Still Raining
folder
Gravitation › AU - Alternate Universe
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
28
Views:
3,531
Reviews:
9
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
Gravitation › AU - Alternate Universe
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
28
Views:
3,531
Reviews:
9
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own Gravitation or the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
11: Confession Is Good for the Soul
Still Raining
Sequel to: On the Street of Dreams
Written by: chochowilliams
Disclaimer: I do not own Gravitation or the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
Summary: Ayaka is used to getting what she wants and what she wants now is Eiri and she’ll do whatever it takes to make him hers. Anything.
Chapter Summary: Ryuichi reveals the secret he’s kept for eighteen years while in Kyoto, Shuichi tells Kizou that he might not be as infertile as he they all believed he was after all
Warning: angst, drama, romance, m-preg, language, m/m, hentai
Inserts: “Chapel of Love” by the Dixie Cups (1964), passage from: Homosexuality: Not a Sin...Not a Sickness; What the Bible Does and Does Not Say
A/N: Thank you to CrimsonBlood363, ferler, RRW, kaname-luvr, secret hidden within me, Selina, Lollieta Round for your reviews. An extra thank you to kaname-luvr for adding me as a friend on myspace.
+---+---+---+
Last Time
It appeared as if what little Takanori had been doodling on was a document of some sort. There was official looking writing on the back, but it was hard to make out underneath his son’s pen marks. Great. This was why Shuichi always kept his sketchpad on him at all times. “Takanori,” he sighed. What was he going to do with him? When he flipped the yellow document over, he went still. “What. The. Hell?”
“You find him?”
A wave of anger washed over him. Slowly, Eiri turned around. Standing in the doorway of the bedroom with Tatsuha behind him was Ryuichi Sakuma. His eyes went hard.
At the expression on Eiri‘s face, Ryuichi began to panic. “What happened? Is-?”
“What the hell is this?” Eiri demanded.
Ryuichi recognized the yellow paper in Eiri’s outstretched hand. The color drained from his face. He suddenly did not feel so well. “Oh, God.”
“You have some explaining to do.”
+---+---+
Chapter 11: Confession Is Good for the Soul
Sakuma-Uesugi Residence - Koishikawa Park Tower - Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Little Takanori Uesugi was just like his mother. He was a slippery little devil who vanished the instant you took your eyes off him. “Eiri? You find him,” he called down the hallway. When from behind him, Ryuichi Sakuma heard Tatsuha chuckle, he knew the man was thinking the same thing he was.
“Looks like Bro has his hands full.”
Ryuichi chuckled lightly. That he did and to think he had another little one on the way. “Eiri?” he called. No answer. Could he not hear him? The light was on in the master bedroom so he knew that was where Eiri was. How his grandson managed to sneak out of the living room, push open the door (that should have been too heavy for the two year old) that separated the living room from the bedroom hallway, scurry down the hall to the master bedroom at the end of the hallway all in a matter of seconds he will never know. Shuichi used to do the same thing when he was little Takanori’s age. One second he was right there besides you and the next second he was on the other side of the house in the middle of a tsunami made mess. The boy had been like the Tasmanian Devil, only ten times worse.
Pushing through the swinging door, Ryuichi made his way stealthily down the hall to the bedroom he shared with Tatsuha. He poked his head inside and saw Eiri crouching on the floor of the closet. “You find him?” He stepped into the room.
Eiri rose to his feet and turned to face him.
Involuntarily, Ryuichi backed up several steps from the black aura surrounding Eiri. A panic driven thought flitted through his mind briefly, but he pushed it aside as being ludicrous. He’d made sure everything was put away earlier…right? Yes, he decided firmly as he shoved away the nagging feeling of doubt. There was nothing for him to be worried about. The grim look on Eiri’s face had to be a sign that something else had happened. Maybe little Takanori had gotten into something. It would make sense with all the junk piled up in there. He really had to clean it out one of these days. “What happened? Is-?”
“What the hell is this?” Eiri demanded angrily.
Ryuichi dropped his gaze to the yellow paper in Eiri’s outstretched hand. He recognized it instantly. The color drained from his face. “Oh, God,” he moaned. Suddenly, he did not feel so well.
“You have some explaining to do,” Eiri snapped.
Under his grip, Tatsuha could feel Ryuichi trembling. “Bro-”
“Shut it,” Eiri snapped.
Startled, Tatsuha closed his mouth. Never had Eiri spoken to him like this.
“‘This certifies that a certificate of birth has been filed under the name of: Shuichi Karishma (1) Sakuma’,” he read from the document, “‘Sex: Neutral. Born on: April 16 1992. At: Kyoto Memorial Medical Center, Kyoto. Name of father: Ryuichi Shu Sakuma. Maiden name of mother: Yuki Kitazawa.’” He raised his head and glared across the bedroom at his little brother’s lover. “What the fuck is this?”
