Realities of Life

Disclaimer: Gravitation is not mine and I make no money from using the characters.

NC 17


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Note: this chapter is Tohma.


Realities of Life


Chapter 8
Smooth Operator


Face to face, each classic case
We shadow box and double cross
Yet need the chase

A license to love, insurance to hold
Melts all your memories and change into gold
His eyes are like angels but his heart is cold

No need to ask
He's a smooth operator

It had been an eventful week for me. Between K, Kyosuke, and myself, we had nailed down most of the venues our three-band tour would be visiting in a couple of months. I felt good about it, finally.

This would probably be Nittle Grasper’s last big tour. Of course, in the music business, one should never say never. For example, look at the Rolling Stones or Paul McCartney. They were still out there, touring.

And I did love it. I knew that Ryuichi and Noriko loved it as well. Once you heard the crowds roar for you, chanting your name, knowing all the lyrics to every song, it was a little addictive. Not to mention the enormous amount of power you hold over the crowd. It was intoxicating.

My office phone rang with the priority ring and I lifted the receiver immediately, “Yes?”

It was K, “Tohma, we’ve had an incident in the parking lot.”

“I’ll be right there,” I hung up the phone and moved out of my office.

It had to have something to do with Shuichi. That boy was always the eye of whatever hurricane was brewing at NG. Well, either Shuichi or Ryuichi, anyway.

I supposed I knew the bare bones of what had happened. Kyosuke’s incessant taunting of Eiri was probably the issue. Shuichi had probably attempted to protect both of them. As if he could.

I would have to get involved now, I supposed.

As I stepped outside, I noticed that the asphalt was still wet from the recent downpour and there was a chill in the air. I worked my way towards K. He was standing near two people on the pavement whose faces I could not yet see.

It was Shuichi and Kyosuke and an impressive amount of blood. I pulled out my phone and called the doctor that NG kept on the payroll. He was very skilled and very discreet, which was, from time to time, a necessity for celebrities.

“Kyosuke,” I saw the panic in my cousin’s eyes “is he okay?”

“I don’t know, Tohma,” his voice cracked as he stroked Shuichi’s hair. “I can’t get him to respond to me.”

"Do you think he's too hurt to move?" K asked as moved around the prone form of the singer, assessing the damage and handing Kyosuke his handkerchief. He muttered something about how impressive scalp wounds were with the amount of blood they could produce.

"I don't think so,” Kyosuke said thickly, applying pressure with the handkerchief. “He hit his head and might need some stitches, maybe he has a concussion. But other than that, I don't think he's hurt physically."

"I've already called our doctor.” I turned slowly to survey the parking lot, looking for possible witnesses or paparazzi. “I hate leaving him out here in the cold, can we move him inside?"

Kyosuke gave me a look of complete helplessness as he moved Shuichi’s head into his lap. Pleading with the singer, he said, "Shuichi, please. Please look at me."

Apparently, Kyosuke had checked out of being useful for the time being. I locked gazes with K and tipped my head. After a few verbal exchanges between Shuichi and Kyosuke, K knelt down and asked Shuichi if he could move.

Shuichi treated us as if we were the ones confused. He stood and Kyosuke helped him into the studio.

K and I watched them.

“Well,” he said as he lit a cigarette, “here we go.”

“Yes,” I said as I adjusted my hat, still watching for prospective viewers. “I suppose so. Do you know the details, K-san?”

“According to Kyo, Yuki tried to run Shuichi down with his Mercedes.” He took a drag. “Kyo was whining about it being his fault somehow, but he was strangely incoherent, so I’m not sure what happened.”

I nodded. Kyosuke could usually remain calm in the toughest of times. But, in light of his past experiences, this particular situation might have been too overwhelming for him.

If Kyosuke was rattled, I suspected that Eiri had, indeed, tried to run Shuichi down. I feared that would be unfortunate for their fragile psyches. All three men tended to run a little closer to the insane side of the spectrum. I worried over how would this affect them, especially in the long run.

Finally, I said, “Well, I guess I should go talk to them.”

The doctor was already with Shuichi by the time I reached him. It’s good to be Seguchi Tohma, sometimes. People pay attention when you make requests.

