The Key to My Heart

Title: The Key to My Heart: Chapter 29
Author: JadeHeart
Archived: Found on gurabiteshiyon.net. If anyone else would like it, please ask me first!
Fandom: Gravitation
Rating: R
Warnings: angst, bad language
Timeline: After the anime/manga finishes.
Characters: Yuki/Shuichi/Shindou family/Annette (OC)
Feedback: Feedback is always welcome! If I don’t get feedback, I don’t want to continue!
Summary: Just how far would Yuki go in search of Shuichi?
Author’s Notes: This is going to be a long author’s note. For those readers that are following the story and can understand the angst etc and why it is going in the direction it is – you don’t need to read this. For the others, I will try and clarify some aspects for those readers that seem to be missing the point. This story is angst – as in inner turmoil, confusion, indecision, and the like. The characters have a great deal of unresolved issues that they have to sort out, so if you are finding these last chapters slow it is because resolution is not going to be quick. This story is not about clichés; it was never going to be a case of Yuki finds Shuichi and all is well, and they live happily ever after. To have the happily ever after means to fight and struggle to make it happen – things don’t just happen if you’re not prepared to make them. If you don’t like that direction, then perhaps you should not continue to read as this is not a story that is supposed to be about ‘action’ every step of the way. Why Shuichi wasn’t immediately handed over to the Japanese consulate as a Japanese citizen, etc – that has been addressed at various points in the story so I’m not going to rehash it all here – needless to say, anyone who is old enough to have had to deal with bureaucracy, and especially with government departments, would understand just how easily one person can ‘slip through the cracks’ as it were, especially when the circumstances are out of the norm – which in this case with Shuichi it was. Identification of the survivors was held up, clearances were restricted, information was not communicated quickly to the hospitals, etc. Hospitals cannot detain patients against their will unless authority is given due to mitigating circumstances, and once Shuichi had been cleared by the FBI there were no such instructions to the contrary. If he had not remembered the address, he probably would have remained in the hospital and shortly been passed over to the consulate. That is not how it occurred – he had somewhere else he thought he had to go. As for him not seeking out immediately this information – he had no knowledge of who or what he was, he didn’t know he was a Japanese citizen; just because that is the language he speaks does not make him so. More importantly, in any circumstance like that, lost in a strange world with nothing familiar to hold onto, it is a case of either ‘sink or swim’, and believe me, survival is the most important thing if you intend to ‘swim’ – which means to live. Everything else takes second place to that, including wondering who you are. Anyone who has been in a similar situation, and not necessarily from amnesia, would be able to relate to this. Again, these aspects have already been discussed in the story. With no conflicting information from memories, Shuichi could immediately create a new life for himself which gave him the security he needed, which pushes his worries and fears of his lost past aside. The here and now, the tangible reality you are living is far more ‘real’ than something that you have forgotten. Some readers say that Annette should not have begun a relationship with Shuichi – this is not a one-sided relationship, Shuichi made this decision as well. Would you expect two people to deny the basic rights of any person, which is to be able to care and love another? That is completely unrealistic. Everyone has the right to act upon their feelings of love and caring for another that they meet, and have the hope to live their life with that person. Is Annette selfish for only now worrying about Shuichi’s past? Yes, but that again is a very ordinary human response. Everyone is selfish when they love someone, we only want to be with them, and be happy with them, our world revolves around them, and everything else is secondary. Shuichi is not depicted as entirely ‘gay’, nor is Yuki. It is raised more than once that their attraction was never about gender – it is more a meeting of souls, which transcends sexuality, so it is not unrealistic that he could find another person to care about that happens to be female this time. As for Yuki’s lie – again it has been addressed in the story at various times, but Yuki is scared. He is comparing the life Shuichi has now to what he had before and is afraid the differences could be frightening for Shuichi. Just because Shuichi once loved him, Yuki can see that he now loves Annette. He fears those feelings Shuichi is showing towards Annette. Due to his fears of losing Shuichi for good, he is attempting to make things as smooth as possible just to get Shuichi to return to Japan. So he will create whatever illusion he has to, to achieve that goal, and will continue to do so. He has not given up on Shuichi, he is doing everything he can to ensure that Shuichi returns to Japan. His fear of loss now, is far greater than the potential consequences later. For those older readers that have been in serious relationships, I believe they can relate to such worries, fears and thoughts of selfishness. Love makes you selfless, and selfish at the same time; you can’t deny your heart and sometimes that also means self-sacrifice.
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, they belong to the creators of ‘Gravitation’, nor am I making any profits from this.