Tatsuha sighed. He’d known something like this would happen. How many times had he warned Ryuichi?
“You’d better start talking Ryuichi Sakuma. Now!”
Dammit! Though he had been warned, he’d never actually thought it would happen.
“Would you rather he found out some other way?”
But how many would believe him if he told the truth?
One night. That was all it took to change his life forever.
If Yuki’s girlfriend hadn’t pressured him into buying tickets to see Nittle Grasper at the opening ceremonies of the anime convention in New York City...If Yuki hadn’t caught her cheating with his best friend…If Yuki hadn’t decided to go to the concert anyway (without his unfaithful girlfriend) just to spite her…If Yuki hadn’t become obsessed with him after that night…If Yuki’s obsession hadn’t taken him to Japan…
Then there was him. If he wouldn’t have been attracted to Yuki…
“Love me, Ryu. Love me!”
In a way, it was thanks to Yuki’s cheating girlfriend that the two of them were able to meet and conceive a beautiful baby boy together.
Despite what many people might believe, it had not been his decision to sign away his parental rights to his son. If it had been up to him, he would have taken his chances with raising a child as a single parent, but he’d been cuckolded. It’d been a lose-lose situation, especially given how young he’d been at the time Shuichi was born. His fourteenth birthday had been a mere fortnight before Shuichi’s birth, a baby himself. If he had only been a few years older, it would not have mattered. Since he had been so young, raising Shuichi on his own had not just been an unrealistic endeavor. It also would have gone against the guidance he received from Kichiji Ueda, who had been Nittle Grasper’s manager at the time, their producer, the president of L8r Records, Kiaki Matsusaki, as well as Tohma and Noriko (unbelievably). At the time, L8r Records was the biggest, most respected and most powerful label in Japan. Going against their “advice” was detrimental to your health. It was kin to suicide. Not only would he have been fired from the very band he started and “released” from the record company, but also, he never would have been able to work in Japan in any capacity again. L8r Records would have seen to that. That hadn’t been an idle threat either. He’d seen it happen numerous times as a L8r Records “lackey” so he‘d known Kiaki Matsusaki was serious in his threats…no, not threats. Promises. Without the band, there would be no income and without any money, he would not have been able to raise a child. At fourteen, nobody would have hired him as an employee, especially after L8r Records was through blacklisting him. Giving Shuichi up had been looking as his only option, but he hadn’t wanted to give his son up. Shuichi was his goddamn it!
Why was L8r Records so adamantly against Ryuichi Sakuma bringing a child into the world? They claimed a child would “ruin his career”, especially if it came out that this child was a product of a one-night stand with a Neutral. There would an exodus of Nittle Grasper, and more importantly, Ryuichi Sakuma fans. Their death would be quicker and uglier than the death of Disco. He’d go from Teen Idol to Teen Villain so fast he wouldn’t know his ass from a hole in the ground.
His saving grace came in the form of his mother. After a lot of yelling and screaming and crying, a few bruises and some possible broken bones, in order to keep his son from becoming a ward of the state and being lost within the system forever (L8r Records would have seen to that too), he was able to talk his mother into adopting his son, her grandson. This way, he would be giving up his parental rights without giving up his son.
But that had been far from the end.
He’d had to talk Kiaki Matsusaki (the Devil’s advocate himself) and the others at L8r Records into believing this was the best deal for all parties involved, which he eventually was able to do, but the cost of doing so was enough to make him regret his decision to give in the demands of those bastards. L8r Records would allow his mother to adopt Shuichi only if as long as he, Ryuichi Sakuma, with or without Nittle Grasper, was under contract with L8r Records, the truth was never to be revealed. If it was leaked, in any capacity, that he had a love child and with an older male Neutral, whether he was the source of the leak or not, there would be stiff penalties. Among those would be that if Shuichi were underage at the time of the leak, L8r Records would make sure he was taken away from the only home he has ever known and be forever lost within the foster care system.
No matter how he’d looked at, whether he agreed to the terms laid out before him by L8r Records or if he raised Shuichi himself, he was screwed.
With the downfall of L8r Records, Tatsuha was right. There wasn’t anything holding him back from telling Shuichi the truth any longer, but truth be told, he honestly hadn’t been able to bring himself to tell his son the truth. What would be the point of saying anything now? Telling Shuichi he’d been living in a world of pretend and that his mother was not his mother and his father was not his father would do more harm than good and he did not want the boy to hate him. He would rather Shuichi love him as his big brother than hate him as his father. There was no doubt that Shuichi would despise him after the truth was revealed. Who wouldn’t hate the person who flipped their world upside down and inside out? No, he was certain all hell would break lose. This was one can of worms better left to expire in the pantry.
