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Unlocking My Love	By : JadeHeart Category: Gravitation > Yaoi - Male/Male > Yuki/Shuichi Views: 7676 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Gravitation, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 26
- 27
- 28
Title: Unlocking My Love

Author:JadeHeart

Fandom: Gravitation

Warnings: some bad language, graphic sexual acts

Author’s Note: I know it’s hard to believe that there’s another chapter – two in one year already. Wow – I haven’t done for a while! I really am hoping to try and finish this story soon(ish) if I possibly can. No promises, but I’ll be doing my hardest to achieve that goal. ~~This chapter is too long to place in one post so I've separated it - however, I have still called it all Chapter 27~~. Hope you all enjoy and thank you for your patience.

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters in this, apart from Jim Harris and Annette; they belong to the creator of ‘Gravitation’.

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Chapter 27

Yuki watched the performance, mesmerized just like the rest of the audience despite himself. Song after song had been sung, many of them known to him from the early days of Bad Luck. Even though he wouldn’t have been able to name more than a handful of titles for them or tell you the words, he knew the music. Every familiar chord echoed in his chest, every remembered rift ran up his spine. His body responded to every song Shuichi sung, his voice winding around Yuki sensuously.

Although there were brief pauses in between songs where the members of Bad Luck would race off the stage for costume or set changes, Yuki didn’t have a chance to speak to Shuichi once. Their first break from the stage wasn’t till after the third song and Shuichi was just about to head back out when he spied Yuki at the side. His eyes widened in surprise, his lips parting in an ‘oh’. He took a couple of steps in Yuki’s direction when the roar of the crowd brought him back to his senses. His head swivelled towards the stage, the sound drawing the performer within him. A small frown creased his brow as he struggled internally with his need to please his fans and his desire to go to Yuki. He looked back towards Yuki, the frown still there.

Yuki silently shook his head at him and mouthed ‘idiot’, then jerked his thumb in the direction of the stage, indicating that Shuichi should go. He saw a smile twitch Shuichi’s lips, growing broader as the frown disappeared. With a quick nod, Shuichi turned and almost flew onto the stage, bursting into the bright spotlights, throwing both arms up above his head with a loud yell which the crowd responded to with a deafening scream that shook the building.

That was the only interaction that Yuki really had with Shuichi during the rest of the concert. He was conversant enough with how hectic such times were and at each moment when Bad Luck left the stage he sensibly stepped back from the milling crowds that would appear, seemingly from thin air, to surround all of Bud Luck, each being separated into their own small group, so there was less chance he would be crushed unwittingly. The people here tended to be rather single-minded and it was best to not get in their way. The noise that arose was almost as loud as any stage performance with voices raised as instructions were called out in rapid fire succession, crossing over each other from each group. There was no actual shouting, everything was still organised and calm, but everyone necessary also made certain that there would be no misinterpretation of what was required either.

From the sidelines Yuki surveyed this convergence which descended upon Bad Luck, like a swarm of drones gathering around a queen bee. There would be a flurry of activity for those brief minutes, and then just as suddenly it would disperse before Bad Luck raced to their next appointed positions and the show continued.

Bad Luck’s set was coming to a close. Yuki had been watching the time and so knew that it wouldn’t be far away now. They wouldn’t have covered every song they had ever released, but had certainly crammed in all their best sellers, the ones that had already proven to be more than popular with their fans. This would be enough to tease any new fans into buying their CDs and hear the rest. Once Bad Luck was done, Nittle Grasper would be on after the arranged intermission to finish off the rest of the night and Yuki was certain that they would receive just as warm a welcome. Most of the people here had come for them after all, although he was fairly sure that all the crowd had been well and truly converted to Bad Luck after this. The screams had just kept getting louder and louder after each song finished. The fact that Shuichi’s clothes, and the others, had seemed to be getting less, and tighter, as the night went on might have also had something to do with it. Nothing like a bit of body exploitation.

Yuki couldn’t deny that not only Shuichi, but also Hiro and Suguru, were looking good out there. Seductive - that seemed to be the theme of Bad Luck now. Oozing erotica with every movement and breath. Gone was the teeny-bopper fun look. Even when they were dressed similarly to the old days, as they had at the start of this concert to cover their original first songs, there was still a darker undercurrent of intensity there that they had never had before. Perhaps that had just naturally come about with maturity. Still the new makeover of Bad Luck seemed to be accepted well, not that Yuki would have expected anything less. Tohma was an expert at marketing his commodities and he had a knack for knowing when a change was needed, either for the band themselves, or for the market.

Soon, Yuki thought, as Shuichi grasped the mike with both hands as he began to sing. Soon he would be able to do more than just see Shuichi in the brief glimpses as he had all night. Soon he would be able to talk to him properly; touch him, kiss him. His fingers itched – aching to reach out and capture the man in front of him.