I looked at my cousin. He was sitting in a chair and holding his head in bloody hands. Sometimes it’s not so good to be Seguchi Tohma. This would be a big mess and, when all was said and done, I would probably have to clean it up.

I sat next to him, placing my elbow on the armrest of the chair, and I rested my head on my hand. A moment later I asked quietly, “Kyosuke, tell me what happened.”

“I was talking with Yuki and he just freaked out,” my cousin’s sad voice began.

Translating the situation in my head, I mentally amended Kyosuke’s account to the more truthful explanation, “I was taunting Yuki and he reacted the way Yuki tends to react.” But Kyosuke wouldn’t know the way Eiri would react. Only a handful of people did know. Shuichi was one of them.

“He jumped in his car and Shu was crying and trying to stop him,” he swallowed hard and fought to keep his voice from shaking. “Then that fucker gunned his car and tried to run Shu down! He tried to kill him, Tohma!”

Fucker. I had never heard Kyosuke swear before. Hmm. I looked at him closely and watched as his sorrow-filled eyes changed and clouded with fury. I had seen that before. The storm was gathering.

My family had always referred to Kyosuke’s father as a powerful diplomat. In actuality, I had long held the belief that Inoue Ryunosuke was a gangster, with possible, but unconfirmed, ties to the underground. This, of course, was never discussed or advertised by my family, but would explain why Kyosuke had always been treated differently. Of course, Kyosuke was also half Taiwanese, and that was considered to be a problem by some of my more close-minded family members, as well.

When Kyosuke was seventeen, an unsatisfied rival “diplomat” tried to settle a vendetta with Kyosuke’s father. His method of revenge was to hire someone to run down Kyosuke with a car. To make matters more complicated, Kyosuke was with his best friend at the time of the “accident.”

Kyosuke lived, but was injured rather seriously. He was saved by the grisly fact that his friend was struck and killed first, his body knocking Kyosuke just far enough out of the way to rescue my cousin from death. It wasn’t until much later that I understood full impact that experience had taken on Kyosuke; that the friend who had inadvertently saved Kyosuke’s life had been more than a friend.

The man that had “accidentally” struck Kyosuke and his friend with the car was released from any type of punishment from the legal system. It seemed that some strings were pulled to get the man out of trouble. Even so, justice was served outside of the courtroom. A few months after the incident, that same man died a sudden and mysterious death. Something about a fall from a twentieth story building.

There was wide speculation of Kyosuke’s involvement with the man’s death, but nothing concrete was proven. I didn’t need any proof. He was my cousin, after all.

When it came down to it, Kyosuke and Eiri were cut from similar cloth. Shuichi seemed to be attracted to strong, somewhat psychotic men. In my eyes, this proved that he had exceptionally good taste.

Maybe we are not so different, Shuichi and I.

“Kyosuke, stay calm,” I said, trying to sooth him with a smile. “Shuichi-san is all right, but he needs you to stay calm. He needs your help. Please pull yourself together.”

My cousin nodded and I breathed an internal sigh of relief. I didn’t want to deal with the Kyosuke versus Eiri confrontation right now. It would get messy, I was sure, and could afford to wait. I was almost thankful to have other priorities at the moment.

After speaking briefly with the doctor and finding out that the singer was mostly intact, I stepped into the room. Shuichi was lying on one of the overstuffed couches, a bloody towel that contained an ice bag rested on his head. I looked at the confused, blood-covered man. His eyes were vacant and empty. This would be the second time I had seen Shuichi reduced to this state. The last time, Shuichi had been in the hospital when I told him that Eiri had left Japan.

Last time had been an accident on Eiri’s part, but this time…

Eiri had really done it this time.

Shuichi’s empty gaze shifted to me and he gave me a weary look. I knew that Shuichi doesn’t trust me. He had an overwhelming amount of respect for me, but I was certain that it was out of a lingering sense of fear. After all, he knew what I was capable of doing in order to protect what I thought was important.

What Shuichi hadn’t been able to recognize was that, long ago, I had deemed him and his well-being important. It was not simply because he was Bad Luck’s vocalist. Part of the reason I would protect him was because of his importance to both Eiri and Kyosuke. And part of the reason was that I had personally come to be rather fond of the little irritant.

