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My Heart Beats Like A Drum	By : Chocho Category: Gravitation > General Views: 1843 -:- 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
- 1-My Heart Beats Like A Drum
- 1
My Heart
Beats like a Drum

Sequel
to:� �Give In To
Me�

Written
by: Chochowilliams

Disclaimer: I do not
own Gravitation or the characters from it.� I do not make any money from the writing of
this story.

Summary:�� While Riku tries to convince Eiri that it is
high time for him to pop the question to Shuichi, Shuichi has his own growing
problems with not only a new neighbor, but also an unexpected pregnancy.

Warning: M/M,
hentai, romance, drama, angst, OOC-ness, language, mpreg, Shuichi/Eiri

Insert: Scenes from
�Give in To Me�, �My Heart Beats like a Drum� by ATC, PLANET POP

A/N: I would
like to thank inumoon3, Goddess of All Knowing-ness, angee, dawn, fahaar, catti, havokgrl, i love
athrun, Xunxin, Lay of Tinoviel, guardianranger Dai-chan Yuki, Zakuro Haruno and everyone
else I may have forgotten for their reviews.�
I love you all!� And for those who
thought I sprung the Hiro/Suguru relationship up out of nowhere, if you go back
and read �This I Promise You�, I promise you that if you read it carefully, you
will see hints of a relationship between the two.� It is not blatant, but more subtle.

+---+---+---+

I close my
eyes

Close the
door

I won�t worry
anymore

I�ve been
waiting for you

Everyday and
everynight

Cut the light

Let it fade

I don�t wanna
be afraid

I�ve been
waiting for you

Tonight it is
right

Stars shine
bright

I just really
wanna be with you

I celebrate
pray for that day

When all my
wishes will be coming true

-�My Heart
Beats like a Drum� by ATC, PLANET POP

+---+---+

(Last Time)

He watched
them from the internet caf� across the street.�

In his mind,
he imagined swinging an axe at that blond whore�s head.� His grip tightened around the black
mouse.� How dare he?� Who did that monster think he was?� Holding his Shu-han�s hand like that?� Bastard!

Have fun playing house while you can, he sneered in
his mind.� Because soon, Shu-han will be
mine!

+---+---+

�Shindou-san,�
the doctor�s voice called over the line.�
�We got the results of the blood test back.�

Shuichi
gulped nervously.

Eiri had put
his foot down and demanded Shuichi go and see his doctor.

�And it seems
that congratulations are in order.�

His mind
blank, Shuichi blinked stupidly.� �Huh?�
he questioned with a deadpanned voice.

�You�re pregnant,
Shindou-san.�

The colored
drained from Shuichi�s face.� Feeling
dizzy and lightheaded, Shuichi collapsed into the chair behind him.� The phone slipped out of his grip and
clattered to the floor.

He had never
been so relieved in his entire life that Eiri was out on some book tour for the
next couple of weeks because he really would not known what to tell him.

�Oh, God,�
Shuichi moaned.� This could not be
happening to him.

+---+---+

One Month Later � October

Pregnant.� He
was pregnant.� There was another life
growing within him.� A life the love of
his life and he created together.� Even
though this was something he had been wishing and hoping and praying for for
quite awhile now, he still could not wrap his mind around it.� It seemed so unreal.� As if at any moment, he would wake up to
discover it was just another dream.� Just
one among the others that has haunted his sleep for so long now.� Even now, a month after he learned the
shocking news, it still has not fully sunk in.�
He wondered if it ever would.� He
had to admit, though, that he was surprised something like this had ever
happened before now seeing as if Eiri and he could not seem to keep their hands
off each other.� But, Goddamnit!� He had been so careful!� Nothing was fool proof.� He knew that.�
Maiko was proof of that.� His
sister had gotten pregnant while on the pill.�
A friend he went to high school with even became pregnant while on the
pill.� Four times!� Maybe if they had used condoms?� No.�
Then Eiri would have asked all those questions.� Because why would two people who were
entirely devoted to each other and had been for running on a decade now and who
were free from any kind STD�s and who did not run the risk of becoming pregnant
(that either party was aware of anyway) need to use condoms?� Dammit!�
What was he supposed to tell Eiri?�
How was he supposed to tell him?�
He never told Eiri that he was the bearer of the Shindou family
secret.� He had been too afraid to.� Besides, how were you supposed to tell
someone something like that?� Especially
Eiri?