The opening bars rang out. Yuki knew this song; it was Bad Luck’s last single, Twisting Vines. This song he recognised probably better than most because it was etched so indelibly in his mind. It had been released at one of his worst moments, believing he had lost Shuichi for good. He didn’t like this song simply because of that, the bad memories it conjured up, and he could still feel his insides churn in discomfort when he heard it.

This was when Bad Luck’s image truly changed, with this release – their music taking on a far darker and grittier tone. This song itself was certainly not a ‘happy’ one and Yuki wondered what inspiration Shuichi had used to write it. He’d been afraid to ask but he had a horrible inkling that perhaps it had been due to his possessiveness during that time and this was Shuichi’s way of expressing his feelings in response. It didn’t portray a healthy relationship for them by any means, especially if you listened to the chorus which Yuki was forced to do now.

‘Crushing my heart,

Wrapping around every part,

Strangle and choke me,

Steal the breathe from my body

You make my soul slave to only you,

Hang me on the cross high above,

You’re killing me with these twisting vines,

Twisting vines of your love.’

Yuki cringed as Shuichi continued singing, his voice taking on an almost tortured tone, one filled with pain, loathing, anger. If it did truly reflect Shuichi’s thoughts and feelings at that time Yuki didn’t think he wanted to find out for certain. The last thing he wanted to do was to make Shuichi remember anything remotely like what those lyrics were implying. Had he really felt so suffocated by Yuki’s attentions? Yuki mentally shook himself. It was time to move on from there. Whether they were what Shuichi was feeling then or not didn’t matter now. They had to move forward and create a new future for them both.

“He’s good, isn’t he?” a voice said behind Yuki

He turned his head to see Annette standing there. He frowned in automatic irritation at her presence despite knowing how irrational he was being. She actually hadn’t ever done anything to make him dislike her. He had finally had to acknowledge that it was simply his jealousy in knowing that she had once had Shuichi too. And the one thing that Yuki hated most was sharing.

He looked back to the stage, watching as Shuichi raced across it, throwing his free hand out towards the crowd as he sang and the screams increased to a deafening roar. “Yeah, so it would seem,” was his response even as he winced a little at the volume assaulting his eardrums. He really did hate concerts.

He heard Annette’s light laugh and he looked back to her again, seeing her still standing there, smiling, head cocked slightly to one side as she met his gaze directly. She really was quite attractive, probably even more so than he remembered from their first meetings. Once he would have had no qualms in bedding her, just as he had so many other attractive women. As long as there was some physical compatibility he’d been fine with that. Or was he finding her more attractive now because she seemed more at ease around him, even without Shuichi’s presence, able to meet his gaze without a flinch. It seemed as though something had changed in her, although he wasn’t able to understand what. A thought surfaced unexpectedly. What if Shuichi found these changes in Annette just as appealing? He squashed that thought as swiftly as swatting a bug and scowled. He didn’t care if Shuichi did. He wasn’t letting him go this time!

Annette seemed oblivious to his tumbling thoughts as she stepped up to stand next to him, her eyes fixed on Shuichi now also, the smile never leaving her face. “He really comes alive when he’s on stage, doesn’t he? It’s just incredible to watch how he transforms. I know that he’s normally kind of larger than life most of the time but when he’s out there,” and she nodded towards the stage “it’s as though he becomes ten times more than what he usually is. Everything about him intensifies. I thought he was great during the rehearsals but this,” she paused. “This is something else. He’s on an entirely different plane of existence. He becomes…magical.”

Yuki couldn’t say anything to that. He certainly couldn’t argue as that was exactly how he thought also. Perhaps he and Annette had more in common than he had ever given her credit for. Apart from Shuichi. They stood together, not speaking, just letting the music and soaring song wash over and around them, seeping through their pores into their souls, engulfing them completely.

“You know, it’s been really great seeing him like this, and everyone else. It’s so different to what I imagined it would be.” Annette gave a small laugh. “Not that I had really imagine it before. I’ve never once thought that I would be involved in this type of industry in any sort of way. Certainly not seeing a famous band getting ready to put on a concert in a place like this! It’s really given me an appreciation of all the effort and hard work that it takes, from the performers right through to the people just making it all happen. It’s been a real eye-opener and fun too being involved in this crazy world. I don’t think I’ll ever meet a more ‘intense’ group of people than those I have here.” She threw a look towards Yuki. “You know, Mr Seguchi has got to be one of the most scary men I’ve ever met.”

“Thought you would have thought Sakuma was,” Yuki grunted, still watching Shuichi.

“Oh no,” Annette replied, turning her attention back to the stage also. “He’s a little weird but not scary. There’s just something about Mr Seguchi that makes me feel like a mouse trying to sneak past a sleeping cat.”