Even so, I didn’t see any need to change his perspective at this stage of the game. I found that fear could be a great motivator.

I moved a chair next to the couch, folded my hands in my lap, and thought about what I needed to say. “Shuichi-san,” I started slowly, “Kyosuke said that he had to pull you out of the way of Eiri's car. That Eiri was trying to kill you."

Shuichi shook his head but did not look at me, “Yuki wouldn’t kill me.”

Yuki. He called him Yuki. It was as I had feared. At the moment, Shuichi seemed to have a very tenuous hold on his sanity.

He sat up and stared at the bloody towel that fell off his head and into his lap, “You should talk to Yuki. I think he’s very upset.”

“Shuichi-san,” I asked hesitantly tipping my head to the side, “are you feeling all right?” I didn’t think it was the concussion causing him to act this way.

He proceeded to inform me that everyone was acting strange and that he didn’t know why.

I leaned in a bit for a closer look. Clearly, something had snapped inside of Shuichi. He seemed to be exerting himself, as if he was holding back a flood of emotions. When his dam of willpower gave way, well…

Just then, Nakano came charging into the room. Oh, good. Here was a problem I hadn’t even addressed yet. Ryuichi and Nakano’s break-up. This could be a very long day for me.

I listened, half-heartedly to the two of them for a few moments before I left the room.

Finding Kyosuke in the same place, I handed him a set of keys and told him, “Take him and wash the blood out of his hair.” I smiled softly at my cousin, “Kyosuke, Shuichi-san could use some intense TLC. Give it to him.”

His green eyes widened with surprise and he nodded his head.

As I turned to leave, he asked, “Where are you going?”

“I need to fill someone in on something. I’ll be back in a little while.”

Finding Eiri was a lengthy, but relatively easy process. He was rather predictable, most of the time.

When I entered the bar, the first thing I noticed was that he looked like hell.

I came to say what I had to say and left.

He looked even worse when I left.

I had to admit, I was a little angry with Eiri. He had acted like a complete ass. What if he had actually succeeded in running Shuichi down? What would that have done to Eiri? He would have ended up destroying himself. Again.

I really needed to thank Kyosuke for saving two lives, not just one, when he pulled Shuichi out of the way of Eiri’s car.

After my visit with Eiri, I stopped at the private club down the street from NG. I need to have my own quiet drink while I decided the next steps I needed to take. I hoped that Kyosuke was handling Shuichi with kid gloves. Kyosuke had never seen Shuichi when the singer went crazy.

Was it a prerequisite that singers be crazy?

No. Now that I thought about it, I remembered that Shuichi had once been a sweet, trusting kid. First, he had dealt with that vicious attack by Aizawa. Then, Eiri had really done a number on him. I know that Eiri hadn’t meant to twist Shuichi, but he had.

I was still thoroughly convinced that Eiri loved Shuichi with all of his heart and soul, but I was less certain about Shuichi’s feelings for Eiri. Especially now.

My phone rang. It was K.

“We have another problem.”

“What is it?” I asked quietly.

“Shark in the water,” he answered.

Translation: Shuichi was on the loose.

I felt it was best to exercise prudence when speaking on cell phones.

“And what about Speed Racer?”

Translation: What about Kyosuke? A nickname that was obvious, if you had ever ridden in a car with Kyosuke behind the wheel.

“Right cross. Don’t know how long he’s been out. And it looks like he got lucky, first.”

That meant Shuichi was likely headed for Eiri, next.

My other line beeped, I looked at the number. Think of the devil…”Hello, Eiri-san.”

I could tell he was frantic and I was guessing that Shuichi had already been there. I told him to come to the studio. In the long run, it would be easier when everyone was together.

Of course, that also meant that Kyosuke and Eiri would be in the same room together. Right after Eiri had tried to kill Shuichi. And right after Kyosuke had slept with Shuichi.

Hmm. Very tricky.

I got to the studio in record time and entered my private wing to find Nakano with an amused smirk sitting in a chair next to Kyosuke.

My cousin sat in another chair, an elbow on one knee and an ice bag on his left cheek. His shirt was open and he was covered in love bites. From the evidence I had seen on my brother-in-law in the past, and now on Kyosuke, I assumed that Shuichi enjoyed biting very much. Not that I could fault him for it. After all, I liked to bite, too.