�Oh and by the way, Yuki, I happen to be a
hermaphrodite.�

Please!� Given
Eiri�s and his history, the second something like that left his mouth he would
be out on the streets so fast he would not have been able to tell the
difference between his ass and a hole in the ground.� When it came to Shuichi, Eiri seemed to have
a higher than normal tolerance level, but Shuichi was positive that the news
that he could give Eiri�s father that heir he has been wanting (never mind that
Mika and Tohma had produced a couple of their own) would not go over well with
his blond haired lover.

But now he had a choice to make.� He could either confess
that-which-must-not-be-named and risk losing the love of his life or say
nothing and keep Eiri in the dark about that one piece of himself.� Neither sat well with Shuichi.� His stomach churned violently.

Turning, Shuichi flattened the light pink under kimono
around his slim, lithe figure.� Biting
his lip, he studied his profile in the mirror above the sink in the dressing
room.� Was it just him or was he
beginning to show?� He turned first one
way and then the other.� Every time Eiri,
Riku or any of the others looked at him, he would fly into a dizzying
panic.� His heart started to pound.� His mouth went dry.� His palms started to sweat and his thoughts
started chasing each other around inside his head like a hamster in its wheel.

�Why is he
looking at me?� Does he know?� Oh God!�
How did he find out?� Does it show
somehow?�

Curling his hands into fisted balls of frustration,
Shuichi pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes and growled deeply from
within his throat.� Dammit!� What was he supposed to do?� The first hot tears stung his eyes.

�Mama?� called a voice behind him.

Startled, Shuichi spun around with a gasp.� His hands dropped to his sides.� Panicky violet eyes searched the confines of
the dressing room.� As soon as you entered
what was technically referred to as the �dressing room� there was a storage
closet on the far left hand wall.� To
your right was the sink with a double vanity.�
On the other side of a half wall sat the toilet.� Across from the sink was the sliding beveled
door that led into the bathroom where the bathtub was located.� He breathed a deep sigh of relief when he realized
he was still alone in the bathroom.� His
son�s voice was coming from the other side of the closed door.� Thank God for small favors.� �Y-yeah?� he called back over a frantically
beating heart as he scrubbed his face clear of his tears.� His other hand gripped the lip of the sink
behind his back tightly.� His knuckles
turned white from the pressure.

�Are you almost done?�
I gotta pee.�

�O-oh!� Uhm,
yeah, Riku.� I�ll be out in a minute,�
Shuichi called back.

�Okay.�

Shuichi held his breath as he listened attentively to
his son�s footfalls as they faded down the hallway.� Letting out his pent up breath, Shuichi
turned back towards the mirror but found he could not bear to look himself in
the eye so he turned away in shame.�
Leaning his back against the double vanity, Shuichi dropped his face in
his hands.� His shoulders shook as he
sobbed quietly.

+---+---+

�It�s about time,� Eiri said as Shuichi finally
emerged from the dressing room.� �I was
beginning to think you�d fallen in.�

Shuichi forced his melancholy aside and plastered a
lopsided grin onto his face.� �Hey, it
takes time to look this good.�

Eiri snorted.� �Baka.�
Don�t take too long,� he warned Riku as he rushed passed them, �we�ve
gotta go.�

�Yeah, yeah,� Riku breathed with a roll of his eyes as
he slammed the door shut behind him.

�If he had to go so bad, then why didn�t he just use
the bathroom downstairs?� Shuichi asked as he strolled down the hall to the
master bedroom.

�Who the hell knows?�
This�s your son we�re talking about.�

Shuichi pouted.�
�What�s that supposed to mean?�

�Just that.�

�Huh?�

�Nothing,� Eiri snickered.

�Whatever,� Shuichi muttered as he crossed the room
towards the closet.

+---+---+

Dressed in a black tailored vest over a white western
cotton oxford button up shirt and a pair of loose fitting straight-legged
jeans, Shuichi�s signature eyes were hidden behind a pair of dark wraparound
shades and his shoulder length jet black locks were held at the nape of his
neck with a black hair tie.� As he
followed Eiri and Riku to the elevator, Shuichi�s attention came and went,
which caused Eiri�s voice to fade in and out as he spoke to his agent, Mizuki
Kanna.� They were meeting at a corner
caf� not too far from the apartment.

