On the Street of Dreams

Chapter summary: Someone from the crowd rushed forward to help the man, but when their hands hit, it sent Taki tumbling backwards and out into traffic and into the path of an on-coming car. People screamed. Brakes screeched. Tires squealed.

***

Taki’s End


Ryuichi paced the living room of the apartment he shared with his long time boyfriend and partner, Tatsuha Uesugi. He was restless and itching to go find his baby Shu-shu himself, but he promised Tatsuha he would stay here and wait. The monk assured him he would find and bring Shuichi back safe and sound, but that had been several hours ago and he had not heard anything from his lover. He was really beginning to worry.

Unbidden doubts and fears crept into his mind, but Ryuichi shook them aside before they could fully form. He would not give in. Not yet. Kyoto was a big place with lots of places for Shuichi to hole up in. It was bound to take time, but Ryuichi was not sure how long he would be able to continue believing everything was going to be all right.

*

The yard and house were filled with various members of the Uesugi and Usami families. The children were racing around the yard, playing ball, and hanging all over the trees surrounding the pond. They seemed not to have a care in the world. The teenagers congregated together, the females on one side of the yard and the males on the other. They huddled together, whispering, giggling and making eyes at various members of the opposite sex. The older adults spoke in hushed tones far from prying eyes and ears.

Tohma Seguchi stood apart from them. His wife was sitting on the back porch wearing a beautiful red and white flowered kimono and held a koto in her lap. An ivory pick was strapped to the thumb, index and middle fingers of her right hand with leather bands that she was using to strike the strings. The two meter long, 13 stringed instrument that is said to resemble a dragon echoed across the yard in sharp contrast to the hushed stoic atmosphere surrounding the elder members of the two families.

This past weekend was supposed to have been a time for the affianced to meet and get to know one another before the wedding, but Eiri had snubbed the dinner and ignored the party all together. This get-together was supposed to give the two families a chance to meet and see the betrothed together.

Tatsuha explained to them at the dinner party Eiri had prior plans and would not be able to make it. Everyone had been angry, to say the least, and rightfully so. The dinner party had been for him after all. It was supposed to have given him a chance to meet his future bride. The real reason for the “family dinner” had been kept from most members of both families, but either Eiri had somehow known the truth or frankly did not care about some stupid family get-together. Tohma had a suspicion it was a little of both. Truthfully, Tohma could not blame the man for blowing off dinner.

Tohma looked up as Mr. Uesugi emerged from the house. “Father,” he greeted with a smile, bowing his head at the elder man.

“Tohma,” the monk returned as he passed him.

Tohma watched as his father-in-law walked across the yard towards his mother and her two sisters, who were speaking adamantly, to those gathered around them. Those listening wore were aghast and angry, shocked at whatever they were being told. He could not hear anything that was being said and he wondered what was going on.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Ayaka Usami at the buffet table, shoveling food in her mouth like she had not eaten in years. It did not look as if she was even taking the time to chew. Tohma watched as she gobbled everything in sight in disgusted fascination.

He heard some whisperings earlier that Eiri had been here. He wondered if that was why everyone seemed to be so hot and bothered.

Curiosity getting the better of him, Tohma reached inside his kimono sleeve for his cell phone and dialed his brother-in-law’s number from memory.

*

As a traffic light turned red, Eiri slowed and waited semi-impatiently behind a small compact car. He took a final drag on his cigarette and stubbed it out in his ashtray, blowing out a thin stream of smoke out the partially cracked window. Rolling up the window, he cranked the air on. The car turned instantly cold.

He still had no idea what he was going to do about him and Shuichi. He loved the kid, had ever since he laid eyes on him in that bar a year ago. He wanted to be with him, to love him and be loved by him. Shuichi made him happy. Eiri found himself constantly smiling when he was around him, no matter what his mood he was in beforehand. The kid was always on his mind, whether they were together or not. When they were not together, he counted down the hours until they could be together. He was always looking around for him and wondered what he was doing. Without Shuichi, he felt lonely and lost. It felt as if someone had reached in and ripped out his heart, like a part of him was missing. When they were together, all he wanted to do was hold him in his arms, make him happy and see him smile. Without him, he was…lonely and he did not like that feeling.

The light changed and traffic moved again. Eiri shut off the air and wove in and out of traffic. The outside world vanished. The sounds, smells and sights that permeated the Kyoto scene slid away and was replaced with a picture of his pink haired lover.