K was pacing about, speaking on the phone to his many minions, probably trying to find Shuichi.

He wouldn’t. We never could.

I tipped my head at Kyosuke, “Situation?”

Kyosuke glared at me, “I’d rather not discuss it.”

Nakano tried to stifle a laugh but was unsuccessful.

“Shut up,” Kyosuke snarled at him in an uncharacteristic show of anger.

Bad Luck’s guitarist was still chuckling, “Man, someone really should have warned you. You cannot get between those two. They have this freaky sadomasochistic bond. They love hurting each other and being hurt by each other. I’m not even sure if they’re consciously aware of it.”

As usual, Nakano had managed to break down the situation concisely.

“It was Shuichi’s idea, not mine,” Kyosuke defended himself quietly.

Nakano’s smile faded, “It usually is.”

My cousin stared at him, “Not…” he shook his head. “Never mind. I don’t want to know.”

Throwing his arms in the air, Kyosuke flopped back in the chair, “And to make matters worse, he took my baby!”

“Are you whining about your Mitsubishi?”

The whole room turned to stare at Eiri as he tossed a set of keys to Kyosuke.

Kyosuke sat up, eyes blazing fire as he caught the keys, “Did you…did you drive my car?” His voice dripped with venom.

I’d seen Kyosuke like this before. I was sure this would not end well. Maybe I had been too hasty in telling Eiri to meet us here.

Kyosuke stood, “I asked you a question. Did. You. Drive. My. Car?”

Eiri’s eyes blazed back, “Yes, I did. It’s not all that you touted it to be, I might add. Rather mediocre, if you want my opinion.” Eiri shifted his gaze to Kyosuke’s swollen cheek and visible, marked up chest. I saw the wheels engage in Eiri as his eyes narrowed. Finally, he hissed, “Now I have a question for you. Did you fuck Shuichi?”

I tried to slow the storm, “Kyosuke, Eiri-san, now is not the ti…”

My cousin totally ignored me and broke into a sneering grin, “Yes, I did. And he was everything I ever wanted him to be. Quite tasty, if I do say so.”

Eiri lunged at Kyosuke and I watched as the two of them tumbled to the floor in an all out brawling fashion. I rubbed my head and sighed. This had been bound to happen sooner or later. At least this way, I could call an ambulance if someone was seriously injured.

“Whoa!” K whooped with excitement. “What do you think Hiro-kun?”

Nakano smiled brightly, “I don’t know. They’re both pretty scrappy.”

“Well, I think my money’s on Yuki-san,” K grinned. “He gets into that whole ethereal fighting level.”

Nodding in agreement, the guitarist said, “Yeah, but have you ever watch Inoue spar with Shuichi? Shuichi never even touches him.”

“Until today, you mean,” K pointed out.

They both burst into laughter. I had to smile myself, sidestepping as Kyosuke and Eiri rolled passed us.

“Maybe we should do something,” I said as I watched Eiri land a rather impressive hit.

K shrugged, “Why? They need to get it out of their system. We might as well be entertained in the meantime.”

I nodded and smiled. Sometimes K could be very convincing.

“Ooooh!” The three of us shouted in unison as Kyosuke threw Eiri off of himself and onto a metal decorative table.

Eiri staggered to his feet and Kyosuke rolled to his knees and stood as well. They were both panting with their exertions and bleeding from minor cuts.

“And they’re up for round two,” K said using his announcer voice.

“Homicidal maniac,” Kyosuke snarled at Eiri and wiped blood from above his eye.

“Rapist,” Eiri fired back as he dabbed at his bloody nose.

This time it was Kyosuke who attacked.

K looked at me, “You were planning on redecorating this room, soon, weren’t you?”

I spread my hands and smiled, “They can afford it.”

He nodded and grinned, “Then, come on, Blondie!!”

“Hey!” Nakano complained, “That’s not fair, now I’ll have to cheer for Kyosuke.”

“They look to be very well suited for beating each other to bloody pulp,” I observed as I straightened my hat.

“I agree,” K said with open glee. “It is a good match.”