Smart girl, Yuki thought. She’s got a good instinctive grasp of potential danger. And the analogy of Tohma as a cat wasn’t that bad. Tohma could seem all sweetness and light and pleasant and make you want to stroke him to keep him happy, but do something to upset him and watch out for the claws because you won’t see them coming.

“Still even he has been really kind and tolerated me being around even though I’m nothing to do with this concert, just because I’m Shuichi’s friend. He’s told me heaps of things and answered every one of my questions, even though I’m sure some of them must have been really stupid. So I’m glad I had the chance to be involved in this as I’ve really learnt a lot.”

What was she trying to say? Was she implying that she was going to look at a way to stay on and make a career in this industry? Was that why she was questioning Tohma? Damn it, did that mean that she was still after Shuichi?! Yuki gnawed at his bottom lip furiously.

“Oh, well,” Annette suddenly patted him on the shoulder, startling him. “I leave him to you now.” She winked at him with a broad smile. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!”

She began to walk away when Yuki finally found his voice. “Hey!” he called out. She stopped and half turned, a quizzical expression on her face. “Where are you going?” he blurted out.

“Home,” Annette answered. “Unlike you lot I’ve got to get back to the real world and my break is well over.” She grimaced then. “I’m going to be so far behind with my assignments. I’m sure my lecturer is pretty pissed off with me and will probably mark me down anyway just out of spite!”

“You’re…not staying?” Yuki felt conflicted. He didn’t want her here yet at the same time this all seemed so sudden. What if Shuichi blamed him for scaring her off?

“Of course not,” Annette sounded astonished that he even had to ask. “I just tagged along on my way home. I was never going to hang around here for long.”

Her eyes wandered back to the stage and that gentle smile curved her lips again as she watched Shuichi. Yuki was beginning to realise that that smile was only ever for Shuichi. He couldn’t help but wonder if he did the same. No, couldn’t be. He didn’t smile – at least not much.

"So when are you leaving?” he asked gruffly, feeling almost embarrassed at seeing that smile. He knew only too well that some things like that were…private.

“Now,” Annette replied, turning away from the stage again, one hand reaching up to push away her hair from her face.

Yuki blinked again and his fingers had that uncontrollable urge to find a cigarette. “Right…now?” he clarified, thinking he must have misheard her.

She nodded. “Yes. I’ve got my bags here and Mr Sakano has called a taxi which should be,” and she glanced at her watch “here right now actually. They better wait for me or I’ll be really mad if I miss my plane!”

“Why the rush?”

Annette tilted her head to look at him and raised one elegant eyebrow. “Are you saying you want me to stick around longer?” she challenged him. Now that was part of the change he’d noticed. Once, long ago, he knew she would never have dared that. Something really had changed in her.

He turned his head away and sniffed. “Got nothing to do with me,” he snapped.

She laughed. “There’s no need for me to stay any longer and this is the last flight tonight for me to catch. I just wanted to see Shuichi’s opening show after watching all the lead up to it. It’s been fantastic; really, really great.”

“It’s not over yet,” Yuki said, wondering why he was still talking to her. Why didn’t he just shut up and let her leave. It was like he was trying to make her stay which didn’t make any sense at all.

“Oh, there’s only one more song after this,” she replied. “You should really listen to it. I think it’s the best thing he’s done so far and I have a feeling that you just might like it.”

“So why don’t you wait? Aren’t you even going to say good-bye to him?” Yuki said, casting a quick glance at the capering Shuichi on stage. “That’s a bit harsh isn’t it?”

“He knew I would be going home sometime. And we’ve said everything we’ve needed to so it’s fine.” Annette said. However, Yuki heard the slight catch in her voice, even over the noise of the concert. She wasn’t as completely unaffected by her departure as she seemed.

She smiled warmly at him. “I wish you all the best, Yuki.” She began to walk away again, turning just as the corridor rounded a corner and raised a hand, calling back to him. “Take good care of Shuichi for me!”, then she was gone, a black suited man falling into step behind her.

Yuki stood there a moment longer, staring after her before slowly turning back to the stage. He would probably always feel conflicted about Annette; what she had been to Shuichi, the time she had spent with him, the things she had done with him. She had given Shuichi a very different life to what Yuki had previously. He worried that he wouldn’t be able to give Shuichi something better now. He came to a sudden realisation. So that was why had always disliked her being around. It wasn’t that he hated her personally. It was the doubts that her presence raised in him over his own faults and flaws and what he could offer Shuichi. She forced him to scrutinise himself far too closely for his own comfort.

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, his chin lifting, lips set in a determined line. Fine then. He would just have to work harder at it than before. He would not lose to Annette. He would show her, and everyone else, that he was what Shuichi needed, and vice versa. He would show them that they were meant to be together and neither Hell or high water would keep them apart any longer!