The Key to My Heart: Chapter 29


They stopped outside the University.

“So,” Shu asked, hands pushed into pockets. “What do you think of Yuki?”

Annette flicked a glance towards him. “Well, he is good-looking,” she answered honestly, “But he seemed a little….cold.”

“I think he was nervous.” Shu said. “I mean he’s not usually that way.”

“I thought it might be something like that. It just made me feel as though…..he didn’t like me.”

Shu flashed her a smile. “I’m sure that’s not the case. I mean, why would he?”

“I know, it’s completely irrational for me to think that, however I can believe now how all those stories started about you two.”

“How do you mean?”

“You two look so good together. You’re really ….comfortable, with each other. It’s probably because you know each other so well, I guess.”

“You think so?”

“Oh, yes, it’s really obvious. I could see it as soon as you two started talking. You just seemed to,” and she cupped her hands before her in a circle. “Create your own space which doesn’t let anyone else in.”

“I hadn’t noticed.” Shu tipped his head to one side, watching her.

She shrugged. “It’s just what I noticed.” She looked at her watch. “I’d better go. I’ll see you later.”

“Sure.” Shu turned away but paused after a couple of steps, not turning around. “Oh, by the way, I’ll probably be late tonight. Work, you know.”

“Okay. Don’t forget to buy some milk though on your way home.”

“Will do.”

Shu turned then to watch Annette walk briskly away. He hadn’t told Annette he was meeting Yuki after work tonight. He chewed on his lip as he turned around again. He probably should have, but it had been such a spur of the moment thing, asking Yuki to meet him like that. He hadn’t planned to do so, and he didn’t want Annette worrying about why he was or anything. He didn’t even know what he was going to say to Yuki when he did see him again. It wasn’t like he had anything special to say to the man. He just wanted to see him again!

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

Yuki dropped another butt to the ground. He had been pacing outside the club for almost a half an hour, wondering whether he should bother going in or not. He wanted to see Shuichi again, but he didn’t want to see him if it was just so the kid could tell him to piss off! Yuki didn’t handle rejection well; he was much better at dishing it out. Usually like a sledgehammer right between the eyes.

Was this karma?, he wondered, was he about to get his comeuppance for all the hurt he had given over the years to prospective partners? He ground his teeth in anger. Screw karma! Screw fate! Screw everything! He glared at the ground as he stomped along, taking no notice of the concerned glances passer-bys threw his way. Why should he go in just so that idiot could mess with his head?! The damn brat had already given him an ulcer, driven him to drink, made him almost insomniac - was he about to add driving him crazy to the list!! Damn fucking stupid moronic jerk!

The last he wasn’t sure whether it was directed at Shuichi, or himself.

He exhaled sharply, lifting his head. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his packet of cigarettes, gripping one between his lips to draw it out. He lifted his lighter to touch the flame to the end, feeling strangely calm after his mental diatribe.

Ah, to hell with it all!, he thought, turning and walking away from the club. Then he paused. But what if this is the last chance he will have to see Shuichi alone?, a small voice whispered in his mind.

His feet rooted to the ground, cigarette dangling forgotten from his mouth. What if…it was? Shuichi’s family were arriving tomorrow, and then shortly after, the band. There were going to be a lot of people that knew Shuichi from before, all crowding around him, wanting to see him, speak to him, touch him, reassure themselves that he was alive and well after so long. All of them would be wanting him to remember them, they would all want his time. Where would Yuki fit in all that? The answer was, no where.

So this could very well be the last time he could spend some time with Shuichi, just the two of them. He turned around and looked at the club entrance, reaching up to remove the cigarette from his mouth, tapping the ash away. Even if it was just to hear Shuichi tell him to leave him alone, even if it was just to see Shuichi be angry at him, or repulsed by his presence. He didn’t care, as long as he could see him again.

