update ^^ I hope you like it :-D!

batman -- ^^ Shuusama and Phone Call are awesome, I know ^^ And what do you think about this chapter now? It's long….

Hikaru Itsuko - I hope you're not confused in a bad way... XD Anyway, I hope this chapter answers your questions…: 3 So what do you think now?

Ana : *pouts* You = mean :-P And no, I think I should go and grab my RahXephon now… you've finished it, ne?

baybhie - But your fic is awesome! It's just right that I 'advertise' it ^^;; As for your questions - this pretty much answers half of your first questions, ne? As for Tohma's motives… hee… he has his reasons : 3 And then more… Keep working on your fic, btw - I want Yuki and Shuichi together….And I'd like to thank you too for mentioning my fic in your latest chapter. *clings* *hugs* Gomen though, I can't answer your Yukito-Shuichi question.. you'll have to see ^^;;

Oh, and I'll probably begin using your summary next chapter… : 3

Bunny-chan - *laughs* *grins* Shh! Shh! That's the plot twist! Lol! I wonder if anyone saw your review… As for theory - you know, I think the farther they read through this, the more your guess is going to sound plausible… but like I said, suspect one will be revealed here ^^;; Is it okay? XD ^_^ *worships Bunny-chan* Are you done with Sweet Nothing's latest installment yet? Tell me you are…XD!

CJ-Chan: ^^; Yes, suspense…^^;;

Fangel: This time I'm not missing you like I did last time! XD Here's my update then… baybhie was telling me about my summary. Maybe I should change it… lol But I'm glad you like it and that you think it's intriguing ^^ I hope you find this chapter good ^^

Nyoko: I was waiting for your review, you know ^^;; Somehow now there's a reason for a delay.. lol, well, here's the next chapter :-D! I'm glad you're not confused anymore! And yes, I know now everyone will begin asking whether Yukito is Shuichi…. or not. : 3 And yes, Eiri's accident is all part of the master plan.. or at least I hope it came out good here… Oh and, was this chapter okay? :-O :-P It is longer….

There! Finally done! I want to thank all the people who reviewed, and read this fic again! You people are wonderful… Oh and, HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR! Because, wow, I actually got an update done just a few days after it! Phone Call's and War of Hearts' latest chapters were awesome and still waiting for Sweet Nothing, Breaking Away, and Only a small bump in the head here… Wah, so much good fanfics to read…! Chihiro Onitsuka rocks and RahXephon is awesome. I'll see everyone next update ^^;; Hopefully, I'll have it finished next week too… holidays… Whew.. this is long.

^_^