Apparently, Eiri�s latest script was way over
due.� Not that that was anything
new.� He was such a procrastinator it was
not even funny.� Besides that, Shuichi
knew that sometimes it took Eiri awhile to form the factual outline of a new
story he was supposed to be writing into the actual story itself.� The story was there, but for some reason he
could not get it onto paper.� Other times
he was just not satisfied with what he managed to get onto paper and had to
start from scratch.� Shuichi could
sympathize, but Mizuki could not.� Eiri
was even now trying to convince his agent she extended his deadline.� It was not working.� Mizuki was not as moronic as she looked.

�Good morning Shindou-san.�

Startled out of his thoughts, Shuichi smiled and
inclined his head in greeting at the elderly woman who lived next door to Eiri
and he ever since they moved in not long after they formally adopted Riku.� �Hello Chosokabe-san.��

Unaware that he was not with them any longer, Eiri and
Riku continued down the hallway following Koji to the elevator.

Shuichi sensed rather than heard Jacob right behind
him.

Chosokabe Kita was �downsizing�.� Going into her eighth decade of life, Kita
claimed she was getting too old and could no longer keep up with the rigors of
owning her own apartment any longer.�
Besides, with the passing of her husband a few years back, she was just
too lonely by herself in such a huge place.�
Her son had apparently offered his guest room to her, but instead, she
decided to sell her apartment and move into a prestigious state-of-the-art
retirement community that just opened up outside the city.� In fact, Shuichi was the one to recommend the
facility to her after his paternal grandparents- meaning his father�s parents-
moved into the same retirement community last year.� They claimed it was the best decision they
ever made.� �Chosokabe-san, Riku could
always do that for you when he gets out of school,� he told the elderly woman
who was in the middle of sweeping her foyer.

With a gentle smile, Kita shook her head.� �No, that�s alright.� Thanks for the offer, but my son is stopping
by in a little while to help with the last few boxes.� So I want to tidy up the apartment and get
over to the new place.�

Shuichi nodded.�
�Well, good luck.�

�Thank you, Shindou-san.�

Inclining his head once more, Shuichi hurried down the
hall to catch up with his family.

+---+---+

As they waited for the elevator to arrive at their
floor, Shuichi tucked his arm through Eiri�s.�
His free hand played with the strap of his messenger bag that was
strapped across his chest.� Eiri turned
to smile down at him briefly before returning to his conversation with
Mizuki.� Shuichi stared down at the
glossy surface of his black heeled boots.

Picking his head up, he gazed at his son over the tops
of his sunglasses.� Riku was listening to
his Ipod at an obnoxiously high volume.�
Shuichi could hear every single word and he was standing a good five
feet away at least.� Riku�s head was
bopping up and down so fast, Shuichi could only think of those bobble headed
dolls.� It would not surprise Shuichi if
his son�s head snapped off one of these times.�
As he watched, Eiri finished his conversation with Mizuki and after
tucking his sleek black Blackberry away; he reached out and swatted Riku upside
the head, which caused the boy�s head to snap forward.

�Ow!� Dad,� Riku
whined, turning around and rubbing the back of his head.

�I don�t want to have to tell you again,� Eiri
barked.� �Turn it down or turn it off.�

�But Dad-!�

�No buts Kitazawa Riku!�

Riku turned away with a �humph� and resumed listening
to his music, but at a much more descent level.�
Shuichi had a feeling the second Riku was out of earshot of his parents,
he would resume listening to his music at its original deafening level.� The boy would be deaf by the time he was
twenty at this rate.� He also did not
miss the fact that the boy had realigned himself so that Shuichi was basically
standing between them, but then again what else was new? �

Shuichi glanced up at Eiri cautiously.� Biting the inside of his lip, he wondered if
now was a good time.

The elevators pinged and seconds later the doors slid
open.� The group stepped on.� Koji being the closets to the panel, he
pressed the button for the lobby.� The
doors slid closed.

Shuichi dropped his head and once again studied his
shoes.� They contrasted sharply against
the carpet.� �Uhm, Eiri?� he spoke up
tentatively.

�Hm?�

�Uhm�� Licking
lips gone dry, Shuichi swallowed around a painful lump.� �What do you think about, uhm�?�

��Bout what?� Eiri pressed lightly without much
thought.� His mind had jumped ahead to
his meeting with Mizuki.� This latest
novel of his was a far different cry from his other works.� In fact, it was nothing like what they talked
about originally.� Unfortunately, with
the original storyline, nothing came to mind.�
He had the basic summary of events, but when he went to express those
facts into a tale, he hit a brick wall.�
It was like trying to write with a pen that held no ink.� But as he listened to one of the songs that
Bad Luck was remaking for their latest CD, this idea came from out of nowhere
and the words suddenly sprung forth like a dam that burst.� The only problem was that he had not been
able to type fast enough.