Despite the fact that Shuichi made his heart race and his palms sweat. Despite the fact that he wanted nothing more than to be with Shuichi, it was still hard. He was still afraid. Just because he discovered the skeleton in his family closet, did not mean that anything had changed. He was not going to change over night just because everything he had always believed to be true was now a big lie.

Even though he knew what he wanted, part of him was trying to talk him out of it because of those deeply rooted fears.

Eiri sighed. He had to talk with Shuichi. Maybe then, things would begin to clear.

He slowed to a stop at another red light just as his cell phone rang. He grabbed it off the console between the driver and passenger seats. He sighed deeply after he checked the LCD screen. He did not need this.

Flipping the phone open, he snapped, “What the hell do you want?”

“Well, hello to you too, Eiri,” came Tohma’s soft voice over the line.

Eiri growled softly and heard his brother-in-law chuckle.

At the Uesugi temple, Tohma continued to watch Ms. Usami stuff her face. He was not sure whether to be disgusted or fascinated.

“Was there a point to this phone call?” asked Eiri over the line. When the light changed, Eiri floored it and blasted through the intersection.

“Actually, I was wondering what it was you and your grandmother discussed that has gotten her and your two aunts so upset.”

Eiri raised an eyebrow in surprise. He snorted with a shake of his head. “So, you were there.”

“Yes and it seems as if you were not.”

Eiri snorted. Damn right. He would much rather lose his favorite body part. Besides, he had not even known about the damn family get-together. Even if he had, he would be damned if he would have shown up. He did not get along with almost all the members of his family for various reasons and there was no way in hell he was going to act social around them when he could not even stand the sight of most of them and vice-versa. “Don’t tell me. You got a new car?”

Tohma smiled broadly. “Actually, yes.”

Eiri rolled his eyes. That would explain why he had not noticed their car among the trillion there.

“So?”

The light changed and Eiri sped down the busy street.

Sighing, Eiri told his brother-in-law about the confrontation he had with his grandmother, Aunt Shuri and Aunt Sanami and then later with Ayaka as he was trying to leave. Strangely enough, he had no reservations with telling him about his relationship with Shuichi.

He was not sure why. Maybe it was because ever since he realized he had fallen in love with the kid, all he has wanted to do is stand on top atop the Kyoto Tower and shout out to the world. It was eating him up inside to keep it a secret, but he knew that was what must be done, with Shuichi being a minor. If it did get out or the wrong people got hold of this information, then he could be arrested and he would never see his lover again.

Just the mere thought of never being able to see him again was…A heavy weight dropped into the pit of his stomach. His eyes misted, his throat clogged over a threatening sob and his chest tightened… It was something he did not want to even think about.

He cleared his throat and blinked away the tears before they had a chance to form.

As much as losing Shuichi scared him, he trusted Tohma; just like he trusted his brother- who he was sure already knew- not to say something, but not everyone was going to be like Tatsuha and Tohma. Those are the people he had to be careful of. Even if the man had a tendency to be a bit on the annoying side.

Tohma sat on the porch besides his wife who was taking a break from playing the koto. He made sure to keep his face carefully blank as he listened to his brother-in-law’s confession. “Eiri,” he sighed after the other man was finished.

He remembered seeing Shuichi getting into a black Mercedes outside of NG just yesterday. While it was rare to see a foreign car on the streets of Japan, it was not unheard of and Eiri was not the only one in Japan to own one. He had had his suspicions, but had been hoping they were unfounded.

Mika glanced over at her husband curiously.

Eiri sighed himself. He knew exactly what the man was going to say. “Don’t Tohma.”

Tohma had known both Shuichi and Eiri their entire lives. He cared deeply for both of them and only wanted the best for both men. “You do know that he is just a boy.”

Eiri pictured his pink haired lover, his lithe, boyish, but toned frame, his silky, strawberry scented hair and his soft full lips, his velvety smooth skin slick with sweat, his breathy moans and cries as he pounded into him…Eiri took a shuttering breathe and felt himself growing hard just as the mere thought of his lover. Shuichi was more than a boy. Oh, yes. Much more.

“I’m well aware of what he is, Tohma.”

Tohma sighed. “I know you do, but…just be careful. Okay?”

Eiri did not say anything. What did Tohma think he was? An idiot? He would do nothing to jeopardize his relationship with the boy.

“Are you sure about this?” Tohma asked softly. “You do know that this could-“

“Tohma,” Eiri interrupted. “I know all this! I’m aware of the risks!” All too well and he did not need to be reminded of them. They plagued his mind every single day!