We watched as Eiri and Kyosuke struggled on. Eiri drove Kyosuke back into a wall and threw a wild punch that missed my cousin entirely. Kyosuke struck back and succeeded only in knocking them both to the floor.

They seemed to be tired already.

Finally, Kyosuke got the leverage he needed and wrapped his hands around Eiri’s throat. Eiri reached up and twined his fingers around Kyosuke’s love-bitten neck. I knew this side of both men. For them, such sincerity could be dangerous. We could no longer allow this indulgence.

“K-san, it’s time,” I said to the American.

“Already? Can’t we at least wait until one of them loses consciousness?” He complained.

“K-san, please,” I waved my hand at him in a demanding fashion.

Sighing in resignation, he picked up the bucket of ice water I had asked him to place in the room earlier. He took careful aim and tossed the contents, spot on, on the two combatants. They both sputtered and shouted in irritation.

I stepped forward and loosely crossed my arms, “Enough playing around you two. We have a serious problem. Shuichi-san is missing and we have to find him. Do either one of you have any idea where we might start looking?”

Eiri glared at me as he massaged his throat and handed me a chunk of cell phone. Safety glass fell away from it. “This is all I have.”

“Eiri-san? What’s this glass?” I asked.

“It’s what’s left of my car after it met up with Shuichi and a baseball bat,” he growled.

Nakano and K started laughing again. I had to feign scratching my nose so I could hide the smile on my own face.

Shuichi really could be an asshole when he wanted to be. And quite frankly, Eiri deserved it this time.

“I might know where he’s at,” Kyosuke said quietly.

“Where?” I asked.

Kyosuke looked at me, “Do you know an ex-roadie by name of Kai?”

I nodded, “Yes. The one who owns a private estate outside of Tokyo?”

“Yes. He’s probably there.” He wiped more blood off his bruised face. “We’ll never get in if Shuichi has asked Kai to watch out for him.”

So that’s where the little scamp would disappear to. It was a rumored and rather notorious party place. Old money owned the estate. Old and powerful money – and with questionable ties. Kyosuke was probably right about our inability to get in. Even with my persuasive capacities, with that kind of estate, new blood like myself wouldn’t command the usual amount of respect or influence. Perhaps I had a contact who would? If so, I might have to call in a favor.

Eiri stood, “Let’s go.”

“Why do you even care?” Kyosuke hissed. “You tried to kill him a few hours ago.”

“Only because you tried to talk me into a threesome,” Eiri spat back.

“Threesome? Are you insane?” Kyosuke snarled. “I never, ever, once mentioned a threesome! I said we could share him, but I never meant a threesome! Not with you, anyway. You are way too uptight for me.” He looked over at an open-mouthed Nakano and K and his lips twitched with a smile, “Now, maybe with Hiro-kun over there, but not you.”

“What?!” Nakano sputtered, “What the hell are you talking about?”

I watched Nakano with interest. He was blushing. Hmm. And here I’d always thought he didn’t like Kyosuke.

“Come on,” Kyosuke smiled, already over the angst of the hour, “whose coming with me to retrieve our wayward love?”


Kyosuke had been correct; we hadn’t managed to get in. K had kept Eiri in line while Kyosuke and I tried various forms of persuasion to get past the gates. Kai, the ex-roadie, had acknowledged us and was even very friendly, but there was no getting in.

I’m not sure what kind of establishment was there, but it certainly was not above board. Those with old money still received preferential treatment, it seemed. Well, at least it appeared to be very discreet.

Have I mentioned that I dislike being told no? Thankfully, it doesn’t happen often. But it was still irritating. I would be calling that favor in. Someone had to have access to this place.

In the end, we left without Shuichi, but with the knowledge that he was all right. Gods knew what he was up to, but he was okay for the moment.

Our journey was a bizarre combination, however. With Kyosuke driving, Eiri in the passenger seat while K and I rode in the back. Kyosuke didn’t even drive like a lunatic. Not much, anyway. K, Kyosuke, and I discussed the upcoming tour. Eiri looked out the window and brooded, not saying a word.

I needed to talk to Eiri, and soon. I could see the toll the last few weeks were taking on him. If he didn’t concentrate on himself, he would end up in the hospital again. I had told Shuichi I wouldn’t get involved. I hadn’t wanted to.

