Still Raining

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. She’ll do whatever it takes to make him hers. Anything.
Chapter Summary: Ayaka is in the wind and everyone is scrambling to get tabs on her before it’s too late.
Warning: AU, fantasy, angst, drama, romance, M-Preg, language, M/M
Parings: Ryuichi/Tatsuha, Eiri/Shuichi
Inserts: --
A/N: …We lost the internet at home. The only way I can get on is at the library and I haven’t been able to get to the library for 2 wks, which was when this could have been out. Sorry. The next chapter is done and the epilogue in about three-quarters of the way done. I hope it was worth the wait. ENJOY!

oOo

Last Time

Shindou Residence - Kyoto, Japan

“How do you think this will affect Mr. Shindou’s career? Having the father of his son being a Yakuza boss?” asked the reporter on the screen to one of her guests, an editor for some entertainment magazine. “Could Mr. Shindou’s life, as well as that of his son, be in danger?”

“That’s hard to say…”

Mai reached for the remote and shut off the television. Concern lining her face, she glanced over her shoulder into the kitchen at the phone she could just see from her position on the couch. She bit her lip, rubbing sweaty palms up and down her jean-clad legs.

“Could Mr. Shindou’s life, as well as that of his son, be in danger?”

The thought of both her son as well as her grandson being placed in harm’s way because some bitch with a fucked up view of neutrals who could not leave well enough alone infuriated her. Before she had time to fully process what she was doing, she was flinging herself off the sofa and into the kitchen where she wrote her husband and daughter a quick note on the white board on the fridge and marched through the house to the front hall closet, grabbed her purse, slid her feet into her shoes and stalked out of the house like a mother on a mission.

oOo

Chapter 24: A Boomerang from Hell Part I

En Route - Kyoto, Japan

There was a tumult of emotions coursing through the man known simply as K. The most prominent of those being anger. No, it wasn’t anger he was feeling, or more accurately, the feeling raging through him was not so simple to identify. The closest he could come to describing the emotion was fury and even then it did not do the feeling justice. Even calling it a feeling was not right. It was more a state of being and it was currently eating him alive.

Never had he failed so miserably at an assignment. Actually, he’d never failed. Not once. Before today, there hadn’t even been a single smudge or smear or black mark. His track record had been so clean you could have eaten off it. It had taken more years than Shiho has been alive to gain the level of respect and trust that he had and for it all to be destroyed in a single instant was unacceptable.

How could this have happened?

This violent feeling boiling within him screamed to be let out. It was slowly seducing him, luring him with sweet words and even sweeter promises. It was telling him that once unleashed, it would make him feel like a king!

Oh how tempting it was! Alas, not tempting enough.

Having his judgment clouded would not be an effective strategy to complete his assignment and he intended to see this assignment through to the end no matter the consequences.

He may have lost Ms. Usami, but it was a momentary glitch. He would find her and when he did- not if, but when- he would first thank her for being able to give him- him of all people- the slip, which he had to admit with a mixture of pride and annoyance, had never happened before.

“Bravo, Ms. Usami, bravo.”

This once in a lifetime hiccup was to be praised, definitely, but he had every intention of never allowing it to happen again.

It did lead him to wonder if the target had known she was being followed. Could that be why she slipped out of the house unseen? Or was it a freakish accident? K was more inclined to believe that the target hadn’t wanted to be seen leaving the residence by anyone at all. But why? Whether or not she was aware that she was being spied upon, her ability to shake them off had been a brilliant play. Under different circumstances, Ms. Usami could have become a very valuable addition to this ragtag band of miscreants. Shame.

With a smoldering cigarette clamped between his lips, his long blond hair pulled up into a ponytail and reflective shades over eyes bluer than the Mediterranean, he rolled up the sleeves of his white dress shirt as he waited at a red light. The straps of his shoulder holster squeaked as he moved. When the light changed, he floored the gas pedal. The car that some kind old man had been kind enough to allow him to borrow shot forward. The scenery became a blur of color.

He pressed a button on the rearview mirror that had a white phone etched onto it. “Call Tohma,” he commanded. He signaled before switching lanes as the call was put through. It would not do to be pulled over on a traffic violation.

“Yes?” a soft-spoken male voice flowed into the car moments later.

“K here, sir.”

“Status?”

K cringed. Never before has the urge to lie during a briefing been so strong. What the boss did not know would not hurt him right? Yeah, until it came back to bite you on the ass, came the thought. “Yellow, sir,” he confessed. There was a long, silent pause. It caused K to squirm. He was more uncomfortable listening to the even breathing over the phone than he had been at his own wedding and that was taking his wife into account- who was even more psychotic than people claimed he was.