But with the discovery of Shuichi’s birth certificate, keeping silent was no longer an option.
Tatsuha felt the change before Ryuichi spoke.
“What that is…is Shuichi’s birth certificate.”
Eiri’s golden gaze narrowed. “And it has your name where his father’s name should be because…?”
“Because…” Ryuichi almost could not bring himself to say it. It was not because he was ashamed to admit the truth. It was just the opposite in fact. He could not be prouder to call Shuichi his son. No, he just did not like the thought of being the one who was going to pull the rug out from under Shuichi. Shuichi was his best friend. He did not want to do anything that might hinder that.
“But you’re not his friend, Ryu,” he could remember Tatsuha telling him once. “He’s your son.”
“Because…I’m his father.”
+---+---+
The Trinity Offices - Setagaya, Tokyo
It felt as if all her energy was suddenly sucked right out of her. “You cannot be serious.” Nami Mataguchi could honestly say this was something she had not seen coming.
There was a flurry of giggles in her ear. “Why not? What’s wrong with wanting my best friend to be my Maid of Honor?”
Somehow, the fact that Ayaka considered them best friends did not surprise her. With each passing day, it seemed as if Ayaka Usami was becoming more and more delusional. Or maybe these games were just getting really old really quickly. With one hand holding the phone to her ear, Nami dropped her head into her other hand and sighed. Was it a sin to wish for God to strike her down at that exact moment? “Aren’t you getting a little ahead of yourself?”
There was a light rapt on her office door. Raising her head, Nami spied a young girl standing in the doorway. Machika? Was that her name? No. That couldn’t be it. It didn’t sound right. She waved the girl inside.
“Thank you,” Nami mouthed as the girl set a manila file folder on her desk with an apologetic smile before exiting just as quietly and quickly as she entered.
“Course not,” Ayaka stated firmly.
Why didn’t that surprise her?
“I was searching online and at David’s Bridal-Have you heard of them? I found the perfect Bridesmaid dress,” Ayaka continued without waiting for an answer. “It’s called a chiffon halter. I’ll send you the link. It sorta reminds me of a wrap (2). Oh! It’s so beautiful. All the bridesmaid dresses will be black of course.”
Nami sighed. She was getting a headache.
+---+---+
TCN Studios - Setagaya, Tokyo
The Board had taken his suggestion surprisingly well. For some reason, Chishin had been of the mind that he would be fighting them tooth and nail for the major overhaul he felt The Christian Network needed and was long overdue for, but it seems as if he had been worried for nothing. Like him, they had not particularly cared for the path the station had been on as of late. It was not so much a change they were looking for as a “back to the basics” approach. While liberalism could be a good thing, radicalism and extremism went against everything the Church stood for. It was not what TCN stood for. While many Christians have strayed from the path laid out by Christ in order to create their own that would give credence to their own warped, misguided approach to His teachings, TCN would be, from this day forward, dedicated to preaching the true word of the Lord: acceptance, tolerance and love.
This meant that if one Nami Mataguchi wanted to go into one of her little spiels, she would have to find a new outlet. TCN would no longer be catering to her every whim.
It didn’t even ring; Chishin realized when he was instantly connected to voicemail. He wanted to ask Nami face to face about her involvement with Ayaka Usami. There was no guarantee she would tell him the truth if he were to ask over the phone or even if he sent her an email. Actually, there was no reason for her to tell him the truth even if he were able to get her to meet him. At the same time, there was no reason why she shouldn’t tell him the truth. But like the antagonist in novels, she might let her pride get the better of her and confess. He could only hope. “Yeah, hi, Nami. This’s Chishin. Give me a call when you can. Maybe we can get together for lunch or something.”
Hanging up, he sat back and scrubbed his hands over his face.
Truthfully, he hoped she didn’t get a chance to return his call. He was tired of dealing with her.
Pushing everything involving Nami Mataguchi aside, he picked up his editorial essay that was to be published on the studio website.
“For many centuries,” he read, “the Christian Church's attitude toward human sexuality was very negative: sex was for procreation, not for pleasure; women and slaves were considered property to be owned by males; and many expressions of heterosexuality, like homosexuality, were considered sinful. Such tradition often continues to influence churches today. Many teach that women should be subordinate to men, continue to permit forms of discrimination against peoples of color, and condemn homosexuals. They say that all homosexual acts are sinful, often referring to their interpretation of scripture…” (3)
As he lost himself within his essay, he felt tension he hadn’t even realized was there vanish.
Yes, this was much better.