“Just be careful, okay? I don’t want to see either one of you hurt.”

Eiri sighed. “I know, Tohma…Thank you.”

Tohma blinked, surprised. Had Eiri just…thanked him? Before he had time to mull it over, he was listening to the dial tone. He pulled the phone away and stared at it. He shook his head, chuckling.

“Was that my good for nothing brother?” Mika demanded.

“It was,” he affirmed with a small bow.

She crossed her arms over her chest. “And?”

Tohma glanced at her. “And what, my dear?” he asked her innocently.

“What did he have to say himself?”

A smile crept across the president’s face. “It seems that Eiri has found his own bride.”

Mika blinked at her husband, taken back.

In his car, Eiri tossed his cell onto the passenger seat. Strangely, he felt as if a giant weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

*

The clinic was a block away. Shuichi’s feet felt like lead and his stomach was in knots. It felt as if someone had let loose a pack of butterflies and they were fluttering around inside of him. He felt so nauseous. He was so sick to his stomach.

His chest was tight and his heart hurt. It was almost like a bad case of heartburn, but Shuichi knew the pain in his chest was not heartburn or acid reflux, though he wished that were what it was.

As much as he wanted to, he could not cry. His tear ducts were like a river that had dried up centuries ago leaving behind a dry, cracked seabed in the middle of a desert. None of this felt real. He did want it to be real. He would give anything for this to be a dream or a sick joke.

Licking suddenly dry lips, Shuichi swallowed painfully and crossed the street when the light changed, but he moved like the walking dead. It was all automatic. His feet were taking him forward, but he was not aware of anything that was happening around him. He could not hear the traffic noise, the curses and angry honks or the jolts and shoves from the passers-by. He could not hear their curses follow him or see their annoyed glares when he bumped into them.

And he was not aware of the man that was following him, just waiting for the right time to strike.

Taki remained a discrete distance away, trying to stay far enough behind the boy so that he was not spotted and yet close enough so that he could keep him within sight and not lose him.

There was a war brewing inside of him. One-half of him wanted to take revenge on the boy for ruining his life and the other part wanted to make him see that his decision to be with that perverted writer instead of him was the biggest mistake of his life. He wanted to prove to Shuichi that he loved him more, that he would and could take better care of him than that blond bastard ever could.

The leader of Ask wove through the heavy stream of people that seemed to all be moving in the opposite direction as him. He felt like a fish trying to swim against the current. He pushed and elbowed his way through the throng of people, trying to keep his query in sight, but finding it harder the longer he followed him.

After what seemed like forever, he noticed that Shuichi had stopped moving and was staring up at an indistinct looking building with a plain façade with a face as white as freshly fallen snow. As clichéd at the thought was, the boy looked like he had seen a ghost. At closer inspection, Taki noticed that Shuichi was trembling like a leaf caught in a tsunami.

Taki glanced back at the building. Letters just as simple and plain as the building spelled out “Kyoto Clinic”. A doctor’s office? Taki’s brow furrowed in confusion. Why was Shuichi going to the doctors? The kid was the healthiest person on the face of the planet. All he ever needed was a general checkup, but if that was what the kid was doing then why did he look like he was going to his own execution?

Curiosity getting the better of him, Taki turned toward a passing woman. “Excuse me?” he asked her.

The woman was young, in her mid-twenties Taki would guess and had on a sharp looking black skirted suit. She turned towards him with a smile.

“Do you know what kind of clinic this is?” he asked her politely, pointing to the clinic over his shoulder.

The woman glanced over his shoulder at the doctor’s office and her smile slipped off her face. A look of disgust and aversion morphed her beautiful, sculpted features. “An abortion clinic,” she sneered.

Taki gasped. His eyes were as large as saucers. His jaw dropped and his eyes popped out of his head. He stared after the woman in stunned silence as she marched off down the street and vanished into the crowd.

Spinning around, he gaped at the pink haired boy who still stood shaking and as pale as a vampire outside of the clinic.

An abortion clinic? But how…? Why was Shuichi here? Was he meeting a friend here, giving her morale support? Or was he the one with the appointment? Taki shook that thought aside. That was impossible. Had he not just confronted the boy about this? And had Shuichi not admitted that it was nothing more than wishful thinking? So, what was going on?

Before he knew it, he swallowed the space that separated him and the boy, determined to get to the bottom of this.

As Shuichi stared up at the clinic, everything vanished. The pain in his chest, the feeling of numbness, everything. He felt detached from his body and from his surroundings. It was like he was floating above his body watching everything happen and he had no control over any of it.