His face flaming in embarrassment, Shuichi mumbled, �A
baby.�

Eiri was jerked out of his thoughts.� He turned his head towards his lover of a
decade.� �What?�

Just then the elevator stopped.� As the doors slid open, a ping was
heard.� The group stepped out into the
brightly lit lobby after Koji and Jacob motioned to them that the coast was
clear.

�Where�d that come from?�

Shuichi shrugged.�
His free hand ghosted over his belly that would not be flat for very
much longer.� He watched his feet as they
took him through the lobby from the elevator bank to the front doors.

Riku eyed his parents out of the corner of his eyes.

�What?� You want
another kid?� Eiri teased as he held
the door open for his lover.� �I think
two is my limit.�

Shuichi felt a fissure crack his heart in two.� His face fell.� Eiri was joking.� Shuichi knew that.� He did it all the time.� It meant nothing.� But that did not stop the veil of tears from
stinging his eyes.� Or stop him from
feeling as if his entire world had completely fallen apart at that moment.� Freeing himself, Shuichi raced ahead of the
others to the waiting car.� Jacob was
right behind him.

Eiri watched Shuichi vanish into the back of the SUV
in confusion.� He scratched his
head.� What just happened?

Riku turned his attention from his �mama� to his
father and pondered just what the man did this time.� ��Hey, Dad?�

�What?�

��When are you going to ask Mama to marry you?�

Eiri groaned.�
Not this again.� �Riku.� Drop it,� he ordered as he rounded the car
towards the drivers side.

�Why?�

�Because.�

�Because why?�

�Riku,� Eiri snapped as he slid behind the wheel
besides Koji.� He glanced briefly in the
rearview mirror at Shuichi and frowned.�
Just what was up with him lately?

�What?� It�s a simple
question.�

�Enough Riku,� he growled.� He really was not in the mood for this today.

�C�mon, Dad.�

�No!�

�Dad-�

�Once more, Riku,� Eiri warned the boy.

Grinning, Riku chuckled softly as Eiri pulled out of
the circular drive and into traffic.

+---+---+

NG
Productions

With Jacob once again shadowing his every movement,
Shuichi strode into the lobby of NG Productions towards the elevators.� The receptionist greeted him warmly.� Shuichi could barely manage a smile.

+---+---+

As Eiri drove through the rush of city traffic towards
Riku�s school, the author�s thoughts wondered back to Shuichi.� His younger lover had been under such a
tremendous amount of stress lately because of this new CD he was being forced
into putting out that it started to affect Shuichi�s everyday life.� Shuichi had always been a bit of a crybaby,
but the amount of time he spent bawling increased tenfold.� And he was always throwing up.� The singer even dreaded waking up in the
morning.� It had gotten to such a point
that one night as they lay in bed together, Shuichi said, �Sometimes I wish I
wouldn�t wake up.�� That had been the
final straw.� Eiri sent Shuichi to the
doctor�s the next day.

When Eiri returned from his book tour a couple weeks
ago, he asked Shuichi what the doctor said, but all Shuichi would say was,
�Stress� and that the doctor prescribed a good long stress free vacation in Hawai�i.� It was not that Eiri did not believe
him.� For Eiri had no doubt that stress
was half the problem.� If not the major
factor.� But he knew there was more to it
then that.� It was like being told the
story of Goldilocks and the three bears.�
You are told that Goldilocks came upon a house in the wood and then left
screaming some time later.� You knew
there was more to that story even if you had not heard it before.� Maybe he should call up the baka�s doctor and ask him himself.

His son�s voice broke into his thoughts.

�Hey, Dad-?�

�No,� Eiri said.

�Aw,� Riku whined.�
�Why not?�

�Because I said so.�

�But it�s only four little words!�

�Riku!� I said
drop it.�

Maybe he was making too much out of too little.� Maybe after Bad Luck�s new CD came out, he
would take his baka to the Caribbean or something.�
Maybe a cruise around the world.�
Yeah, that sounded like a very good idea.

�Dad-�

�No.�

�But-�

�I said no Riku.�

�But you drove passed my school!�

Eiri cursed soundly and pulled an illegal u-turn in
the middle of rush hour traffic.