He took a deep breathe, and placed the cigarette back between his lips. Very well, let’s do this, and he strode purposely forward.

Shuichi shrugged past the crowd on the dance floor and stood at the corner bar, looking around. He had begged with his boss to finish up early tonight, had even made certain he had organized for one of the other part-time DJs to come in and cover the last half of his shift. The manager had only agreed to it if Shuichi stayed around and would sing any of the ‘Bad Luck’ songs, which had been incorporated into the play list. Currently it was only ‘Blind Game Again’ and ‘Rage Beat’, but the manager still intended to include more as time went on. The songs were proving to be quite popular with the crowd, and Shuichi was fast becoming the draw-card as well. Shuichi agreed, thinking it was a more than fair trade-off. He hoped that Yuki wouldn’t mind having to stay at the club though.

He looked around again, looking for a tall blond head across the crowd. He had hoped that he would have found Yuki standing here in his usual place at the corner bar, but there was no sign of the man yet. Shuichi gnawed at his lip. What if Yuki had decided not to come? Surely though, he would have called Shuichi to tell him so, even it was just to make some lame excuse about not being able to see him. Shuichi had given him his phone number, so surely he would have called.

He sighed, leaning on the bar after a final look revealed no sign of Yuki. He rested his chin on his folded hands, staring at a small puddle of liquid before him. Looks like Yuki wasn’t going to come after all. He had probably pushed too hard. He should have left Yuki alone and not said anything. He was sure the man must have better things to do than keep coming out night after night just to please him. Yuki had been very accommodating up till now, he could hardly blame the man for finally getting fed up with it all.

He reached out a finger and idly trailed it through the liquid, watching the patterns he drew glisten in the light as it shone on the bar. Well, that was that. He couldn’t even drink, not when he still would have to work and sing as well. Now what was he going to do? He didn’t feel like dancing, he just wasn’t in the mood.

“Most people drink at a bar, not stare at the varnish. Is it really that fascinating?” a voice said behind him. He lifted his head in surprise. Yuki was standing there, hand lifting a cigarette to his mouth.

“You came!” Shuichi managed to gasp out in pleased surprise.

Yuki raised an eyebrow. “Well, you invited me, remember.”

“Oh, of course, I know that.” Shuichi said straightening up a little. “I just thought you might have changed your mind.”

Yuki moved closer to the bar, motioning to the bartender that he wished to place an order and then turned his head to look down at Shuichi. “Why would I do that?”

Shuichi waved the question aside, grateful for the darkness of the club so Yuki couldn’t see the blush that stained his cheeks. “No reason. Never mind. It’s nothing.”

Yuki grunted then turned to speak to the bartender. “So are you drinking anything?”

Shuichi shook his head. “I still have to do some work tonight.” Yuki shrugged and placed his order, before turning and leaning back on his elbows resting on the bar, gazing out across the dance floor.

“Do you like dancing?” Shuichi asked a little hesitantly.

Yuki turned a cold eye on him. “I /don’t/ dance.” he said emphatically.

“Not at all?”

“No.”

“Oh.”

“You do though.”

“Yeah. I love it!” Shuichi smiled brightly at him. “But then you probably already know that from before, don’t you?”

“Yes. I remember.” Yuki replied, just as his drink was placed next to his arm.

“So why don’t you? Dance, I mean.”

Yuki jerked his head at the crowd of humanity writhing on the dance floor. “And lower myself to that!” he said with distaste. “Most of them look like a frog in a blender.”

Shuichi tried to swallow the giggle, but couldn’t as the image that assaulted his mind in response to that analogy was just too much for him. He let out a burst of laughter. “I’m …sorry!” he gasped out, wiping at his tearing eyes, still chuckling. “I just could see these big eyes going round and round in a blender, getting all dizzy, like those cartoon shows!”

Yuki took a long swallow from his drink. “You have an overactive imagination.” he stated calmly.

Shuichi shrugged and smiled back. “But that’s what makes me good in bed!” he shouted back over the noise, smirking.

