To The End

Disclaimer: I don’t own Gravitation or any of its characters. Gravitation belongs to Maki Murakami, I’m only borrowing them temporarily for entertainment purposes. I don’t make money off this. I just love the characters and enjoy writing.


A/N: Hope you guys are still enjoying the story. I think this chapter will answer a few questions some people may have. Also sorry it took so long to update, but work had me pretty busy for a bit. Once again, a BIG thank you to my beta\'s.

Reviews:

Teaspoon: I think this chapter will answer your questions. I will try not to take so long to update again. =D

Anon: Hmm... We\'ll have to see what happens. There are still quite a few chapters left.

The Blind Leading the Naked
Week Four
Day 21 of Eiri’s absence

8:00 a.m.

Shuichi curled up on the left side of the bed, Eiri’s side of the bed. He pressed his face into the pillow that lay there. Wrapping his fingers around it he tried desperately to get a scent of his absent lover. He took a deep breath, but could only smell the detergent from its wash a few days ago.

Shuichi felt exhausted; he hadn’t slept properly since Eiri left. He found himself plagued with nightmares of his partner leaving him or rejecting him upon his return. The singer often cried himself to sleep, overwhelmed with feelings of loneliness, fear and stress from the rigors of everyday routines. Crying became his outlet in the darkness.

Shuichi felt himself shake, tears pouring down from his eyes. This had been the first time in four weeks the singer had cried first thing in the morning. The pink haired man had had a terrible night, unable to sleep for more than twenty minutes at a time. The constant stream of his thoughts, followed by visions of his lover walking out the door forever, kept him from slumber. Now at 8 a.m., he was awake and in tears, when he wished only to sleep and to find some peace.

Slowly, his body ceased its tears, leaving him with a numb feeling. Shuichi gripped the pillow tighter, turning his knuckles white with strain. He let out a long, deep sigh.

Shuichi closed his eyes, breathing easier. He let his mind slip back to a better time when he had stayed in bed for twenty minutes, watching Eiri sleep. The memory consumed him. His senses remembered how his lover smelled, the way Eiri felt against him, and the sound of his deep breaths. The memory soothed him and his body relaxed into the mattress. He groaned softly because of the ache in his hands from gripping the pillow so hard.

Shuichi would give anything not to feel this bad again, to fall asleep and rest soundly through the night. He would love to wake without exhaustion or stress. Another long sigh escaped the singer’s throat. How long would Eiri make him wait without a word?

Shuichi pushed himself up from the bed. The chill against his naked body made him shiver. Reluctantly he forced himself to the bathroom, rushing quickly to avoid too much contact with his feet to the cold floor. Shuichi turned on the shower, and stepped into the stall to let the cool water nip at his warm skin.

The pink haired man washed himself quickly, stepped out and dried off. This soft towel feels nice against my skin, he thought. He wrapped it around his body and made his way back to the bedroom.

Shuichi dropped the towel onto the floor and picked out a pair of khaki shorts and a dark blue t-shirt to wear. What normally would have taken him over an hour had been accomplished in twenty-five minutes. Eiri would be impressed, Shuichi thought, on his way to the kitchen.

A bowl of cereal provided sustenance for him. He ate in complete silence, another feat Shuichi was sure Eiri wouldn’t believe. The clock on the wall showed 8:55 a.m. Shuichi was thankful that he had plans today. He feared that if he continued sulking on a day off, he would drive himself insane.

Shuichi left the dirty dishes on the table and he moved to the couch. He let his body fall lengthwise onto the cushions as he clicked the TV on and changed it from cartoons to the music channel. The TV was on low but it didn’t matter, since the singer wasn’t paying attention to it. His vision blurred as he stared blankly at the moving pictures.

Finally, at 9:37a.m, the doorbell rang. Shuichi rolled off the couch and pattered his way to the entrance of the apartment. He smiled sweetly when he swung the door open to reveal Tatsuha.

“Is he here yet?? The dark haired man asked for Ryuichi, excitedly.

“Not yet. He should be here anytime. Come in.” Shuichi stepped aside letting Tatsuha inside.