“Excuse me?”

Even though the tone of Tohma’s voice did not change, it still sent a chill down K’s spine. Suddenly, he was glad he decided to call. If this debriefing had been made in person, he might very well be minus his favorite body part right about now.

“The target, sir…she, uhm…we lost her. She’s in the wind.” He wondered if he sounded as pathetic as he thought he did.

In his office in Tokyo, Tohma leaned back in his chair. The leather squeaked. The springs creaked. He leaned his elbows on the arms of the chair and laced his fingers together before his lips.

“Uhm, sir?”

“Find her,” Tohma replied simply and with calm he did not feel. He dropped his hands. “Find her. NOW!”

K jumped at the uncharacteristic yell. It caused the car speakers to buzz with static. “Yes! Yes sir.” He slumped over, exhaling in relief as the line went dead. Tohma Seguchi just had to be the scariest man on the face of the planet. He answered his cellphone went it buzzed seconds later. “Yes?”

“Sir, I think I may know where the target is heading,” came Shiho’s voice over the car speakers.

“Where?” he demanded to know.

“Tokyo.”

“What are you basing this from?”

“Results of a paternity test.”

K cocked an eyebrow. “And?”

“They involve Shuichi Shindou’s son.”

K stilled his fingers that had been drumming on the steering wheel.

Normally, the specific details of a case mattered little to him unless they pertained directly to the job. If a husband hired him to off his wife, the why and what did not matter. All that concerned him was the when and how: when would be the best time and how should it be accomplished. There were times, though, when he felt he needed to know more about his client as well as the target. This had been the case this time.

The target was one Ayaka Usami. She was an only child. Father was a Buddhist monk who ran the Ryugan temple. Mother was a housewife. Preferred a quiet night at home with a good book to hitting the clubs. Non-smoker. Non-drinker. Reserved, but could be outspoken when she had to be. Did not have many friends. Had one obsession: her ex-betrothed Eiri Uesugi, known by the pseudonym Eiri Yuki, who just so happened to be married to Shuichi Shindou.

He understand how the target may see Shindou as a threat if she was as obsessed with Uesugi- or was it Yuki?- as he believed she may be. It was the reason why he had been hired to keep to an eye on the target in the first place. And watch her he did. Watched her walk right out the front door. But why would she go after Shindou now? What did this paternity test have to do with anything?

“I contacted a hacker friend of mine and he tells me that it appears as if the target’s been speaking to a Nami Mataguchi a lot lately.”

“That is?” And he should care…why?

“She’s the owner of The Trinity. It’s a Christian extremist magazine. Religious zealot. Complete nutcase. Ya know, one of those people who claim Harry Potter is evil because it promotes witchcraft and shit like that, but she’s better known for her extreme abhorrence of neutrals. She’s pretty outspoken in her beliefs and doesn’t apologize for them. Lately, she seems to be obsessed with discrediting Shindou.”

K latched onto this eagerly. That was very interesting, especially since Shindou happened to be married to the target’s ex-fiancé. “So you’re saying this whole paternity thing may have been a way to try and discredit him? Maybe cause discord between him and Yuki?”

“That’s what my contact believes.”

K expertly wove in and out of traffic as his mind worked fast and furiously. “You think they’re working together then? The target and this Mataguchi chick?”

“Yes. My contact is almost positive.”

Unfortunately, it made complete sense. He just wished it didn’t. The target has proven to be smarter and more cunning than he’d initially given her credit for. Things could quickly escalate out of control.

K’s curse flooded the silence that had filled the car. “Who’s the closest?”

“D‘Wayne.”

“Get him on the phone.”

“What about his assignment?”

“Reassign it. Cancel it. I don’t care. Get. Him. There. Yesterday.”

“Sir.”

Ending the call, K placed a call to Tohma. “Where’s Shindou,” he demanded without any preamble.

Over the line, Tohma cursed.

oOo

Shindou-Uesugi Residence - Koishikawa Park Tower - Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan

Standing guard outside condominium N802, Yutoshi scowled.

This sucked. This sucked big time. As happy as he was that his boss was a father, a desire Kizou was forced to abandon due to circumstances beyond his control, the idea of his boss having said child with Shuichi Shindou of all people made him nauseous. The brat was…was…annoying!

Just when he thought he had rid himself of the incompetence and stupidity of the teenager, said source of constant irritation comes whirling back into his life like a boomerang from Hell.

“Dammit.”