Yuki’s hand paused on his way to his mouth, and Shuichi could see the man’s hand shake. Oops, why the hell had he said that! It’s not the sort of thing that you just blurt out to anyone, and certainly not in public! Damn it, had he blown it again?! Would Yuki think he was trying to hit on him? Was he going to get mad at him? He didn’t mean anything by it!

Did he?

He was waiting for Yuki to slam his drink down on the bar, or worse, throw it in his face for his inappropriate remark, before storming out and refusing to see him again. He stood holding his breath, waiting for the axe to fall. Instead, he watched as Yuki continue his motion and take a drink, before gently resting it back on the bar. Yuki turned his head slowly to look at Shuichi, face expressionless. “Then,” he said flatly, “Perhaps you should prove it.”

Shuichi’s heart beat faster as his eyes widened. What….was Yuki…..he wasn’t suggesting…..

“Shut your mouth, you look like a goldfish gaping there.” Yuki picked up his drink again. “You,” he continued. “Shouldn’t brag so much. Moron. People will get the wrong idea.”

“Ah, yes, sorry. You’re right.” Shuichi laughed a little shakily, attempting to make light of it all.

“Don’t be such an idiot. I don’t mind.”

“I’m glad.” Shuichi smiled at Yuki with relief, though his heart was still beating rapidly from the flush of heat that had coursed through his body. “Come on, let’s find somewhere a little quieter so we can talk.” and Shuichi lead them off to a more secluded corner for the rest of the evening.

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

Yuki looked at the people sitting opposite him. He could have hired a car and driven himself, but for this occasion he had decided to hire a chauffeured limo. He didn’t know if he was deliberately trying to impress Shuichi’s family, or it was just so he didn’t have to worry about being distracted if he were the one driving.

Maiko had greeted him enthusiastically. He hadn’t known quite what to expect when he picked up Shuichi’s family at the airport. Whilst he was standing there waiting, he had gnawed the inside of his cheek until it was almost raw, hands pushed deeply into trouser pockets, sunglasses on.

He winced at the stab of pain in his stomach. He knew his ulcer was flaring up again and had been for the last few days. If it got any worse he would have to get some more medication.

When he spotted Shuichi’s family exiting though the doors he had to fight the almost overwhelming desire to just turn and leave. Instead he forced himself to take a couple of steps forward so they would have a better chance of seeing him.

He had been quite unprepared when upon seeing him, Maiko had dropped her bag and flown towards him, hair streaming out behind her and tears running down her face. His breath rushed out of him in a whoosh at the impact of her body against his, as she wrapped her arms tightly about his waist, hugging him fiercely.

He could feel her tears soaking through his shirt. He looked down at the silently sobbing girl, then with some awkwardness, wrapped an arm around her and patted her on the head. He wasn’t used to such effusive greetings and outpouring of emotions from Shuichi’s family. Still it wasn’t like this was a normal situation either.

Shuichi’s parents had followed their daughter in a more controlled manner, having collected Maiko’s abandoned bag along the way. Yuki watched their approach with some trepidation, but with Maiko still clinging to him, he had no escape. When they stood directly before him, he saw Shuichi’s mother give him a warm smile, even if it did quiver a little and her eyes were too bright.

“Oh, Yuki, I’m so happy to see you again! It’s been such a relief to know you were over here looking for him. I just knew that if anyone could locate him, it would be you.” She glanced down at her weeping daughter. “It’s been very hard to wait, but we were just so happy to get your message.”

Yuki attempted to disengage Maiko as gently as he could do so, and thankfully the girl did release her hold. Her mother stepped forward to place an arm around her daughter’s shoulder, hugging her to her side. Maiko wiped a hand across her red eyes and sniffed, a gesture that was so Shuichi-like that Yuki felt a tug at his heart. Shuichi and his sister were sometimes so much alike.

“There’s a car waiting. I’ve booked you in at the hotel where I’m staying, and I’ve arranged to have the use of one of the function rooms there so you can be comfortable and have some privacy when you meet him.” He didn’t need to explain which ‘him’ he was referring to.