He felt better now, as though he finally had a clear goal in mind. Now he just had to convince Shuichi!

************

Bad Luck’s last song was about to begin. The crowd seemed to hold their breath, an air of anticipation filling the stadium. Not unexpected really as this would be the first time this song would be heard in public. He had known that Tohma was using this concert to help kick off Bad Luck’s next album but generally he would just let the pre-released music generate the interest to buy the new album. Not this time. Their first single from the new album would be sung here, and everyone present here tonight knew they were part of something special.

The stage was dark, then soft lighting gradually eased the darkness back, just enough for eyes to adjust and be able to make out shapes in the shadows. The lights began to swirl across the stage, sliding across and over every part of it, still remaining dim, reminding Yuki of fireflies flitting across a night sky. A group of lights suddenly settled, shining directly downward on the centre of the stage. The crowd’s voice began as a soft, dull rumble, slowly increasing, rising to a high crescendo of exultation as Shuichi slowly rose from below the stage floor in that exact position, the lights doing no more than cast his silhouette but there was no mistaking who it was.

The crowd was going wild, Yuki finding their exuberance rather startling. The song hadn’t even begun, not even a bar of it yet they were screaming and crying out for Bad Luck. Shuichi remained where he was, holding the pose; head turned to the left, looking down, legs apart, arms slightly held out from his side. More lights were swirling around the stage, chasing each other before settling on either side of Shuichi, casting that subtle glow once more. Just as slowly, two more figures rose from the floor, again in silhouette; Hiro recognisable from the guitar slung over his shoulder, Suguru on the opposite side. Again the crowd went frantic, the cries ringing out.

Suddenly all light disappeared completely, plunging the entire stadium into inky blackness, startling everyone to full silence. Then there was a burst of sound and all the lights flared into life briefly, blindingly, showing Hiro and Suguru in place with their instruments as the introduction began. The sound of the crowd’s appreciation drowned out all sound of the music for a moment.

Yuki watched as Shuichi stepped forward to reach the microphone stand positioned there as the opening bars of the song began again as the crowd’s roar subsided enough so the music could be heard over it. Now the lights dimmed once more, casting a gentle glow, Suguru and Hiro no more than shadowy figures behind Shuichi, whilst a single spotlight illuminated him in the centre.

Yuki found that he was holding his breath and let it out in a whoosh. He was embarrassed to find he had been as enraptured as the rest of the crowd with these theatrics. He tried to shake the spell from his mind. He knew all about this sort of thing, how to cast an illusion to fool the eye. That’s all this was, he tried to tell himself. However, although rationally his mind knew that, still his heart was captured. Everything was just perfect; completely perfect. Of course, so it should be as Tohma would have devised this, but still – this was pure magic.

The low, soft words of the song fell into the silence that had wrapped around the crowd. It was the quietest they had been all night, not a single whistle or cry broke the silence. All faces were turned to the stage, all thoughts focussed entirely on Shuichi. He held them all in the palm of his hand that easily, held them with his song. This – this is what Shuichi had always been about, his dream. To hold the entire world just as he was this crowd tonight.

Yuki could do nothing more than gaze upon the siren in front of him. Shuichi’s bare torso shone from sweat, the vine pattern curling around his body glistening from the luminescent paint used and every undulation of his body made those leaves appear to shiver and twist around him like a living thing, an illusion of movement. The leather pants hung low on his hips revealing the taut abdomen muscles and smooth chest, skin gleaming with oils. His hair was slicked back, glimmering with gel or spray that sparkled like a thousand diamonds scattered in his hair.

Forcing himself to tear his gaze from Shuichi for a moment, Yuki saw that Hiro stood just behind, black leather vest open to the night air, red hair pulled up at the sides and pinned so it trailed in a long blazing tail behind him, stark contrast against the black leather, swirling around as he moved, his entire focus on his guitar.

On the opposite side, Suguru wore a sleeveless mesh shirt, sequins sewn at each cross point so every movement of his body made them catch the light and sparkle anew, his fingers dancing across the keyboard lightly, rings catching the lights like tiny sparks of fire flashing.

The heartbeat that it took for Yuki to watch Hiro and Suguru was too long and his attention immediately returned to Shuichi, unerringly homing in on him. As he watched, Shuichi slid his right hand slowly down the mike stand before him, hand sliding along the smooth metal, the motion slow and seductive.

“When they stole my mind, I lost my name

I was no more than the distant image

Of a forgotten memory

So what was left of the man I was?

If no-one found me, nothing would remain.

Beyond all time and space you searched for me

Seeking the man who once had been.

Forever beyond your reach, forever gone

Finding only what was left

Were scattered memories.”