It was time for me move some pieces on the chessboard.

Mid-morning of the following day found me standing in the parking lot at Eiri's apartment building. His car had been thrashed quite thoroughly by Shuichi. The angry singer had even carved through the paint, scrawling the words "Man-whore" in several choice spots on the car.

I wondered what that was about.

As amusing as I found it to be, this childish display of histrionics needed immediate attention. The car could not remain any longer to be viewed by... people. I called the office and instructed my secretary to have the car towed to a reputable and discreet body shop.

I knocked on Eiri's door for at least ten minutes before I gave up and stepped across the hall to knock on Shuichi's door.

Sure enough, after a few moments, the door opened, revealing a haggard and sallow-complexioned Eiri.

"What?" he growled at me with his normal Eiri-greeting.

I smiled, handing him a bakery box. "Hello, Eiri-san. Were you hiding from me?"

He grunted as he turned his back on me, but not before he took the box from my hands.

I had to step over some empty beer cans and an overflowing ashtray to get to the couch. That horrid, evil cat that no one could get near without giving up a blood sacrifice was already parked on the couch. The nasty creature immediately began hissing and growling at me.

I decided against sitting on the couch and, instead, sat on a chair, away from the demon beast. The cat moved to the far end of the couch, further from me, ears still flat.

Eiri sat down next to the cat. The two of them seemed to have bonded.

"What do you want, Tohma?" Eiri snapped at me.

I leaned forward, elbow on my knee, chin resting on my hand and gave him the innocent look, "Why, Eiri-san, must I have a reason to visit my favorite brother-in-law?"

"Uh-huh," he glared at me as he picked out a pastry from the box.

After a few minutes of silently watching him eat, I let him know that I had taken care of what was left of his Mercedes and that the cost of the repairs or, if necessary, a replacement would be taken out of Shuichi’s paycheck. Then, I finally gave in and asked what I really wanted to know. "Eiri-san, what is the meaning behind the words "man-whore" scrawled on your car?"

He set the pastry down and lit a cigarette instead. After considering for several minutes, he told me the whole story.

It seemed that the Suzuki woman had really sent Shuichi off the deep end. I'd seen Shuichi exhibit petty jealousy before, but this seemed rather extreme. The pieces didn't fit together neatly and I found myself somewhat perplexed. "Eiri-san, what were you and Shuichi arguing about at the NG party two years ago?"

He shrugged, "I don't remember. He was furious about something, but I didn't know what he was talking about at the time."

I sat up, "Was it about Yokohama?"

"I..." his eyes narrowed and I could see that he was working his rather faulty memory. "Maybe..."

"When Shuichi-san was in the hospital and still very much out of it, he mentioned Yokohama to me." I studied my brother-in-law closely, "What happened there, Eiri-san?"

He shook his head, "Nothing. I don't remember anything. As far as I know, we've never even been in Yokohama at the same time."

Hmm. Eiri's memory was not the most reliable source of information, but this unknown incident in Yokohama seemed to hold a great degree of importance to Shuichi. I couldn't imagine that Eiri wouldn't remember it. As Ryuichi would say, "Curiouser and curiouser."

Perhaps it was worth checking out.

"Do you think he'll come back?" Eiri's weary, guarded voice asked.

I crossed my legs and said, "Do you want him to?"

"Yeah," he said quietly. "I do."

I smiled, "Then you should probably avoid trying to kill him. That tends to send a mixed message, you know."

He reached out to pet the cat but didn't answer me.

"Don't worry, Eiri-san." I said with a grin, "I'm sure everything will turn out for the best."

"Yeah, for the best," he grumbled, sorrow and guilt gnawing at him. "That's what I'm worried about. For who's best?"



Two nights later, I received the call. Shuichi was in the studio. I dressed hurriedly and left my private wing to speak with him

I was startled when I saw him. He’d cut his hair very short and dyed it blonde. It was his grieving look. He also looked like he hadn’t slept in days.

“Hello, Tohma-san,” he said as I entered the recording room. “New record for you. That was only about four minutes.”

“Shuichi-san,” I acknowledged. “You don’t look so good.”

He chuckled, “I suppose I don’t.”

“Why are you here?” I asked as I folded my arms.