He turned to the doors after taking the bags from Shuichi’s mother. Shuichi’s father hadn’t said anything so far, not a word yet. Yuki had always felt that the man had utterly disapproved of Yuki and especially his relationship with his son. Whatever – he wasn’t about to apologise for loving Shuichi!

They arrived at the hotel and Yuki took care of checking the family in and ensuring that the booking arrangement was still fixed, as well as providing Tohma’s personal details in case of any damage incurred.

He handed the key to Mrs. Shindou. “I organized a suite so you have two bedrooms, that will give Maiko some space as well.”

Mrs. Shindou smiled at him gratefully. “Thank you so much for everything you are doing. We would be at a complete loss without you here.”

“It’s not a problem.” He looked at his watch. “You’ve got plenty of time to relax until Shuichi arrives. Try and get some rest. You’ll feel better for it.”

“I think that would be a good idea.” A bellboy appeared and gathered their bags, heading for the elevator. “Where will you be?”

“I’ll probably stay down here for a while.” Yuki nodded in the direction of the dining room. “Otherwise my room number is 615, so call me there.”

Mrs. Shindou laid a hand lightly on his arm. “Thank you so much, Yuki.” she said sincerely and gave him a small smile, before turning to follow her husband and daughter.

Yuki watched them go and then wandered into the dinning room. He ordered coffee and pulled out his cigarettes. He hadn’t smoked whilst with Shindou’s family. He had worried that the shaking of his hands would betray his nerves. He drew back on the cigarette, feeling the rush of nicotine hit his system and immediately relaxed. That felt good!

A shadow fell across his table and looking up he saw Maiko standing there.

“What do you want?” he said sharply, before he could stop himself or soften his tone.

Maiko sat opposite him, resting elbows on the table and cradling her chin. She looked at him intently, large eyes boring into him. “Well, at least that sounds more like you.” she finally said in a calm voice. “I was wondering what on earth was wrong.”

“What do you mean?” Yuki tapped some ash from the end of his cigarette.

She flicked a hand away briefly, before resting her chin back on it. “You weren’t acting like yourself at all. I thought something must be really wrong with Shu that you weren’t telling us.”

“There’s nothing wrong with him, apart from his amnesia.” he said, picking up his coffee.

He heard her give a sigh. “That’s a relief.” she said, reaching out a hand to trace invisible patterns on the white table cloth. “You were just acting so….nice.”

“I can be nice.” he growled, frowning at her.

She stuck her tongue out at him. “Sure you can. When hell freezes over!”

“Why, you…..”

She waggled a finger at him. “Now, now, you should watch your language in public.”

He glared at her, clamping down on what he was about to say. “I can so be nice.”

“Oh, I’m sure you must be able to sometimes. Otherwise my brother is a bigger idiot for staying with you than I already think he is!”

“Humph!” Yuki snorted, drawing on his cigarette again. There was silence for a moment.

“Are you all right?” Maiko quietly asked.

Yuki looked over at her. “What do you mean?”

“You’re not looking well. Your face is really pale, even for you, and you look like you’re in pain. Are you sure you’re not sick?”

“I’m fine.”

Maiko pursed her lips. “Yeah, and Shu always said you could lie with a straight face as well.”

“What...”

She cut his sentence off with another wave of her hand. “Don’t worry, it’s fine.”

Yuki was beginning to feel a little unsettled by this conversation. Out of all Shuichi’s family, he did like Maiko the best - apart from Shuichi himself, of course - but he still hadn’t spent excessive amounts of time with her before, not just the two of them.

“Shouldn’t you be resting?” he said pointedly, hoping she would go away and leave him in peace.

She looked at him with head tilted to the side. “Trying to get rid of me?”

“Yeah, actually I am.”

She half shrugged. “You really are a coward, you know.”

Yuki felt his eyes widen at the casual way she had said it. “Why, you…”

“I mean,” she interrupted him again. Damn the girl, she wouldn’t let him finish one god-damn sentence! “What’s with this stupid act of telling Shuichi that you two weren’t together?! That has got to be the biggest pile of crap that I’ve ever heard!”