He was cursed. It was the only explanation. He wondered if it was too late to be blessed.

oOo

In the kitchen, Eiri was making tea for himself, Shuichi and their guest. As he was feeling too lazy to get the good tea mugs down from the top shelf, which any good host would have done, he’d decided to just use the coffee mugs. He did not feel the least bit guilty over their lackluster appearance. Why should he? Cups were cups. What did it matter if they were chipped or stained? Their guest should feel honored that he was feeling gracious enough to offer him something at all.

Eiri was pouring boiling water from the stainless steel teakettle- its bottom was scorched thanks to a certain baka singer- into the three mugs when his son came stampeding into the kitchen. The toddler made a beeline straight for the refrigerator. Stretching up onto his tippy toes, he wrapped a small hand around the handle of the fridge and made a futile reach with the other to the freezer.

Eiri watched his son’s antics with a cocked eyebrow. A smile twisted his lips. “What are you doing?” He kept his voice light and free from accusations. After all, he was merely curious as to what type of mischief the two year old was attempting to get into now.

“Can’t reach.” Little Takanori’s voice came out strained.

“I can see that,” Eiri observed with a light chuckle. When the mugs were filled nearly to the brim with the boiling water, he turned to the stove and set the kettle back down onto the back burner so that it was out of reach of his rambunctious son. “Do you want some help?” he asked.

“Yeah.”

He strode across the travertine-tiled floor to the stainless steel refrigerator.

Little Takanori stepped aside as his daddy opened the freezer without any difficulty.

Eiri did not have to ask what it was his son wanted from the freezer. He grabbed a red freezie-pop off the door and using a pair of scissors from the butcher block sitting on the counter along the wall besides the sink, he snipped the top off. “Here you go,” he said as he handed the icy treat to the toddler. He tossed the snippet of plastic into the garbage.

With a thank you tossed over his shoulder, little Takanori raced out of the kitchen into the living room where he was watching Blue’s Clues.

At least he has some manners, Eiri thought with an amused shake of his head as he stepped into the pantry where the tea was kept. There were at least a dozen different varieties to choose from thanks to Shuichi. He decided on herbal, seeing it was the only box opened, and grabbed three teabags. He placed a teabag into each of the mugs, making sure the tag was hanging over the lip of the cup. Instantly, the water began turning a dark amber color. The aroma wafting up out of the mugs was delicious. Placing the mugs onto the whicker tray besides the plate of teacakes they‘d purchased the other day from the bakery located- conveniently- down the street, he weaved his way carefully out of the kitchen.

“-town this weekend,” Kizou was saying.

“We’ve never taken him there,” Shuichi said. He grinned up at his husband as the other man set the tray down on the table.

They exchanged a quick kiss.

“What’re you talking about?” Eiri wanted to know as he pulled out a chair besides Shuichi and sat down.

“Kizou was saying that he wanted to take Takanori to Palettetown this weekend,” Shuichi reiterated as he handed one of the mugs to Kizou and took one for himself.

Eiri eyed the Yakuza. “Is that what you told him at NG?” He grabbed the remaining mug off the tray.

With a shrug, Kizou took a sip of his tea. “This is good.”

Eiri inclined his head in thanks.

“Not really,” Kizou was saying in answer to the question. “I just said that we’d do something cool this weekend.”

“I don’t see why not,” Shuichi said. “I mean he is your son.” He glanced over his shoulder at Eiri for conformation.

Sitting back, Eiri took a sip of his own tea as he contemplated the situation.

Until little Takanori started school in three years (dear God did he really?), which was when they would have to reevaluate the visitation schedule, it had been agreed upon that little Takanori would spent the weekends with Kizou, except when there was a family function or some other planned event, and one day during the week, which would vary depending on Kizou’s schedule. As for the holidays and little Takanori’s birthday, which was in February, they were thinking of joint celebrations for now.

“Whenever you’re in town,” Shuichi had said, “and want to spent time with him, you’re free to do so. I mean, he is your son after all. I’m not going to become one of those parents who refuse their ex access to their own children. Our son deserves to know who his parents are.”

That had Eiri thinking about Shuichi and the parentage that Ryuichi had been keeping from him.

If he wanted to be honest, he was terrified at the idea of sending his two-year-old son off with a man who he has not known for more than a fortnight, a man who was a Yakuza boss and dealt with all types of unsavory characters. Who knows what could happen? Just how safe was his son with this man?