Yuki remained frozen in place, stunned by what he was hearing. Was Shuichi singing about himself? About them? His stomach back-flipped as his face grew hot. Those words sung so low in a velvet tone that crawled deep inside you squeezed his heart.

The tempo now picked up, the slow, almost ballad-like music slipping away, replaced with a harder rock tone. Shuichi pulled the mike from the stand, swinging it aside and holding it away from him at arm’s length as he now sang directly into the microphone.

“Your love consumes my very soul,

A blaze of smouldering desire.

Take my love, feed my love,

Fill me up with a blazing fire.”

Shuichi stepped close to the microphone stand again so it was pressed close between his legs as he ran his hand seductively downwards, almost caressing it, making Yuki swallow hard as the blood suddenly gushed heatedly through his veins in response. Shuichi’s eyes were closed, head tilted to one side as he sang directly into the mike, lips so close it seemed like he was kissing it, his low voice seducing his listeners, drawing them in closer to him, making them ‘feel’ the power and emotion he was pouring into this song.

“Take me, hold me,

Never let me go.

Bind me so tightly I can’t leave

This is a passion that I’ll never know

Again”

Suddenly the lights flared up again brilliantly, lighting the whole stage, shattering the darkness so all three members of Bad Luck were clearly illuminated as Hiro’s guitar riff split the air as he stepped forward to deliver the musical interlude. There was nothing soft and gentle about this song now. It was raw power and passion, the sort of passion that would eat you alive and you would gladly welcome it. The crowd’s screams of appreciation split the air, almost enough to drown out the music itself as Shuichi finally swung into the chorus and the white lights blazed up around him brightly in a blinding flash every time he repeated the title word of the song, Passion.

“Passion!

Fuelling the fire,”

Hiro’s and Suguru’s voices melded as they sang the backup vocals, “Burn, baby, burn” after each stanza, the lights around them turning to a soft orange glow that made it look like a fire was blazing around them. Shuichi’s voice continued to ring out.

“Passion!

Burning with desire,

(Burn, baby, burn)”

Passion

Taking me higher,”

Shuichi’s voice began to rise, running up the musical scale.

“And higher…and higher…”

Shuichi closed his eyes as he gripped the microphone tightly, head tilted back, neck fully extended as he repeated the last two words, each time his pitch rising, maintaining that pose as he held the last echoing note that seemed it would shatter glass with its intensity. There was a single moment of silence as voice and music ceased and then a final crashing chord as the lights went out, plunging everything back into darkness.

A full three heartbeats of unearthly stillness hung over the stadium and then the noise that erupted from the crowd was like nothing they had emitted before. There was nothing to compare this to, it was pure unadulterated hysteria.

Yuki took a deep shuddering breath, still feeling the effects of Shuichi’s song. His nerves seemed to continue to vibrate to the echo of the music, the words still spinning in his mind. There was no doubt in his mind this time that the song had been about them and if that were true it well and truly told Yuki how Shuichi really felt about him. The song title said it all: Passion.

-oOo-

By the time Shuichi joined him, Yuki had managed to shake off the song’s spell and the world had returned to normal. The crowd was still restless as they waited for Nittle Grasper to make their entrance. Peering across the stage, Yuki could just make out Tohma, Ryuichi and Noriko on the other side, speaking to various stage hands, no doubt ensuring that every last detail was exactly as they had planned.

As the lights began to flash and a wave of music blared out from the speakers, filling the stadium, the members of Nittle Grasper walked onto the stage, waving and smiling to the screaming crowd. Ryuichi immediately stepped up to the microphone, his familiar white ruffled shirt gleaming under the lights, the flash of his bare stomach enticing as it was supposed to be. His smile was broad as he turned to nod to Tohma, who immediately struck the opening chords to which Noriko then picked up the counter melody. The crowd’s cries rose as Ryuichi swung into song, and in that single moment he had them – the entire crowd was his entirely, body, heart and soul.

“No matter how many times I see them, I’m still blown away.”

Yuki turned to see Shuichi at his side. He raised an eyebrow, the only show of surprise. Shuichi grinned up at him.

“I had to come up from under the stage and just finished a quick debrief over things for tomorrow night.” He grimaced. “I’ve got to do a bit more but I want to be back to see the rest of their set.” He looked up at Yuki. “Are you still going to be here?”

“Sure,” Yuki stated. “I can wait.”

Shuichi flashed another broad smile. “Good. Grab me another chair so we can watch the rest when I get back!”

Yuki watched him race away, joining Hiro and Suguru where they both stood also, obviously waiting. He could see Sakano hovering further in the background and three other men whom he didn’t know but were probably Heads of the various departments involved in running this concert. He sat back in the chair which he actually hadn’t used till now. From the first moment that Bad Luck had arrived on stage he had found himself standing, edging as close to the stage as he was able to safely do so, not because he couldn’t hear but he had wanted to see Shuichi as clearly as possible.