Yuki continued to glare at her, which she matched. She looked angry now. “You,” and she stabbed a finger at him. “Are a coward, a liar, and the worst stinking boyfriend ever! I don’t know what my brother ever saw in you! How can you just go and throw everything away like this?! You two worked so hard to be together, it nearly broke Shuichi, but he always said that it was worth it. That any amount of pain was worth it, just to be with you. But you’ve just gone and thrown all that he worked so hard for away like it meant nothing at all!”

“Have you listened to anything you’ve been told about Shuichi’s life over here?!” Yuki grated out, angry himself now as each of her accusations stabbed through his heart. “He doesn’t remember his life in Japan, and he’s got a god-damn girlfriend now! He doesn’t fucking remember our relationship. He doesn’t fucking remember me!! How the hell do I make him remember, huh? Just what am I supposed to do?!”

“Tell him!” Maiko almost shouted at him, totally disregarding the people around them. “Tell him you’re his lover! Tell him you love him!!”

“How can I tell him that, when he doesn’t remember me?! Do you think he’d just believe me? He’d probably fucking run as far away as he could! Is that what you want? Do you want to lose him for good, for him never to go back to Japan? Because that’s what’s likely to happen if I tell him.”

“You don’t know that for certain. He should know the truth!”

“NO!” Yuki roared out, leaping to his feet and leaning over the table, pushing his angry face towards Maiko. “You will not say one fucking thing to him about it! Just say exactly what you’ve been told to, you fucking little tart!”

Maiko glared at him, her eyes bright with tears, although her gaze was still angry. “You don’t love my brother at all!” she hissed at him, her lip quivering. “You never loved him, not like he loved you! He never gave up on you! Now you’re just throwing him away like a piece of used garbage!”

She jerked herself to her feet and leaned forward, mirroring Yuki’s pose. Eye to eye, nose to nose, they glared at each other, totally oblivious to the fact that they were centre stage for the rest of the patrons in the dining room who were watching this interplay, even though few could understand what was being said.

“I HATE YOU!” Maiko suddenly shouted right in his face, making him start back in surprise, and then she turned and stormed out of the room, leaving him looking after her. He then noticed all the heads turned in his direction, curious eyes boring into him. Damn her! He cursed in his mind, reseating himself and picking up his coffee to take a sip. Ughh! Cold! Damn it!

He angrily motioned for a waiter to replace the cup, reaching out to light up another cigarette, still fuming. What did that stupid kid know anyway? She hadn’t been here, she hadn’t even seen Shuichi yet, so how could she think she knows what’s the best way to handle things?

A steaming cup of coffee was placed before him and he immediately picked it up, taking a swallow. He gritted his teeth as the hot liquid scalded his tongue. Damn, damn, damn-fucking-damn!! He returned the cup to the table top with extreme care, controlling his urge to fling it across the room, to take his frustrations out on …something. He looked out the window into the bright sunlight.