But Shuichi was right. This man, this Rique Kizou, was little Takanori’s biological father and he had every right to see his son. Or did he? He was not sure what the law said about something like this. Did a biological father’s rights supersede those of the adoptive father? Was an adoption negated because the biological father had not been aware that he had a child until after the fact? Or would the biological father be told, “Tough luck”? If Kizou were to petition the court for custody and/or visitation rights because Eiri had gone over Shuichi’s head and told Kizou to fuck off and leave them alone, whose side would the court be on? They could very well lose their son. A cold chill raced down Eiri’s spine. It wasn’t worth the risk. Besides, what would that do to his and Shuichi’s relationship? Eiri snorted. What relationship? Shuichi would boot his ass out of the house so fast, he wouldn’t know his ass from a hole in the ground.

Eiri sighed.

His first instinct was to tell Kizou to go to hell. That he was not to go anywhere near his son. As strong as the urge was to keep his son locked up in his room until he was thirty, Eiri knew that would be unfair to both little Takanori as well as to Kizou.

With more effort than he would ever admit, Eiri heard himself agreeing.

“But if you make him cry for anything other than his own stupidity, you will be answering to me,” Eiri promised.

Shuichi gasped. “Eiri!”

Kizou shook his head at the teen. “No, Shu, it’s okay.” He turned towards Eiri. “You have my word. I would give my life to protect my son. Thank you.” He inclined his head in gratitude at the man who’d raised his son for the past two years. It was obvious that Eiri Uesugi loved Takanori very much and thought of the boy as his own. It was also obvious how difficult it was on the other man to agree to allow a virtual strange to spend time, alone, with his son. Kizou was more grateful than he could ever express to be given this chance to get to know his son. “Thank you for giving me this opportunity.”

His violet eyes swimming in unshed tears, Shuichi reached across the table and smiling up at Eiri, clasped their hands together.

Trying to pretend his face wasn’t growing warm, Eiri shrugged indifferently. Honestly, he knew what it was like to be kept in the dark. Even though Shuichi was unaware of it, so did he. Besides, he added, if he were to protest Kizou’s involvement with little Takanori, Shuichi would have his balls on a platter with sashimi, rice and soy sauce.

“Anyway, I was thinking of buying a place here in the city,” Kizou was saying. “It’d be easier when Takanori comes to visit.”

“Oo! That’s a good idea,” Shuichi agreed. “You know, you should talk to Tohma about that. He’s the one who…”

Turning his hand over, Eiri laced his fingers through Shuichi’s and leaning back, took a sip of his rapidly cooling tea as Shuichi and Kizou went on to discuss potential housing options.

This was nice. He was still worried about the safety of his son now that it was known nation wide that he was the child of the leader of the Black Dragons, but for now, being able to sit here and have tea amicably with his husband’s ex-lover was a welcome change from the hostile environment he’d grown up in.

oOo

That Night - Uesugi Residence - Kyoto, Japan

The man who was more commonly known as the father of Eiri Yuki was sitting on the back porch of the house where he’d been forced to raise his three children alone after his tyrannical mother ran Kaoru (1) out of town.

It was something Maki Uesugi had threatened to do when he’d confessed one night at dinner that he‘d had “the audacity” to fall in love with, impregnate and propose to a neutral, but Hideo had never believed she would go through with her threats. Maki Uesugi was known more for her bark then her bite after all. And he’d been right, or so he’d believed at the time. For when his mother met Kaoru the next night and saw for herself that his intended was in fact pregnant with their first child, a daughter they would name Mika, she turned into a doting future mother-in-law and grandmother-to-be. It wasn’t until he returned home late one night from the temple a month after Eiri and Tatsuha (2) were born to find Kaoru and his things gone did he realize that his mother hadn’t actually accepted the neutral into her family.

The police paid him a visit an hour later. Kaoru, who’d been sick with a severe case of the flu, had been wondering the streets for hours in the middle of a blizzard when witnesses claim he collapsed. He’d been rushed to the hospital, but by the time Hideo arrived, it was too late.

Hideo literally hasn’t spoken a word to his mother since, though that did not stop her from nagging his ear off.

Bitch.

The light breeze whipped his robes about and swept at the gray haze curling from his cigarette.

Leaning sideways against the post, he tipped his baldhead back. They were far enough away from the city to be able to see the night sky twinkling with a sea of stars. It was like diamonds laid out on black velvet. It was breathtaking. Kaoru used to love stargazing, Hideo remembered suddenly. Shaking his head, he sat up, cleared his throat of a mysterious tightness, and blinked his eyes rapidly several times to clear them from an equally mysterious mist.