Now he settled back comfortably, aware for the first time of how sore his legs and back were feeling from having stood stationary for so long. It wasn’t that Nittle Grasper wasn’t good, but he didn’t have the same vested interest in them as he did in Bad Luck. Besides, he had heard everything from them before. He may not have been a fanatic about them as his brother, Tatsuha, was but he couldn’t remain completely ignorant either. Not when he had been in New York with Tohma as Nittle Grasper was first developing, and not when his sister was married to one of the members. So, despite himself, he knew Nittle Grasper’s music very well indeed.

And he couldn’t deny that Ryuichi Sakuma was also a superb performer. Every movement, every glance, the slightest twitch of a finger portrayed something; a feeling, a desire, a need. His eyes captured and held you, and even when looking out into a crowd like this, every single person would swear that he was looking directly at them. Yuki could understand why Shuichi admired Ryuichi, and why he would use this man as his role model. It was just a pity that he was completely nuts.

Well, not completely, Yuki amended mentally. He didn’t know the truth behind Ryuichi’s weird behaviour but he knew enough to know that he hadn’t always been like this. He vaguely remembered from when he was much, much younger that he had met Ryuichi a few times and he hadn’t seemed that much different from other older kids he knew. A little weird but that was all. It was much later that he had come face to face with the Ryuichi Sakuma that existed today. Yuki wasn’t afraid or worried by Ryuichi’s strange personality switches but it did weird him out a bit. It was unnerving to not know to whom you were speaking at times; the child or the adult. Or that damn rabbit thing!

He continued to watch as Nittle Grasper performed. Although they were older, they still put on a consummate show for the audience. They didn’t need to cavort around the stage as Shuichi did, exuding all the enthusiasm and eagerness of youth. Ryuichi strutted, arrogance and power in every move. He slinked, slithering across the stage with a sinuous feline grace that screamed out ‘temptation’. Their performance was completely different to Bad Luck’s, just as their music was which was just perfect.

Yuki nodded to himself. That is exactly what Tohma had probably been working towards. Initially, Bad Luck did have some similarities to Nittle Grasper. Their style of songs, even Shuichi’s voice showed the reflection of their mentors. That was fine whilst Nittle Grasper was mainly inactive but Tohma wouldn’t have been happy to settle for just a carbon copy of his own creation. Like any ‘god’ he would continue to strive for perfection, pushing forward, never settling for the same, creating something new. Now, no-one could even remotely compare the two bands and say they were the same. Their image, their songs, everything now was different. Bad Luck had evolved to the next stage of evolution.

Or mutated, Yuki muttered to himself.

Finally, Shuichi joined him, suddenly appearing by his side and throwing himself into the chair next to Yuki. He had changed, not that he had much left on to change by the end of the last song except a pair of trousers. His face still showed the stage make-up and his hair was still fixed firmly in the stage style. That would obviously take a little more time to remove. It was a pity he’d missed it, Yuki thought, thinking about Shuichi changing.

Nittle Grasper’s time was coming to a close, Shuichi had really only just made it back in time for the last couple of songs. Yuki saw the pout of discontent on his lips and hid a smile. He was acting like he’d never have a chance to see them perform again. Had he forgotten that he had another three nights doing this? He really was an idiot.

When Nittle Grasper finally finished, Shuichi was on his feet just as the crowd was, clapping and whistling his appreciation, his face split by a wide smile. He kept clapping as Nittle Grasper left the stage via the other side, not ceasing as they returned and performed an encore and left again. He continued to clap as they returned for a second encore. Yuki was sure his hands would be stinging tomorrow he was slapping them together so hard. Finally, after the second encore the lights came fully on to signify that the concert was over and Shuichi dropped back into his chair.

“That was just fantastic!” he gushed. Then he pouted again. “But I didn’t get to see it all.”

“There’s always tomorrow,” Yuki reminded him.

“Oh, yeah!” Shuichi said, sitting upright quickly.

“You really had forgotten, hadn’t you?” Yuki said, disbelieving.

Shuichi had the grace to look a little shamed. “Um, yeah. Kinda.”

Yuki just shook his head and rolled his eyes. “Idiot,” he replied.

Shuichi stuck his tongue out at him, then leapt to his feet. “Come on,” he motioned. “Let’s get back to our rooms.”

Yuki followed him through the dark corridors, their steps shadowed by the now ever-present dark suited men that seemed to step out of the shadows everywhere they went and just as easily blend back into them. They traversed the entire back of the stage to reach the other sides and it was then Yuki remembered the disturbing events just before the show began. He frowned at the thoughts. He wouldn’t let anything happen to Shuichi. He swore he wouldn’t.