Gods, he wanted today to be over!
*****************
Shuichi swallowed against the lump threatening to block his throat. He felt Annette squeeze his hand silently and smiled gratefully at her as his stomach churned from nerves. He took a deep breath and let it out with a whoosh. “Let’s do it.” he said, straightening his shoulders and stepping forward, Annette by his side.
Yuki was seated in the lobby and looked up as they entered, and Shuichi felt a wash of relief and a sense of comfort at seeing him there. Yuki stood and came towards them. “This way.” he said without preamble, turning and walking away, leaving them to follow. Yuki lead them down a side passage before pushing open a door and waving them inside.
Shuichi entered first, taking in at a glance the three people seated there. The woman looked up as soon as she heard the door open. As she saw Shuichi, a large smile spread across her face and she ran towards him. He braced himself as she threw her arms around his neck, hugging him to her tightly.
“Oh, Shuichi!” she cried, literally as he could feel the dampness on his shoulder. “Oh, my darling boy! You’re all right! You’re really all right!”
She continued to sob, and he awkwardly reached up and patted her on the back lightly. He was feeling a little overwhelmed.
“Oh, Mom!” another voice said. “Back off, will you! Give him some room, for goodness sakes!”
“Oh, of course, I’m so sorry.”
Shuichi breathed in as he was finally released and the woman took a step away but kept a hold of his hand. “Come and sit down with us.” she said, tugging him forward. “Please join us as well.” she directed the last comment towards Annette with a smile.
Shuichi and Annette sat opposite his family. He looked them over, frowning as a surge of feelings and images assaulted his mind. He struggled to make sense of them.
“Ah….Maiko, right?”
Hs sister nodded encouragingly at him. “Yep! Though I’m not surprised you’ve forgotten. You always complained that you wished you could forget you had a sister!”
He gave her a small grin. “I don’t think this was quite what I had in mind at the time.”
She grinned right back at him. “Probably not, but thinking was never one of your strong points.” She stuck her tongue out at him.
He felt his smile broaden. “Bet you gave me hell at school.”
“Someone had to. You were such a pain.” She gave a long-suffering sigh. “You did nothing but go on and on about your music, and you never studied.”
“Well, what was the point of competing with you? You were always so busy being the model student, being on all those committees and stuff. Not to mention dating that wussy class president!”
“He’s a nice guy – still is!” Suddenly she stopped, and they looked at each other. “Hey, you…..remember?”
Shuichi looked back at her, eyes wide. “Ye….yeah.” he said slowly. A clear picture of the sister who was sitting before him, slightly younger looking, in school uniform with a boy in uniform and glasses. A school, classrooms, and a graduation ceremony.
“Yeah, I do!” he said ecstatically, nearly leaping to his feet. Instead he leant forward and grasped Maiko’s hands as she beamed back at him. “I remember!”
“Oh, wow!” and Maiko threw herself over the table to wrap Shuichi in a hug. “What else? What else do you remember?”
“Ah….ah…” he struggled, trying to catch on to some of the other flashing images, but they were still eluding him.
“Don’t worry.” Maiko said quickly, “It doesn’t matter. It’ll happen, just like now. It will.” Maiko suddenly looked over Shuichi’s shoulder towards the door. “I’m sure you’ll remember everything soon enough.”
Yuki looked back at her, expressionless. “I’ll leave you to it then.” he said, addressing them all. He saw Shuichi’s head swivel around to look at him.
“Won’t you stay….a bit longer?” Shuichi said in a small voice.
“No, it’s fine. You’ve all got a lot of catching up to do. I’ll see you later on.” The night before, Shuichi had again asked Yuki to meet him at the club. Yuki wasn’t going to refuse the invitation; he would take every minute he could to be with Shuichi.
“Oh, okay. Yeah.”
Yuki turned to the door and began to close it behind him. “Thanks for everything you’ve done for me.” he heard Shuichi call out.
Yuki pulled out his packet of cigarettes as he walked away. He hadn’t done it for Shuichi. He was doing it for himself, because it tore him apart to see Shuichi unhappy and he would do anything – anything! - to put a smile back on his face.
*****************
Annette finished putting the shopping away. It had been two days since Shu’s family had arrived and he had spent as much time with them as he could. He had slowly been remembering small things about them, about growing up and his childhood. Every discovery was exciting for him, every new bit of information he learnt about himself was treated like a treasure find. He hadn’t been able to stop smiling all this time.

Annette was so happy for him. She had still been busy with her studies so hadn’t spent as much time with them as Shu had, but they had seemed very nice. Although she had the feeling that Maiko was hiding something from her. It wasn’t that Maiko disliked her, she didn’t get that sort of feeling from the girl, but it was as though Shu’s sister kept wanting to say something to her, but something was holding her back. She mentally shrugged. She was sure that once Maiko was more comfortable around her, she would say what was on her mind.

She looked over to where Shu was sitting on the couch. He had seemed a little quiet this evening as they had gone shopping. Tomorrow was the day that his band members would arrive and it was obviously weighing on his mind. She moved quietly over to stand behind him, draping her arms around Shu’s neck from behind, resting her chin on the top of his head.

“Are you sure about this?” she asked quietly. “Still nervous?”

He reached a hand up and rested it on her arms. “A bit, but I’ve got to do it. I need to find out everything about who I am.”

“I know.” she said, turning to lean her cheek on his fine hair. “I guess that means you’ll have to go back, too.”