As he brought his cigarette to his lips, the tranquil silence of the night was shattered by the sudden ringing of the house phone. His hand stilled. He shot a brief glance over his shoulder at the open shoji doors that lead into the tatami room that was off the kitchen.

He did not need to be psychic, or have caller ID, to know who was on the other end of the line or why that person was calling so late at night.

Hideo took a deep drag from his cigarette and ignored the shrill ringing of the phone.

He envied Eiri. His son did what he has never been able to do.

oOo

Uesugi Residence - Kanto

“What is the fool son of mine up to?” head of the Uesugi family Maki Uesugi snapped as the line continued to ring. “Why isn’t he picking up?”

Knowing it was rhetorical, Aki kept her mouth shut. It was difficult. She had a dozen snappish comebacks just waiting in the wings to be let loose. Since she was left washing the dinner dishes, again, she had her back to her mother and settled for just rolling her eyes.

Maybe she should accept Ichiro’s proposal. Her beau of a mere five weeks had proposed the night before. She was glad she hadn’t turned him down. Asking to think about it was turning out to be a good move. Moving to Hokkaido would be a welcome change to the fiery temper that was Maki Uesugi. If her mother was not careful, she would give herself a coronary…God forbid, she remembered to add.

oOo

NG Executive Offices - Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan

He was at a loss.

Sitting in the black leather upholstered chair and leaning forward over his desk with his elbows resting on its surface and his hands held as if in prayer against his lips, Tohma stared blankly at the closed door that lead out into the reception room.

His green amber eyes flickered to the phone.

There really was no evidence to support the theory that Ayaka was coming to Tokyo or that she had some sort of misguided grudge against Shuichi. A theory was just that. A speculation. You could not convict someone on an assumption. Then again, being prepared for when nothing happened was better than not being prepared for when the shit hit the fan.

Lacing his fingers together, Tohma heaved a deep breath into the hollow pit between his cupped hands.

He would never be able to forgive himself if anything happened to Shuichi and neither would Eiri. Little Takanori would probably end up becoming K’s protégé and come back to assassinate him as he was having a quiet dinner at home with Mika.

That reminded him. He had to call his wife and tell her he’d be late getting home.

Tohma sighed as he reached for the phone.

oOo

Shindou-Uesugi Residence - Koishikawa Park Tower - Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan

Chuckling, Eiri stood up from the armchair and wandered his way into the kitchen when the phone started to ring. He was sorely tempted to let the answering machine pick it up. “Hello?” he chuckled into the phone as he turned and watched Kizou chase their son around the coffee table. Shuichi was sitting on the sofa laughing. Eiri felt a twinge of jealousy as he watched the interactions between Kizou and little Takanori. At the same time, he was relieved that the transition had gone so smoothly. As he was only fifteen months, Eiri had to wonder though if his son actually understood all that they’d told him.

“Where’s Shuichi?” demanded the familiar male voice in his ear without any preamble.

Eiri snapped out of his contemplations at the sound of panic in the voice. He pushed away from the counter and walked further into the kitchen. “Why? What’s going on?” he demanded with a frown.

“Eiri please.”

The plea was laced with an urgency that had Eiri’s pulse racing. Something happened. “In the living room.”

There was a sigh and a mumbled, “Thank God.”

“Why?” His question was met with silence. It did nothing for the fear that was starting to rise within Eiri. “Seguchi. What’s going on?”

“…I’m not sure,” Tohma admitted truthfully.

“Seguchi!” He did not believe that for a second.

“I’m not! Just…Just keep Shuichi in the house. I’m sending over guards.”

He did not like this. Not at all. “What the hell is going on Tohma?”

“…You remember that betrothal you turned down?”

Eiri blinked. “To what’s-her-name? Yeah. Why?” What did one have to do with the other?

“Let’s just say there is a very good possibility that she did not take the rejection well.”

No more needed be said. Eiri swore.

---TBC---

(1) I mentioned in “On the Street of Dreams” ch. 14 that Eiri’s mother’s name was Kazuki. That was his last name obviously. Hideo and Kaoru weren’t legally married because neutrals did not have the right to marry at the time.

(2) Remember, Eiri and Tatsuha are fraternal twins in this story

A/N: I was forced to once again split a chapter because it was getting ridiculously long. I hope the long wait was worth it. Anyway, thanks go to Stoic-Genius, ferler, Selina, fan girl 666, bibbiesparks, Namikaze naruko14, DarkestFlameUchiha, RRW, sarah83654123 (and to anyone else I may have forgotten) for taking the extra second to review. It really means a lot to mean to hear what you guys think.