When they reached their destination they were waved through by the guards at the door. The suite of rooms beyond were crowded. There was Hiro and Suguru, as well as Nittle Grasper. Noriko and Ryuichi were ensconced on the couch, with Suguru squeezed between them, his expression alternating between adulation and a touch of embarrassment towards Noriko, and wariness of Ryuichi. When pink Kumagoro was sat firmly in his lap his eyes widened in surprise as he stiffened, however Ryuichi seemed content on only tease him that far. Tohma stood in the centre of the room, with Hiro perched on the corner of the table there.

Tohma looked up as Yuki and Shuichi entered, gracing them with one of his rare, genuine smiles.

“Well done,” he said to Shuichi. “Bad Luck was a complete success I would suggest. I’ve already had word that the sale of your CDs and other souvenirs is going very well. It may well be that we will need to obtain further stock to adequately cover the potential sales over the next two nights. That will be assessed at the end of tonight’s takings.” He glanced at both Suguru and Hiro now also. “Your stage performance went well. I’ve already gone over the new plans you’ve made with the Heads and given my approval as I had nothing more to add.”

Now that’s a surprise, Yuki thought. Generally there was always something else that Tohma would insist on being changed for the better that only he had seen. Well, perhaps he shouldn’t be that surprised. After all, the members of Bad Luck were Tohma’s protégés and they would have had to have learnt something over the years of seeing Tohma in action.

“Tomorrow you don’t need to come in early but I want you all here by midday and ready for rehearsals to ensure that the new changes are suitable. Agreed?”

Bad Luck nodded acceptance.

“Okay then,” Tohma said briskly. “I have arranged to have an after-party now to celebrate our first night and all the hard work everyone has put in.”

“Isn’t that usually done at the end of the time?” Suguru spoke up.

“True, and we will do so then as well, but I felt that it would be good for morale to hold one tonight also. This one is just for our staff as a way of saying thank you. On the last night, the after-party will include all the dignitaries and personalities that we will have to acknowledge as part of this production. Our general staff won’t all have the opportunity to attend.”

“Do you think we still should?” Noriko asked quietly, looking at Tohma seriously.

Tohma’s expression hardened for a moment and he gave a sharp nod. “I do. We can’t suspect everyone, and K has spent this evening running the extra security checks requested on our immediate personnel. I have taken steps to limit the number of attendees in a way that also won’t cause any disgruntlement. However, I don’t think it is a good idea to cancel it completely and draw unwanted attention to other matters.”

Noriko nodded acceptance of Tohma’s reasoning.

Ryuichi plucked Kumagoro from Suguru’s lap and stood, tucking the plush animal under his arm so ears, arms and legs flopped down. “Then let’s go,” he said with a broad smile. “We’ve got a party to go to!”

Noriko laughed as she stood, sliding her arm into Ryuichi’s as they walked to the door. “Why not?” she said brightly. “After all, we’ve got something worth celebrating, don’t we?”

“’Course we do,” Ryuichi declared, opening the door for her. He looked over at Tohma with a wide smile. “We were shining!”

“That we were,” Tohma agreed with a chuckle. He walked over to them, turning at the door to look back at Bad Luck and Yuki. “We’ll see you later. I’ve arranged escorts for you all so don’t worry about anything.”

“Well,” Suguru finally said, breaking the silence that had descended after Tohma closed the door behind Nittle Grasper. “That’s that.”

“You’re supposed to sound a little more enthusiastic about it,” Hiro said mildly.

Suguru looked up at him. “I’m too tired to be enthusiastic,” he stated. “All I can think of at the moment is that I’m glad it’s over.”

“What about you?” Yuki asked Shuichi. “Do you feel the same?”

Shuichi shook his head. “Nope, not at all! I can still feel how excited I was hearing those screams calling out our name. There’s nothing like that feeling!” There was a bounce in his step as he rocked on his heels.

“You did good,” Yuki acknowledged, as he pulled out a cigarette. Finally he could light one, he’d been dying to all night. “You really played them well.”

Shuichi flashed him a large smile, eyes still sparkling from that remembered excitement. “Thanks!”

“Yes, well, that is Shuichi for you. He’s like a rechargeable battery that just keeps going,” Suguru muttered, getting to his feet and stretching. He rubbed his eyes, his every action indicating tiredness. “I always find the first night the toughest,” he continued. “You never know how the audience will respond; they may hate you, they may love you. It’s so nerve wracking waiting to see which way it will go.”

“They loved you,” Hiro said, ruffling Suguru’s hair with a smile. “Don’t stress any more, it’s over now.”

“I won’t, but I’m beat,” Suguru commented, although he didn’t look that bad really. Or perhaps it was the stage make-up hiding the signs.

“Hey, where’s Annette?” Shuichi suddenly said, looking around as though she may have been in the room and he just hadn’t noticed her.