He was vaguely aware of a sudden hand on his shoulder. He felt himself being turned around. Shuichi blinked, staring into the black eyes of his ex-lover, but he did not see them as he stared at them. He knew it was Taki standing before him, but at the same time, he was not aware of him.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Taki demanded angrily.

Shuichi only blinked his eyes wide and his breathes coming in sporadic pants.

Taki growled in growing irritation and shook the boy none too gently. “Will you fucking answer me?! Goddammit! What the hell is wrong with you? Son of a bitch,” he hissed when the boy continued to play mute.

Shuichi saw Taki’s lips moving, his throat working, but he could hear none of the words coming out of his mouth.

Taki growled. This kid was really beginning to aggravate him.

*

Tatsuha slowed as the light turned red. He sat idly behind the wheel, drumming his thumb against the wheel. When the light changed, Tatsuha decided impulsively to turn left. As he drove, he kept one sharp eye open for his brother-in-law.

He could not find Shuichi. Trying to find him was beginning to turn into a search for a needle in a haystack. After getting that phone call from Hiro, Tatsuha had rushed to the guitarist’s apartment and from there, renewed his search for the pink haired singer, but it was as if Shuichi had simply vanished. He could not have been more than fifteen minutes away from Hiro’s apartment when he called him. How in the world in that short amount of time, had Shuichi been able to melt with the shadows of the city? What? Was the kid Harry Houdini, or something?

He was just about to reach his breaking point. He knew he had promised Ryuichi he would not return without his brother, but this was beginning to look like a futile search. It was beginning to look as if Shuichi did not want to be found.

Tatsuha was just about to give up, but decided to check one last street. He slowed and turned the corner. That was when he spotted a pink head among the sea of black.

“Shuichi?”

He slowed down as he passed what appeared to be a clinic. He glanced over his shoulder, trying to get a better look at the person with the bright pink hair. A sudden shrill whistle from behind him had Tatsuha jumping five feet in the air. With his heart pounding in his chest, Tatsuha shot off down the street, trying to find an empty parking space.

That had been Shuichi. He was sure of it.

*

Eiri clamped a cigarette between his lips and slid it out of the now empty pack. He crumbled the plastic container and tossed it onto the seat besides him. He was fumbling for his lighter on the console between the seats when out of the corner of the eye he caught sight of the Jeep Tahoe in front of him slow to a almost a snail’s space.

“What the fuck?” he snarled, slamming on his brakes. Tossing his unlit cigarette onto the floor, he slammed the heel of his hand onto his horn, letting loose his frustration with being caught in rush hour traffic. “Fucking bastard,” he snapped when the car peeled off with a squeal from the tires. Eiri shook his head. “Moron. They’ll give anyone a license these days.”

He was about to take off himself when a flash of pink caught his attention. His heart immediately skipped a beat as his brain made the jump from “pink” to “Shuichi”. He was beginning to think the kid was some sort of Wiccan or practiced Voodoo, or something, because the kid had somehow managed to place some sort of spell over him.

He turned to look and everything seemed to slow down. He stopped breathing and his heart stopped beating.

“Shuichi,” he breathed.

Suddenly his fears and doubts vanished and the clouds that seemed to have obscured his sight the past twenty-four hours dissipated, leaving him with sudden clarity. A smile crossed his face, but it slipped off when his golden hazel eyes landed on the hands gripping his lover’s beautiful, supple skin.

A surge of white-hot anger and jealousy like he never felt before poured through him. Eiri gritted his teeth, growling. His hands gripped the steering wheel, squeezing it like he was trying to make juice.

That bastard was dead! Dead! He warned him! He stood nose to nose with that bastard and told him to stay away from Shuichi!

Eiri slammed on the brakes and jerked the wheel hard. His Mercedes Slé skid across the street with loud squeals from the tires and kicking up dust and gravel from the pavement. Cars slammed on their brakes and swerved hard to avoid him, painting the road with thick, black lines. Angry honks filled the air. There were the sounds of metal against metal and the shattering of glass.

It did not escape him that asshole Aizawa was now plastered against the front of the building and not all over his Shuichi. Bastard. What he did not see was a sixteen-year-old boy staring at him with wide-eyed terror.

Half a block away, Tatsuha’s heart leapt into his throat. He froze and turned to watch a sleek black car that looked awfully familiar spin out, causing several accidents and dozens of near misses.