+---+---+
Ryugan Temple - Usami Residence - Kyoto, Japan
“Going to the chapel / And we're gonna get married / Going to the chapel / And we're gonna get married,” Ayaka sang happily. “Gee I really love you / And we're gonna get married / Going to the chapel of love / Spring is here..... / Theeeeee..... / The sky is blue (whoa-ooooo) / Birds all sing / Like they do / Today's the day/ We'll say ‘I do’.”
Still humming, Ayaka continued to search the David’s Bridal website for the perfect wedding dress. Lucky for her there was a huge sale this week. Maybe she would get lucky and find the one, but there were just so many! How was she supposed to choose? Her parents would probably prefer her to wear a traditional wedding kimono instead of a western style wedding dress for her wedding. She thought the traditional shiro-maku was beautiful, especially the uchikake that was supposed to be worn over the white kimono at the reception (4) so she wouldn‘t mind wearing one for her wedding instead of a western style one. The question was: what Eiri would prefer?
You would think that because Eiri had no problems being involved with a Neutral, he might be more open to non-traditional things, like, say for example, a western style wedding dress over the traditional Japanese wedding kimono, but sometimes you just never knew. People could be a very confusing species.
Maybe she should ask Mika? Yes. That sounded like a very good idea.
+---+---+
Black Dragon Compound - Kita-ku, Kyoto, Japan
Everything was the same, Shuichi noted as he was escorted by Narata down the twisting empty hallways to Kizou’s office. The nostalgia hit him with an overwhelming sense of déjà vu. In an instant, it was as if the past two years never happened.
He shook his head vigorously to rid himself of the emotions and memories being here brought forth and pushed everything not pertaining to the real reason why he had traveled all the way here from Tokyo against his as well as Eiri’s better judgment aside. He hadn’t come here to reminisce. He was here because of his son. Nothing more. Nothing less.
Determined, Shuichi stood taller, squared his shoulders and continued to follow Narata confidently. He would convince Kizou to give a DNA sample for the paternity test and then he would go home and maybe convince Ryuichi to baby-sit little Takanori so that he could have a little time alone with Eiri. Yes, that sounded like a plan.
They rounded another corner and suddenly Kizou’s office was within view. It was the last door at the end of the hallway not more than fifteen feet away. His confidence suddenly evaporated. Shuichi lost his footing, but was able to catch himself before he made a complete spectacle of himself. The knowledge that with each (shaky) step forward, he was getting that much closer to his ex-lover and possibly the father of his son had his pulse racing. He gulped nervously.
This had been a bad idea. He should have stuck to his guns. What was the point of discovering whether Taki Aizawa was little Takanori’s biological father or not? Or whether or not his suspicions were justified or not? Eiri would, now and forever, be little Takanori’s father. That was it. End of story. There would be no prequel. No sequel. Nothing…
…But…
What about little Takanori? Was Eiri right? Would he want to know the truth when he was older? Maybe. Possibly. Or maybe Eiri was wrong. It was possible for Eiri to not be right all the time, whether Eiri wanted to admit or not. There was always the chance that little Takanori might not want to know who his biological father was. Maybe the truth wouldn’t matter to him. Not everyone wanted to know the details surrounding their birth.
“Are you sure?”
Narata’s voice drew him out of his thoughts. Blinking, Shuichi glanced around and noticed that they were in front of Kizou’s office. Already? Not trusting himself to speak, he could only nod.
“Shu…” Narata sighed. He wasn’t too sure about any of this, but if this was what the other man wanted, who was he to stand in his way? “Okay. Wait here a sec.”
Shuichi merely nodded.
Narata continued to watch him, study him, for several silent seconds longer, before turning to knock sharply on the office door.
“Yes,” the muffled reply barked.
Narata opened the door, stepped inside, and shut the door behind him.
Shuichi gulped. This was nuts. This was seriously nuts. The urge to just turn tail and return to Tokyo and forget why he made the journey all the way out here in the first place almost too strong to ignore. Almost. And that was just enough to keep his feet firmly planted.
The door opened and Narata, looking grim, appeared. He stepped aide and swung the door open. He waved him inside. “Kizou said he’ll see you.”
Sweating and a bundle of nerves, Shuichi squared his shoulders, took a deep breath and stepped into the office.
Here goes nothing.
---TBC---
(1) Okay, so technically “Karishma” is a girl’s name. It means “Miracle” in Sanskrit, but I picked it b/c in a way Shuichi’s birth was a miracle. I also think it’s a beautiful name.
(2) go to: davidsbridal (dot) com and look for “chiffon halter” under bridal party
(3) You can read the whole essay at: soulfoodministry (dot) org (slash) docs (slash) English (slash) NotASin (dot) htm
(4) Go to: Japanese kimono (dot) com (slash) wedding_kimono (dot) htm for more information and some pictures of the traditional Japanese wedding kimono.