Yuki felt his mouth go dry suddenly. Damn, he’d forgotten about her! What should he say? As he paused, Suguru answered instead.

“Oh, she would have left by now.” He glanced at his watch as if to confirm that. “Yes, she would have gone a couple of hours ago probably. I’ll bet she’ll be glad to get home too.”

“Left? Home?” Shuichi looked surprised, eyes wide. Obviously he had been completely unaware that Annette had been leaving tonight. For some reason Yuki was beginning to feel very guilty. Guilty for having been the one to say goodbye to her instead of Shuichi.

“Yeah,” Hiro said, tossing a couple of things into his bag and lifting it to his shoulder. “She had her studies to get back to. She had apparently already extended her break once but if she waited any longer she would be in danger of being withdrawn as a no-show. It was good that she was able to stay to see tonight’s show though. I gave her a couple of our autographed CDs for presents to give to her friends who are apparently big fans of ours.”

“So…you both knew she was leaving?” Shuichi’s voice seemed small.

Suguru looked at Shuichi, tilting his head to one side to scrutinise him. “Of course,” he replied. “You knew she was going home which is why she travelled with us, because we were coming over at the same time. She had always said that she was going back.”

“I know that but…” Shuichi faltered and Yuki watched the play of emotions flicker across his face. He saw Shuichi take a deep breath and give a small shrug. “I guess I just didn’t think she’d be going right away,” he finally said. He rubbed the side of his nose with one finger. “I would have liked to say a proper good-bye to her but I guess it’s not really necessary. I’ll send her some of the new photos from our shoots here as a memento of her visit with us. What do you think?”

“I think that’s a great idea,” Hiro agreed with a smile.

“Good!” Shuichi said firmly. “I’ll ask Sakano to arrange it for us or I’m liable to forget.”

“With your Swiss cheese memory, you most certainly will,” Suguru stated, picking up his own small bag. He headed for the door. “You coming?” he asked his bandmates. “Otherwise we’ll be really late to this party.”

“Give me a sec,” Hiro said, grabbing his jacket and tying up his hair. “Shu?”

Shuichi opened his mouth to answer when Yuki interrupted, “He won’t be going with you.”

“Okay,” Hiro replied, not seeming concerned at this change of plan. “See you later,” he waved, following Suguru out the door.

“But…” Shuichi began to say and then just stared at the closed door after his friends. He turned to glare at Yuki. “I wanted to celebrate with them,” he growled. “We did really great tonight!”

Yuki met his gaze and slowly put his cigarette out. “I want you to celebrate with me,” he said, standing in front of Shuichi and reaching out to touch his cheek.

Shuichi’s eyes widened and a flush stained his cheeks. “Uh…where did you...have in mind?”

“My place,” Yuki said, stroking the soft flesh with his thumb. He swore he could feel the heat emanating from Shuichi’s flesh which had reddened even further.

Shuichi smiled then, a chuckle in his voice. “You’re being very forward tonight.” He said, looking up at Yuki. “No prevarication, no pretending this isn’t exactly what you want to do? Why so blunt?”

“I liked your song.” Yuki replied, not removing his hand from Shuichi’s face.

“Really?” Shuichi sounded pleased. No, more than pleased and his cheeks flushed again, this time with delight. “You don’t often tell me that.”

“I don’t often like them.” Yuki stated. He reached out and slipped his other hand around Shuichi’s waist, sliding it around to rest in the small of his back.

“Huh!” Shuichi chortled, though making no move to escape Yuki’s grasp. “Now that sounds more like you!”

“Shut up,” Yuki said, then leant down and captured Shuichi’s lips in a deep kiss.

Shuichi responded without hesitation, lips parting to grant access to Yuki’s tongue, his own moving forward to greet him. Yuki felt the fire rushing through his veins, his clothes seemed suddenly too heavy and thick and too tight, particularly in the groin, making him hotter.

He reluctantly pulled back, breaking the kiss, pausing only to drop a lighter kiss on each of Shuichi’s closed eyelids before straightening up and taking a step back. His fingers spasmed as he forced them to fully release their hold on Shuichi.

“Let’s get out of here,” he said a little gruffly. “Or do you really want to go to the after-party?”

Shuichi shook his head, lips glistening with saliva. “Not tonight,” he answered softly which pleased Yuki no end. If Shuichi had really wanted to attend he would have taken him, albeit with great reluctance and under obvious duress. But he would have still taken him. The fact that he didn’t want to go made Yuki very, very happy.

“Come on then,” Yuki headed for the door, opening it and beckoning Shuichi forward first. They were met by a black suited escort of four as soon as they exited, two stepping in front, two falling in behind, and were walked in silence outside where their escort flagged a taxi down, remaining till they were both safely ensconced inside and the door was securely closed behind them.
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Unlocking My Love