“What the hell?” he wondered out-loud. He watched as the car spun, doing a near perfect one-eighty as it slid towards the curb… and Shuichi! “Shit,” he cried. He raced towards his brother-in-law as the car bumped widely as it ran up onto the sidewalk. The people scattered, screaming. Tatsuha pushed past them, trying to get to Shuichi.

Shuichi, meanwhile, breathed a sigh of relief as the car skidded to a halt several yards from him. Moments later, the car door burst open and a very familiar man stepped out onto the sidewalk.

Shuichi gasped and took a step towards his lover. “E-Eiri?” What the hell did he think he was doing? Trying to get all of them killed? “Eiri, what’re…?”

His words died as he took one look at the man’s face. The blond haired, golden-eyed writer was furious! He looked like a raging bull as he marched towards him. The stunned and muttering people scattered out of his way, clearing a path for the obviously psychotic man.

Fear swept through Shuichi, taking away his voice. It froze him to the spot. He stood staring at his lover, unable to breathe, to move or to speak. He had never been so scared in his life. Violet eyes could do nothing more than watch the pale god as he…marched right past him? What?

His fright melted away and a sense of calm washed over him, followed closely by a deep confusion.

Shuichi watched as Eiri advanced on a tall, thin man dressed in a pair of black dress slacks and a matching jacket over a brightly colored button down shirt.

He jumped when a hand landed on his shoulder. He looked over his shoulder. “Tatsuha!”

Breathing hard, the monk nodded. Licking his lips, he swallowed and bent over, his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. “Are you…alright,” he panted.

Shuichi nodded, turning back towards his rampaging boyfriend.

Taki backed away from the raging storm that was heading straight for him, shaking in fright. Shuichi gasped and Tatsuha swore under his breath as Eiri grabbed Taki by the throat and threw him up against the wall, banging the back of his head against the building façade. Pain laced through the back of Taki’s head. His mouth dropped open as he tried desperately to suck in air that was not there. He wrapped his hands around the one ringing his neck like a dishrag.

“Didn’t I warn you?” Eiri hissed, shoving his face into Taki’s. “Didn’t I?” he yelled. Eiri shook the man, banging him against the wall. “Did I not tell you to stay the fuck away from him?” he hissed. “Huh! Do you remember what I said I’d do if I saw your filthy ass again?”

Shuichi watched as the color drained from Taki’s face, as his eyes bugged out of his head and his mouth worked like a fish out of water. He stared at his wheezing face than at his lover’s contorted one. Those golden hazel eyes were cold and hard. He looked like he was ready to kill Taki.

Shuichi gasped, his eyes widening in sudden fright. Tears blurred his vision. His chest tightened and his throat constricted against a sob. No! He could not let that happen. As much as he hated Taki, he did not want him dead. Besides, if Eiri killed him then he would be arrested and thrown in jail for the rest of his life! Eiri was already going to be serious trouble for what he just did. He did not need attempted murder on top of it! He loved Eiri. Eiri was his entire world. He needed him. If he lost him, he would die. He would seriously die.

He rushed forward and grabbed Eiri’s hands, pulling on them, but Eiri’s arms were like steel.

Tatsuha gave a start. “Shuichi,” he called out, reaching out for the boy. That was when he became aware of their audience. An ever growing crowd of people surrounded them, whispering and pointing. He thought he heard someone say something about the cops. “Dammit,” he whispered. That was all they needed. He was just glad nobody had recognized his brother yet.

Even though Eiri was a famous romance writer, his picture was not plastered on the backs of his books and he hardly ever made public appearances, interviews or photo shoots. As well known as he was there were only a very limited number of people who knew who he actually was. Right now, he was glad about that.

“Eiri! Eiri, please!”

Shuichi’s hysterical cries snapped him out of his thoughts.

“Please stop this,” Shuichi sobbed, tears spilling down his face. He tightened his grip on Eiri’s arms. “I don’t want to lose you,” he shouted frantically.

Eiri blinked, snapping back to reality. His face softened, draining of the blind anger that had come over him and glanced over at his pink haired lover. His heart shattered when he saw the misery on his young face, his face a backwash of tears. His hold on Taki slackened.

“Shuichi,” he whispered. He stepped away from his prey, dropping him to his feet.

Taki coughed and rubbed his sore neck, glaring at the blond man angrily.

Tatsuha breathed a sigh of relief as he watched his older brother engulf Shuichi tightly and warmly. He smirked.