A/N: I am so sorry this took forever to get out. It would have been out sooner, but I was caught up in my original stories. I hope it was worth the wait. The confrontation will be in the next chapter. I promise. So what you think?
Sequel to: On the Street of Dreams
Written by: chochowilliams
Disclaimer: I do not own Gravitation or the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
Summary: Ayaka is used to getting what she wants and what she wants now is Eiri and she’ll do whatever it takes to make him hers. Anything.
Chapter Summary: Ryuichi reveals the secret he’s kept for eighteen years while in Kyoto, Shuichi tells Kizou that he might not be as infertile as he they all believed he was after all
Warning: angst, drama, romance, m-preg, language, m/m, hentai
Inserts: “Chapel of Love” by the Dixie Cups (1964), passage from: Homosexuality: Not a Sin...Not a Sickness; What the Bible Does and Does Not Say
A/N: Thank you to CrimsonBlood363, ferler, RRW, kaname-luvr, secret hidden within me, Selina, Lollieta Round for your reviews. An extra thank you to kaname-luvr for adding me as a friend on myspace.
+---+---+---+
Last Time
It appeared as if what little Takanori had been doodling on was a document of some sort. There was official looking writing on the back, but it was hard to make out underneath his son’s pen marks. Great. This was why Shuichi always kept his sketchpad on him at all times. “Takanori,” he sighed. What was he going to do with him? When he flipped the yellow document over, he went still. “What. The. Hell?”
“You find him?”
A wave of anger washed over him. Slowly, Eiri turned around. Standing in the doorway of the bedroom with Tatsuha behind him was Ryuichi Sakuma. His eyes went hard.
At the expression on Eiri‘s face, Ryuichi began to panic. “What happened? Is-?”
“What the hell is this?” Eiri demanded.
Ryuichi recognized the yellow paper in Eiri’s outstretched hand. The color drained from his face. He suddenly did not feel so well. “Oh, God.”
“You have some explaining to do.”
+---+---+
Chapter 11: Confession Is Good for the Soul
Sakuma-Uesugi Residence - Koishikawa Park Tower - Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Little Takanori Uesugi was just like his mother. He was a slippery little devil who vanished the instant you took your eyes off him. “Eiri? You find him,” he called down the hallway. When from behind him, Ryuichi Sakuma heard Tatsuha chuckle, he knew the man was thinking the same thing he was.
“Looks like Bro has his hands full.”
Ryuichi chuckled lightly. That he did and to think he had another little one on the way. “Eiri?” he called. No answer. Could he not hear him? The light was on in the master bedroom so he knew that was where Eiri was. How his grandson managed to sneak out of the living room, push open the door (that should have been too heavy for the two year old) that separated the living room from the bedroom hallway, scurry down the hall to the master bedroom at the end of the hallway all in a matter of seconds he will never know. Shuichi used to do the same thing when he was little Takanori’s age. One second he was right there besides you and the next second he was on the other side of the house in the middle of a tsunami made mess. The boy had been like the Tasmanian Devil, only ten times worse.
Pushing through the swinging door, Ryuichi made his way stealthily down the hall to the bedroom he shared with Tatsuha. He poked his head inside and saw Eiri crouching on the floor of the closet. “You find him?” He stepped into the room.
Eiri rose to his feet and turned to face him.
Involuntarily, Ryuichi backed up several steps from the black aura surrounding Eiri. A panic driven thought flitted through his mind briefly, but he pushed it aside as being ludicrous. He’d made sure everything was put away earlier…right? Yes, he decided firmly as he shoved away the nagging feeling of doubt. There was nothing for him to be worried about. The grim look on Eiri’s face had to be a sign that something else had happened. Maybe little Takanori had gotten into something. It would make sense with all the junk piled up in there. He really had to clean it out one of these days. “What happened? Is-?”
“What the hell is this?” Eiri demanded angrily.
Ryuichi dropped his gaze to the yellow paper in Eiri’s outstretched hand. He recognized it instantly. The color drained from his face. “Oh, God,” he moaned. Suddenly, he did not feel so well.
“You have some explaining to do,” Eiri snapped.
Under his grip, Tatsuha could feel Ryuichi trembling. “Bro-”
“Shut it,” Eiri snapped.
Startled, Tatsuha closed his mouth. Never had Eiri spoken to him like this.
“‘This certifies that a certificate of birth has been filed under the name of: Shuichi Karishma (1) Sakuma’,” he read from the document, “‘Sex: Neutral. Born on: April 16 1992. At: Kyoto Memorial Medical Center, Kyoto. Name of father: Ryuichi Shu Sakuma. Maiden name of mother: Yuki Kitazawa.’” He raised his head and glared across the bedroom at his little brother’s lover. “What the fuck is this?”