“This is so exciting!” Tatsuha replied, taking his shoes off and striding to the couch.

“I’m glad to hear that you’re so happy.”

“I am and I have you to thank for it, Shuichi.”

“Don’t thank me yet. The day has only begun,” Shuichi answered, sitting next to his friend.

Tatsuha threw an arm around Shuichi’s neck, pulling him closer. “I’m glad to have this chance. So just take the damn compliment, will you?”

Shuichi smiled softly. “Alright, you win. Thank you.”

“No, thank you, Shuichi. You’re a good friend.” Tatsuha released Shuichi and ruffled his hair.

“You’re welcome.”

Ryuichi showed up thirty minutes late. The older man engulfed Shuichi in a large hug when he was invited in.

Tatsuha sighed in relief at the sight. “I was beginning to think you wouldn’t show.”

“Are you kidding? We’re going to the zoo! Besides, I’m not late; I’m just leaving you wanting.” Ryuichi released his hold on Shuichi and bounced to Tatsuha to grant him his own bear hug.

“Well, if you two are ready, I think it’s time we were on our way,” Shuichi said ushering the couple out the door.

The taxi arrived quickly and the entire drive was filled by Ryuichi and Tatsuha’s chattering. Both men were terribly excited about the possibilities of their date.

Shuichi kept quiet the entire ride, only smiling and watching the two bubble over with anticipation of the day. Ryuichi jabbed him a few times in the ribs trying to get Shuichi to agree with him on whatever topic he had been discussing at the time. Shuichi grinned and nodded each time, oblivious the entire conversation. His mind was elsewhere. His mind was wishing he were going to the zoo with Eiri on a date and not as chaperone to Ryuichi and Tatsuha.

When the threesome arrived at the zoo; both Ryuichi and Shuichi quickly put on their sunglasses and caps, hoping to blend in with the rest of the patrons. Shuichi prayed that neither singer would be recognized the entire day. It would make for a more relaxing day. Though the attention from fans had its highlights, so did a nice quiet day at the zoo.

Ryuichi and Tatsuha started off innocently enough. They walked through the entrance way and looked at a few of the exhibits that were close by. Shuichi noticed that Tatsuha leaned over to whisper something to Ryuichi, before both of them took off, running and laughing.

Shuichi raced after them, laughing softly to himself. He caught up with them at the monkey exhibit. He found Tatsuha doing an impression of a monkey and Ryuichi laughing hysterically. Shuichi panted softly and grinned at the sight. Before Shuichi had time to recover, Tatsuha grabbed one of his wrists and Ryuichi the other, dragging him to the next exhibit.

“Come on, Shuichi! You have to keep up,” Ryuichi informed.

“Yes, and you have to play along too. We’re doing impressions of each animal we visit. I had to do a monkey and Ryuichi did the elephants, so you have to do the next one,” Tatsuha said.

“I’m no good at impressions. Really,” Shuichi protested.

“I don’t believe you,” Ryuichi said, stopping short at the tiger exhibit. “You have to do a tiger!”

Shuichi stared blankly at the two men watching him. He sighed softly then let out a soft meow sound.

“Oh please, you’re supposed to be a tiger not some pampered feline. Think big and scary, not cute and cuddly,” Tatsuha explained.

Shuichi stood in silence for a moment before, lunging forward with a loud ‘ROAR.’ Ryuichi shrieked and ran behind Tatsuha who just laughed. “That’s the spirit, Shuichi,” Tatsuha replied, patting Shuichi on the back.

Despite his friends’ continued attempts to include him, Shuichi kept his distance from the couple. He was there to supervise, not to join in the date. The day was about his friends. Shuichi was only there because Ryuichi was concerned about Tohma’s reaction to Ryuichi being alone on a date with Tatsuha. So Shuichi backed off and let the other two men enjoy themselves.

After an hour and a half of running around the park, Ryuichi and Tatsuha insisted on sitting down for lunch. The three of them took their trays to a quiet section of the dinning area to eat. Ryuichi and Tatsuha were busy discussing their favorite exhibits while Shuichi ate quietly.