“To sing, of course. There’s still a song that has to be recorded.”

“I see. And that’s the only reason?” I asked quietly.

Nodding he said, “I had this weird dream and…” He turned and looked at me with suspicion but, after a moment, seemed to reconsider and shook his head.

“How’s your head?” I asked.

“How do you mean? Do you mean the concussion or the fact that I’m crazy?” He gave me a tired smile.

I smiled back, “A lot of people are very worried about you.”

“Yeah?” he sat at the mixing board and held a cup of coffee.

“Yes,” I sat next to him and leaned forward, elbows on my knees. “By the way, I enjoyed the revisions you performed on Eiri-san’s car.”

His right eye twitched but he didn’t say anything.

“Oh, and just so you know, Kyosuke has gone to England for a while. He’ll be getting the details for the European leg of our tour hammered out while he’s there.”

I watched as he twitched that twitch again. He was being stubborn about showing any emotion, I’d give him that.

I leaned back and crossed my legs, “Before he left, he asked me to tell you that, if you drive his car, he would appreciate it if you were careful.”

He was glaring at me now. He really was quite good at it. Eiri had taught him well.

“What do you want from me, Tohma-san? Can’t you just spit it out?” he hissed at me.

“Temper, Shuichi-san, please. I’m not your…enemy.”

“Then what is it that you want?” His voice rose in frustration.

I looked at him intently, “I want you to get yourself together. We have a very important, very long tour coming up and you need to be able to handle it emotionally. You need to decide what it is, or who it is, that you want.”

He rolled his eyes, “This isn’t about me. This is about Yuki and Kyo, isn’t it? Well, at the moment, I’m not too keen on either of them.”

His defenses were crumbling. Lack of sleep and worry seemed to have that effect on most.

“Either of them? Why not?” I said incredulously. “They are both fine men.”

“Tch,” he snuggled into the chair and rubbed his hand over his shorn locks as if he were reminding himself of something. “Well, let’s see. Eiri tried to run me down with his car and Kyo…” he frowned.

I leaned forward, “Yes, Shuichi-san, what about Kyosuke?”

His eyes were sad, and he shook his head, “Kyo wouldn’t want to see me again.”

“Is that why he left you his car? His pride and joy?” Just a little more, another tiny push.

I could see the confusion that raged within him, “I don’t know why he’d do that. He’s an idiot.”

“Maybe you should go see him,” I tossed dice in the air, just to see where they would land.

“What?!” He said, completely flabbergasted.

“Why not? We can send you in a company jet. It would be good for you to get a change of scenery, and I know Kyosuke would be thrilled to see you.” I sat up straight, “Of course, you have to accomplish two things first.”

His eyes narrowed, “And what would that be?”

“You’re very suspicious,” I scolded.

He didn’t say anything, but continued to stare.

I closed my eyes and rubbed my temple. When I opened them again, he was still staring, waiting for me to reel him in.

“First,” I began, “you have to finish the song. I’ll even help you.”

“Anxious to get rid of me, aren’t you?” He prodded me but it was my turn to be silent.

He sighed and asked quietly, “And the second thing is?”

I smiled, “You have to take Nakano-san with you. He’s been rather low lately. It’ll be good for both of you.”

I watched as he considered for a few minutes, fingering his coffee cup. “Okay, I’ll go. You’re right, Tohma-san. It would be good for me to get away. Maybe help me to…forget.”

Well, that had been easier than I thought it would be.



Later, I sat in my office and considered what I still needed to do. I heard the door open and then close, and footsteps neared my desk. It was 3:23 AM.

“Is it done?” a soft voice asked me.

I leaned back in my chair as my eyes met chocolate-brown, “Yes, Ryuichi. It’s done.”

His eyes were sharp and clear as he asked, “And he’s taking Hiro-kun with him?”

“Yes.”

He broke into a smile and had Kumagoro wave at me as he turned to leave.

Someday, I would ask Ryuichi how he got passed the tight security to see Shuichi in that very interesting compound. But not tonight.

I breathed a sigh of relief. There were a few other concerns that needed to be straightened out, but the pieces were falling into place now, just as I had hoped.


TBC


Smooth Operator – Lyrics by Sade