“I guess. But, hey,” he tipped his head back to look up at her, a smile on his face. “Doesn’t mean I have to stay there! I might not like it!”

She smiled back at him, dropping a light kiss to his lips. “Maybe not. I’ve never been to Japan.”

Shu didn’t say anything, just dropped his head again. She gave him a brief hug and made her way to the kitchen.

“What do you want for dinner? We’ve got some left-overs from the other night.”

“That’ll be fine.” he called to her.

She saw his hand reaching for the ipod again. It was never far away from him now she noticed. As she began to prepare their meal, she watched him turn it on.

“I’ll be late again tonight, so don’t stay up for me, okay?”

“I could come by later.” she offered.

“It’s alright. I don’t want you to lose any sleep. You’ve got important exams coming up and I don’t want to be the reason you don’t do well. I’ll see you when I get home.”

“Okay.” she said quietly, not arguing.

It didn’t really surprise her at his seeming reluctance to have her meet him at work. At the moment he had a lot to think of. The impending meeting with his old band members, people who are supposed to be his friends, was making him more than a little uncertain. He needed a bit of space to himself. He was working hard at the moment, coming home very late, and with her studies she was usually asleep by the time he did. Shu was being so considerate he had been sleeping on the couch so as not to disturb her.

One thing she was really glad about was his discovery of his music. Right from the start, he could sing all the songs on that ipod, and yet if he had been asked to recite the words, he hadn’t been able to remember one. It was only as part of the music that he knew it flawlessly. That was now a thing of the past. It hadn’t taken long, before the words came back to him, not just when he was singing. That had convinced her, and him, that he really must have been part of this band, ‘Bad Luck’. Either that, or he had been a really, really big fan of theirs - like of the stalker variety!

She looked up to see Shu leaning with his head on the back of the couch, eyes closed, fingers on his thighs tapping in time to the beat, silently mouthing the words to the music. Even like that, it seemed that the air was almost sizzling with energy around him. He just came so alive with this music! She couldn’t help the smile that spread over her face. How she loved him! Her Shu.

Though, she paused in her thinking, I guess I should get used to calling him ‘Shuichi’. He hadn’t insisted on it, he still answered readily enough to Shu, but she should really try and call him by his proper name. It would probably make it easier for him to get used to it as well, if she did.

Shuichi sat there with eyes closed as he listened to the music. He hadn’t told Annette that he had been meeting Yuki each night at the club over the past few days, which is why he was coming home so late, sometimes as late as 4 or 5am. He would creep in quietly and just fall onto the lounge, not even trying to go into the bedroom, afraid of waking her.

He didn’t know why he had this need to see Yuki each day. Was it because he had the feeling that soon the man would be going? His family was here now, and tomorrow his friends would be arriving as well. Yuki really didn’t need to be here any longer, and the man must have a life of his own that he needed to get back to. He was, after all, a famous novelist and was probably really busy. So soon Yuki would leave, and that thought just made Shuichi want to try and squeeze in as much time with him as he possibly could, without making the man think he was clinging to him. He would miss Yuki when he left, he just knew it. Just the thought of it made his chest tighten.

He sighed to himself. He didn’t know what to expect from tomorrow. These past few days with his family had been good. He was remembering more and more now. Not everything, but more than he had before so it made him believe that the doctors’ may have been right and eventually he would get all his memories back again. That would be so great! He was finding that the more he remembered, the more he was getting frustrated by the gaps that were obviously missing! So being with his family, especially Maiko, had been a lot of fun and there had been so much to talk about. He felt a warm blanket of love wrap around him when he was with them. They were his family and they did love him, he knew that with complete certainty. He was so lucky!

Now, tomorrow, he would meet the rest of the band. Yuki’s descriptions of the people hadn’t completely reassured him about them, and some of the things Maiko had said weren’t exactly flattering, although she had waxed almost lyrical about Nakano, who was supposed to be his best friend. Apparently he had spent a lot of time with his family whilst Shuichi had been missing, making certain they were okay. He would have to thank the man for that. Whenever Maiko had mentioned that name, he had a brief image in his mind of long red hair, but the face was always blurred. He sighed again. He would just have to wait till tomorrow to find out for himself what they were like.