“What do we do, now that we’ve seen all the exhibits?” Tatsuha asked.

Ryuichi laughed and offered his suggestion. “We do it again, of course.”

“Alright! We can go back and do more impressions. This time you do the ones that I did,” Tatsuha said.

“Shuichi, do you want to do more impressions with us?” Ryuichi asked, slurping his tea.

“I think I’ll leave you two to do the impressions. I just like seeing the animals,” Shuichi replied, ignoring his half eaten pizza.

“You’re no fun, Shuichi,” Ryuichi said, sticking his tongue at the other singer. “Fine then, Tatsuha and I will.” Ryuichi smiled sweetly to Tatsuha. Shuichi thought the young monk looked like he was about to turn into a pile of mush from the look.

After lunch, Shuichi had a slight scare. They were circling the park again and he had stopped to admire the fox exhibit. He had never noticed how they reminded him of Eiri before: sly, stealthy and easily annoyed. When Shuichi turned around, his friends were no where to be seen.

The young singer’s heart raced. He couldn’t believe he had lost them! Shuichi rushed to the neighboring exhibits, hoping desperately that he would find them just up ahead, but had no luck finding them.

Shuichi found himself panicking. He didn’t know what to do. Shuichi began to shake trying to figure out the most responsible way of finding the two misfits. A tap on each of his shoulders sent him spinning on his heels. Before him, Ryuichi and Tatsuha stood laughing hysterically.

“Oh, Shuichi you should have seen your face,” Tatsuha laughed, tears rolling down his cheeks.

“You looked like you were going to freak out. Tatsuha said we should just make you wait longer, but I said we should show ourselves,” Ryuichi explained.

“But…but… where were you guys?” Shuichi asked, still stunned.

“Right over there, man.” Tatsuha pointed to the bushes just behind them.

“We followed you from the fox exhibit. We were right behind you the entire time,” Ryuichi giggled.

Shuichi sighed and couldn’t help but laugh at himself. “You two are awful. If you scare me again like that, I won’t do anything nice for you again,” he said, pretending to be upset.

“Oh no, Shuichi. We’ll be good, but you have to admit it was funny,” Ryuichi smirked.

“Yes, it was funny. Now, are you two done or can we continue looking around?” Shuichi asked. Somehow he found himself being the responsible adult of the group. That was something he would have never even imagined, before this outing.

The rest of the day went on without mishap. Ryuichi and Tatsuha had been attached at the hip, smiling and laughing the whole time. Shuichi thought they had looked very joyful and he had to push back feelings of jealousy. He wished silently that Eiri was there, looking at him the way Tatsuha was looking at Ryuichi.

Shuichi sighed softly when the threesome hit the last exhibit for the second time. He thought that maybe the two other men would have had enough of the animals for one day. He was wrong.

“Shuichi, do you mind if we go around one more time?” Ryuichi asked.

“Why? Didn’t you guys see them twice already?” Shuichi laughed. He couldn’t help but be amused at his idol. Shuichi knew Ryuichi didn’t want to leave because he was having fun and he was enjoying his time with Tatsuha.

“Yes, but we ran through it the first two times. I want to take it slow this time,” Ryuichi replied, emphasizing the word slow.

Tatsuha licked his lips. “I wouldn’t mind doing it slow this time.”

Ryuichi smirked, his face serious. “Then we’ll be able to compare which way is better; fast and furious, or slow and easy.”

Shuichi’s eyes widened. Something told him that they had changed the conversation on him somehow. He felt a little out of place. “Uhm… well if you want to, we have time. It’s only 2 p.m. now.”

“Good,” Ryuichi replied, keeping his eyes on Tatsuha. “Follow me!”

The trip around the zoo for the third time proved to be more relaxing. The group moved slowly through the park, taking their time to observe each and every exhibit. Shuichi noticed that both Ryuichi and Tatsuha were standing closer than normal and whispering back and forth. As crazy as they both were at times, they seemed to fit each other’s personality. Both Ryuichi and Tatsuha could be crazy one minute and dead serious the next.