Shuichi wrapped his arms around Eiri’s waist tightly, burying his face in his lover’s chest. Eiri felt warm, cuddly and made him feel as if all was right with the world, but he had a feeling Eiri would not like to be compared to a big teddy bear. He chuckled silently.

Stepping forward, Tatsuha opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by a hoarse voice.

“Saved once again by your white night,” Taki hissed, stepping towards the group.

Shuichi’s smile slipped off his face. Keeping his hold on his lover, he turned in his arms just enough to glare at the other man.

Eiri, holding Shuichi protectively, turned his head slowly and glowered at Taki. Much to his pleasure, Taki withered slightly but regained his wits and stood up straight, staring right back at Eiri and just as coldly. “I suggest you leave,” he growled. “Now. Before I change my mind and skin your ass alive.”

“Oh, no,” Taki shook his head. “Not until I get some answers!”

Shuichi breathed deeply and paled. In all the commotion, he had completely forgotten where he was and why. He suddenly felt sick.

Eiri glanced at his lithe lover out of the corner of his eyes when he felt him tense. Shuichi’s hold on his shirt tightened. It was almost as if he were holding on for dear life. Letting go of Shuichi, Eiri started towards Taki, but Taki stood his ground. “I. Said. Get. Lost,” he hissed through clenched teeth.

Taki stood nose to nose with the blond haired, golden eyes romance author. “Not until he tells me why the hell he was heading into an abortion clinic,” he hissed right back.

Shuichi’s stomach churned. He threw a hand over his stomach and the other over his mouth. Oh God, he thought. Tears that had begun to dry sprung back to life.

“What?” Tatsuha blinked, taken back. He stared at his brother-in-law. Was that what he had been doing all day? Shuichi.

Shock and disbelief crossed Eiri’s face, pausing his irate march towards the dead man walking. Shuichi? An abortion clinic? What the hell was he talking about? Eiri shook off his bewilderment and growled menacingly at the bastard.

“Back off,” Taki barked. He was glad his voice did not betray how terrified he actually was of this dude. Inside he was trembling like a leaf. “If he’s pregnant I have the right to know!”

Oh, God! Don’t do this, please, Shuichi silently begged.

“If he’s far enough along that he’s thinking of getting an abortion, than that rules you out as the father, Romance Man,” he snapped, poking a finger into Eiri’s chest. He was gaining more confidence as he went along.

Shuichi’s head snapped up and he paled, this time for a different reason. What? Oh god, no. His stomach churned. This was not happening. Somewhere in Shuichi, he had always known, but he had not wanted to face the truth.

Taki smirked smugly at the stunned writer. “And ever since Kizou had testicular cancer, Man Land just has not been the same,” he pouted.

Shuichi swooned. If Tatsuha had not been there to catch him, he would have fallen and cracked his head open. If that father was not Eiri and nor Kizou…Oh, God! Shuichi choked back a rainfall of tears, sobbing against his hand.

Rage surged through Eiri. He clenched his hands into tight balls of fury and advanced towards the man.

Taki’s smugness vanished and was replaced by a terror deeper than he had ever felt before. He paled, his eyes getting as wide as saucers. He stood frozen to the sidewalk, unable to breathe or call out for help.

Eiri stopped an inch away from the man and leaned his face towards his until their noses were almost touching. “Get. Lost,” he hissed, seething with anger. He watched through narrowed eyes as Taki’s body jerked into action.

The man stumbled backwards, losing his balance and falling flat on his face. He scrambled to his feet and shoved his way through the crowd. “I won’t forget this,” he called back, beside himself with anger at both himself for his weakness and at the writer for just being. “You wait and see! This isn’t the end!”

Growling, Eiri took one-step towards the retreating man and Taki shrieked like a girl, his eyes getting even wider.

Everything seemed to slow down at that moment. Everyone watched as the tall, lanky, dark haired, dark eyed man tripped over his own two feet in his haste to be rid of Eiri. He staggered backwards towards the curb, trying to catch himself. He balanced precariously on the lip of the curb, his arms flailing around like a windmill.

With help from Tatsuha, Shuichi stood up and stared wide-eyed and pale at Taki.

Someone from the crowd rushed forward to help the man, but when their hands hit, it sent Taki tumbling backwards and out into traffic and into the path of an on-coming car. People screamed. Brakes screeched. Tires squealed.

Shuichi felt lightheaded and faint. Feeling uncomfortably warm and nauseous, his eyes rolled up and everything went black. The last thing he remembered was hearing the sickening crunch of metal against bone.

***