Tatsuha sighed. He’d known something like this would happen. How many times had he warned Ryuichi?
“You’d better start talking Ryuichi Sakuma. Now!”
Dammit! Though he had been warned, he’d never actually thought it would happen.
“Would you rather he found out some other way?”
But how many would believe him if he told the truth?
One night. That was all it took to change his life forever.
If Yuki’s girlfriend hadn’t pressured him into buying tickets to see Nittle Grasper at the opening ceremonies of the anime convention in New York City...If Yuki hadn’t caught her cheating with his best friend…If Yuki hadn’t decided to go to the concert anyway (without his unfaithful girlfriend) just to spite her…If Yuki hadn’t become obsessed with him after that night…If Yuki’s obsession hadn’t taken him to Japan…
Then there was him. If he wouldn’t have been attracted to Yuki…
“Love me, Ryu. Love me!”
In a way, it was thanks to Yuki’s cheating girlfriend that the two of them were able to meet and conceive a beautiful baby boy together.
Despite what many people might believe, it had not been his decision to sign away his parental rights to his son. If it had been up to him, he would have taken his chances with raising a child as a single parent, but he’d been cuckolded. It’d been a lose-lose situation, especially given how young he’d been at the time Shuichi was born. His fourteenth birthday had been a mere fortnight before Shuichi’s birth, a baby himself. If he had only been a few years older, it would not have mattered. Since he had been so young, raising Shuichi on his own had not just been an unrealistic endeavor. It also would have gone against the guidance he received from Kichiji Ueda, who had been Nittle Grasper’s manager at the time, their producer, the president of L8r Records, Kiaki Matsusaki, as well as Tohma and Noriko (unbelievably). At the time, L8r Records was the biggest, most respected and most powerful label in Japan. Going against their “advice” was detrimental to your health. It was kin to suicide. Not only would he have been fired from the very band he started and “released” from the record company, but also, he never would have been able to work in Japan in any capacity again. L8r Records would have seen to that. That hadn’t been an idle threat either. He’d seen it happen numerous times as a L8r Records “lackey” so he‘d known Kiaki Matsusaki was serious in his threats…no, not threats. Promises. Without the band, there would be no income and without any money, he would not have been able to raise a child. At fourteen, nobody would have hired him as an employee, especially after L8r Records was through blacklisting him. Giving Shuichi up had been looking as his only option, but he hadn’t wanted to give his son up. Shuichi was his goddamn it!
Why was L8r Records so adamantly against Ryuichi Sakuma bringing a child into the world? They claimed a child would “ruin his career”, especially if it came out that this child was a product of a one-night stand with a Neutral. There would an exodus of Nittle Grasper, and more importantly, Ryuichi Sakuma fans. Their death would be quicker and uglier than the death of Disco. He’d go from Teen Idol to Teen Villain so fast he wouldn’t know his ass from a hole in the ground.
His saving grace came in the form of his mother. After a lot of yelling and screaming and crying, a few bruises and some possible broken bones, in order to keep his son from becoming a ward of the state and being lost within the system forever (L8r Records would have seen to that too), he was able to talk his mother into adopting his son, her grandson. This way, he would be giving up his parental rights without giving up his son.
But that had been far from the end.
He’d had to talk Kiaki Matsusaki (the Devil’s advocate himself) and the others at L8r Records into believing this was the best deal for all parties involved, which he eventually was able to do, but the cost of doing so was enough to make him regret his decision to give in the demands of those bastards. L8r Records would allow his mother to adopt Shuichi only if as long as he, Ryuichi Sakuma, with or without Nittle Grasper, was under contract with L8r Records, the truth was never to be revealed. If it was leaked, in any capacity, that he had a love child and with an older male Neutral, whether he was the source of the leak or not, there would be stiff penalties. Among those would be that if Shuichi were underage at the time of the leak, L8r Records would make sure he was taken away from the only home he has ever known and be forever lost within the foster care system.
No matter how he’d looked at, whether he agreed to the terms laid out before him by L8r Records or if he raised Shuichi himself, he was screwed.
With the downfall of L8r Records, Tatsuha was right. There wasn’t anything holding him back from telling Shuichi the truth any longer, but truth be told, he honestly hadn’t been able to bring himself to tell his son the truth. What would be the point of saying anything now? Telling Shuichi he’d been living in a world of pretend and that his mother was not his mother and his father was not his father would do more harm than good and he did not want the boy to hate him. He would rather Shuichi love him as his big brother than hate him as his father. There was no doubt that Shuichi would despise him after the truth was revealed. Who wouldn’t hate the person who flipped their world upside down and inside out? No, he was certain all hell would break lose. This was one can of worms better left to expire in the pantry.
But with the discovery of Shuichi’s birth certificate, keeping silent was no longer an option.