Finally, at 5 p.m. Ryuichi and Tatsuha agreed that it was time to go home. Though it did take a little persuading from Shuichi to not tour the zoo a fourth time.

“You do have to save something for a second date, you know,” Shuichi said, shaking his head to Ryuichi’s pleas for more time at the park.

“He’s right, I have to leave you wanting more, don’t I?” Tatsuha asked.

Ryuichi raised an eyebrow at Tatsuha. “Oh really? Well, I suppose that I should leave you wanting, too.” Ryuichi smirked and stood close to Tatsuha. “Providing I let you take me out again.”

Tatsuha looked panicked for a moment. “Please?” He pleaded.

“I’ll let you know when you drop me off.” The older singer grinned evilly.

Shuichi blushed, turning his back to his friends. He stepped aside and used his cell phone to dial the taxi, hoping that Tatsuha would behave himself for just a little longer. Shuichi knew that if Ryuichi continued with his teasing, Tohma might have a real reason to be worried about the outcome of any date.

Luckily, the taxi arrived quickly. However, the ride home proved to be just as energetic for the couple as the ride to the zoo. Once again, Ryuichi occupied the middle seat, but Shuichi noticed that the older singer sat much closer to his date than he had on the ride there. Shuichi took that as a very good sign.

Ryuichi was the first to be dropped off. When they arrived at his apartment, the older singer seemed reluctant to leave. He sat for a moment and Shuichi could tell he was thinking something over.

“I had fun today, Tatsuha,” the older man said.

“I had the best day!” Tatsuha replied. “Does this mean I get a second date?”

Ryuichi’s face grew serious. “Maybe.”

“Maybe? Maybe! You said you would tell me by the end of the date,” Tatsuha said.

Ryuichi moved, straddling Tatsuha. The older singer smirked, slipping a piece of paper into Tatsuha’s leather jacket. “Why don’t you call me and we’ll discuss it?”

Shuichi blushed as he watched Tatsuha move forward in an attempt to kiss the older singer. Shuichi was torn between stopping the younger man turning away from the blatant display of affection. To his relief, Ryuichi coolly pushed Tatsuha back against the car seat.

“Not this time, Tatsuha,” Ryuichi smirked. “Try again, next time.” With that, he slipped from Tatsuha’s lap and exited the cab.

When Ryuichi had disappeared into the building, the taxi took off and so did Tatsuha. Shuichi would have sworn that the monk rambled during the entire fifteen minute drive without a breath. The singer wondered if that was how he sounded to Eiri.

The taxi stopped in front of Shuichi’s apartment complex and the last of the occupants climbed out of the vehicle after Shuichi paid the driver.

“That was the best day, ever!” Tatsuha exclaimed.

“I’m glad you had a great time,” Shuichi replied, yawing.

“Oh, I did. And did you hear him? I might get to kiss him again next time. Next time! He said there would be a next time!”

“Yes, you already said that fifteen times in the cab, Tatsuha.”

“I’m sorry, Shuichi, I just can’t help it. I’m in love!”

“Well, you’ll have to call him and set something up. If you guys need me there, just let me know.” Shuichi smiled softly, though he secretly hoped that next time he would not be needed. It was nice spending time with his friends, but it hurt to see them so happy when all he wanted was to be with the one he loved the most.

“Oh I will, don’t you worry. Thanks again,” Tatsuha said, hugging Shuichi tightly.

“You’re welcome,” Shuichi said, his voice muffled by his face being pressed against Tatsuha’s leather jacket.

“Alright, I’m sure you have better things to do. I’ll give you a call in a few days and check up on you,” Tatsuha said, walking to his motorcycle and climbing onto it.

“Drive safely, Tatsuha,” Shuichi said, waving to the younger man as he left.

Shuichi let himself into the apartment complex, glad to be home. The elevator ride to his floor seemed unusually long, but the doors soon chimed and opened for him. Inside, he quickly laid himself on the sofa, too tired to move. He had a dull headache and couldn’t bring himself to move, despite his stomach’s rumbling. Shuichi decided it was too much trouble to make dinner and walk the length of the hallway to the bedroom. He felt sleep calling him and he let his eyes close in answer.