Tatsuha felt the change before Ryuichi spoke.
“What that is…is Shuichi’s birth certificate.”
Eiri’s golden gaze narrowed. “And it has your name where his father’s name should be because…?”
“Because…” Ryuichi almost could not bring himself to say it. It was not because he was ashamed to admit the truth. It was just the opposite in fact. He could not be prouder to call Shuichi his son. No, he just did not like the thought of being the one who was going to pull the rug out from under Shuichi. Shuichi was his best friend. He did not want to do anything that might hinder that.
“But you’re not his friend, Ryu,” he could remember Tatsuha telling him once. “He’s your son.”
“Because…I’m his father.”
+---+---+
The Trinity Offices - Setagaya, Tokyo
It felt as if all her energy was suddenly sucked right out of her. “You cannot be serious.” Nami Mataguchi could honestly say this was something she had not seen coming.
There was a flurry of giggles in her ear. “Why not? What’s wrong with wanting my best friend to be my Maid of Honor?”
Somehow, the fact that Ayaka considered them best friends did not surprise her. With each passing day, it seemed as if Ayaka Usami was becoming more and more delusional. Or maybe these games were just getting really old really quickly. With one hand holding the phone to her ear, Nami dropped her head into her other hand and sighed. Was it a sin to wish for God to strike her down at that exact moment? “Aren’t you getting a little ahead of yourself?”
There was a light rapt on her office door. Raising her head, Nami spied a young girl standing in the doorway. Machika? Was that her name? No. That couldn’t be it. It didn’t sound right. She waved the girl inside.
“Thank you,” Nami mouthed as the girl set a manila file folder on her desk with an apologetic smile before exiting just as quietly and quickly as she entered.
“Course not,” Ayaka stated firmly.
Why didn’t that surprise her?
“I was searching online and at David’s Bridal-Have you heard of them? I found the perfect Bridesmaid dress,” Ayaka continued without waiting for an answer. “It’s called a chiffon halter. I’ll send you the link. It sorta reminds me of a wrap (2). Oh! It’s so beautiful. All the bridesmaid dresses will be black of course.”
Nami sighed. She was getting a headache.
+---+---+
TCN Studios - Setagaya, Tokyo
The Board had taken his suggestion surprisingly well. For some reason, Chishin had been of the mind that he would be fighting them tooth and nail for the major overhaul he felt The Christian Network needed and was long overdue for, but it seems as if he had been worried for nothing. Like him, they had not particularly cared for the path the station had been on as of late. It was not so much a change they were looking for as a “back to the basics” approach. While liberalism could be a good thing, radicalism and extremism went against everything the Church stood for. It was not what TCN stood for. While many Christians have strayed from the path laid out by Christ in order to create their own that would give credence to their own warped, misguided approach to His teachings, TCN would be, from this day forward, dedicated to preaching the true word of the Lord: acceptance, tolerance and love.
This meant that if one Nami Mataguchi wanted to go into one of her little spiels, she would have to find a new outlet. TCN would no longer be catering to her every whim.
It didn’t even ring; Chishin realized when he was instantly connected to voicemail. He wanted to ask Nami face to face about her involvement with Ayaka Usami. There was no guarantee she would tell him the truth if he were to ask over the phone or even if he sent her an email. Actually, there was no reason for her to tell him the truth even if he were able to get her to meet him. At the same time, there was no reason why she shouldn’t tell him the truth. But like the antagonist in novels, she might let her pride get the better of her and confess. He could only hope. “Yeah, hi, Nami. This’s Chishin. Give me a call when you can. Maybe we can get together for lunch or something.”
Hanging up, he sat back and scrubbed his hands over his face.
Truthfully, he hoped she didn’t get a chance to return his call. He was tired of dealing with her.
Pushing everything involving Nami Mataguchi aside, he picked up his editorial essay that was to be published on the studio website.
“For many centuries,” he read, “the Christian Church's attitude toward human sexuality was very negative: sex was for procreation, not for pleasure; women and slaves were considered property to be owned by males; and many expressions of heterosexuality, like homosexuality, were considered sinful. Such tradition often continues to influence churches today. Many teach that women should be subordinate to men, continue to permit forms of discrimination against peoples of color, and condemn homosexuals. They say that all homosexual acts are sinful, often referring to their interpretation of scripture…” (3)
As he lost himself within his essay, he felt tension he hadn’t even realized was there vanish.
Yes, this was much better.
+---+---+
Ryugan Temple - Usami Residence - Kyoto, Japan
“Going to the chapel / And we're gonna get married / Going to the chapel / And we're gonna get married,” Ayaka sang happily. “Gee I really love you / And we're gonna get married / Going to the chapel of love / Spring is here..... / Theeeeee..... / The sky is blue (whoa-ooooo) / Birds all sing / Like they do / Today's the day/ We'll say ‘I do’.”
Still humming, Ayaka continued to search the David’s Bridal website for the perfect wedding dress. Lucky for her there was a huge sale this week. Maybe she would get lucky and find the one, but there were just so many! How was she supposed to choose? Her parents would probably prefer her to wear a traditional wedding kimono instead of a western style wedding dress for her wedding. She thought the traditional shiro-maku was beautiful, especially the uchikake that was supposed to be worn over the white kimono at the reception (4) so she wouldn‘t mind wearing one for her wedding instead of a western style one. The question was: what Eiri would prefer?
You would think that because Eiri had no problems being involved with a Neutral, he might be more open to non-traditional things, like, say for example, a western style wedding dress over the traditional Japanese wedding kimono, but sometimes you just never knew. People could be a very confusing species.
Maybe she should ask Mika? Yes. That sounded like a very good idea.
+---+---+
Black Dragon Compound - Kita-ku, Kyoto, Japan
Everything was the same, Shuichi noted as he was escorted by Narata down the twisting empty hallways to Kizou’s office. The nostalgia hit him with an overwhelming sense of déjà vu. In an instant, it was as if the past two years never happened.
He shook his head vigorously to rid himself of the emotions and memories being here brought forth and pushed everything not pertaining to the real reason why he had traveled all the way here from Tokyo against his as well as Eiri’s better judgment aside. He hadn’t come here to reminisce. He was here because of his son. Nothing more. Nothing less.
Determined, Shuichi stood taller, squared his shoulders and continued to follow Narata confidently. He would convince Kizou to give a DNA sample for the paternity test and then he would go home and maybe convince Ryuichi to baby-sit little Takanori so that he could have a little time alone with Eiri. Yes, that sounded like a plan.
They rounded another corner and suddenly Kizou’s office was within view. It was the last door at the end of the hallway not more than fifteen feet away. His confidence suddenly evaporated. Shuichi lost his footing, but was able to catch himself before he made a complete spectacle of himself. The knowledge that with each (shaky) step forward, he was getting that much closer to his ex-lover and possibly the father of his son had his pulse racing. He gulped nervously.
This had been a bad idea. He should have stuck to his guns. What was the point of discovering whether Taki Aizawa was little Takanori’s biological father or not? Or whether or not his suspicions were justified or not? Eiri would, now and forever, be little Takanori’s father. That was it. End of story. There would be no prequel. No sequel. Nothing…
…But…
What about little Takanori? Was Eiri right? Would he want to know the truth when he was older? Maybe. Possibly. Or maybe Eiri was wrong. It was possible for Eiri to not be right all the time, whether Eiri wanted to admit or not. There was always the chance that little Takanori might not want to know who his biological father was. Maybe the truth wouldn’t matter to him. Not everyone wanted to know the details surrounding their birth.
“Are you sure?”
Narata’s voice drew him out of his thoughts. Blinking, Shuichi glanced around and noticed that they were in front of Kizou’s office. Already? Not trusting himself to speak, he could only nod.
“Shu…” Narata sighed. He wasn’t too sure about any of this, but if this was what the other man wanted, who was he to stand in his way? “Okay. Wait here a sec.”
Shuichi merely nodded.
Narata continued to watch him, study him, for several silent seconds longer, before turning to knock sharply on the office door.
“Yes,” the muffled reply barked.
Narata opened the door, stepped inside, and shut the door behind him.
Shuichi gulped. This was nuts. This was seriously nuts. The urge to just turn tail and return to Tokyo and forget why he made the journey all the way out here in the first place almost too strong to ignore. Almost. And that was just enough to keep his feet firmly planted.
The door opened and Narata, looking grim, appeared. He stepped aide and swung the door open. He waved him inside. “Kizou said he’ll see you.”
Sweating and a bundle of nerves, Shuichi squared his shoulders, took a deep breath and stepped into the office.
Here goes nothing.
---TBC---
(1) Okay, so technically “Karishma” is a girl’s name. It means “Miracle” in Sanskrit, but I picked it b/c in a way Shuichi’s birth was a miracle. I also think it’s a beautiful name.
(2) go to: davidsbridal (dot) com and look for “chiffon halter” under bridal party
(3) You can read the whole essay at: soulfoodministry (dot) org (slash) docs (slash) English (slash) NotASin (dot) htm
(4) Go to: Japanese kimono (dot) com (slash) wedding_kimono (dot) htm for more information and some pictures of the traditional Japanese wedding kimono.
A/N: I am so sorry this took forever to get out. It would have been out sooner, but I was caught up in my original stories. I hope it was worth the wait. The confrontation will be in the next chapter. I promise. So what you think?