Riku snickered as the G-forces plastered him against
the door.

+---+---+

NG
Productions

�Shindou-san, Seguchi-san will see you now.�

Slowly, Shuichi lifted his head and stared at his
boss�s secretary who was smiling pleasantly at him.� Her smile began to look strained and frayed
around the edges as Shuichi continued to stare at her.� Feeling as if he were being made to wade
through waist high water with weights strapped around his ankles, Shuichi
unfurled himself from the couch and made his way across the room to Tohma�s
office door.

�Aah!�
Shindou-san,� Tohma greeted as the once pinked haired vocalist stepped
into his office.� The door swung shut
behind him.� �Good morning.�

What was so good about it, Shuichi grumbled silently,
but aloud he returned with as much false cheer as he could summon, �Hello,
Seguchi-san!�

�Please, have a seat,� Tohma smiled with a wave of his
hand.

�Thanks.��
Lifting the strap of his messenger bag over his head, Shuichi set the
bag down at his feet as he sat down in the chair Tohma had indicated.� The chair was a simpler version of the plush
leather recliner Tohma had.� What little
cushioning there was in the seat vanished under a person�s weight so that what
you were left with was the hard wood of the chair, which made for a very
uncomfortable meeting with the boss.�
Exactly how Tohma preferred it.

�So, how are you, Shindou-san?� Tohma inquired as his
laced his fingers together and leaned over his desk.

You mean other than being pregnant, Shuichi thought
sardonically.� How was he supposed to
feel when not only was he being forced into taking part in a project he wanted
nothing to do with, but had to find a way to tell Eiri that he had been lying
to him for the passed ten years?� Shuichi
lifted a shoulder indifferently.� �Pretty
good.� Getting by,� he answered.� Barely, he added silently.

Tohma nodded and sat back in his chair.� The leather squeaked.� �I understand that you are not one-hundred
percent behind this latest Bad Luck project, but I commend you for agreeing to
be a part of it anyway.� Thank you.�

Shuichi�s nails scraped the arms of the chair as he
clenched his hands into tight balls of fury, but he said nothing.� Just nodded.�
�No problem.� The songs we�re
remaking are awesome songs.�� True.� He did like a great deal of them.� But just because he liked the songs that were
going to be incorporated onto disk two of Bad Luck�s new album meant that he
was for the project.� He was only part of
it because he had no choice.� Shuichi
scoffed silently.� He had been
effectively out voted.� At the time, the
thought briefly crossed his mind to just quit the band, but in the end, he
tossed that idea aside as just being absurd.�
Bad Luck without Shuichi was like a vampire abstaining from blood or
holding onto the deluded belief that he was still human.� In the end, it would only end up in disaster.� Choosing instead to grit his teeth and bear
through this greatest hits compilation CD and then to wait and see what happens
after that.� Even if it meant walking out
on Bad Luck forever if his demands were not met.� It would kill a part of him to do so, but he
just could not take it anymore.

�Good.�
Good.� Did you by any chance
happen to see this morning�s paper?� Tohma asked him as he reached behind him
towards the shelving unit.

Shuichi was thrown slightly by the sudden change in
topic.� �The paper?� No,� he shook his head.� �We were running late this morning.�� That was thanks to Riku.� Eiri said the boy took after him, but there
were times when Shuichi begged to differ.�
Like this morning.� He was
definitely his father�s son.� Besides,
neither he nor Eiri particularly cared for the news no matter what form it came
in and that was mostly because there was always something about them in
it.� �Why?�

Tohma tossed him the magazine.

Catching it in mid-air, Shuichi threw his boss a questioning
glance.� Not the least bit surprised,
Shuichi only sighed as he read the headlines.�
��Discord Runs Rampant through
Band,�� the headlines screamed.� ��The End of Bad Luck?�� Shuichi would normally say that the leak
within NG Productions struck again, but not this time.� This time, he knew it was all their
doing.� Discord was right.� At times, the six members of Bad Luck worked
harmoniously.� It was enough for one to
forget that there was any dissonance among the ranks, but at other times, they were
at each other�s throats.� During those
times, none of them were very discreet.�
Not even when they were in public.

�I have already spoken with Ryota,� Tohma was saying.

Nagao Ryota was Eiri�s and his publicist.

�And we will be releasing a statement.�

Shuichi nodded as he handed back the tabloid
magazine.� He did not know why Tohma even
bothered anymore.

�So, Shindou-san,� Tohma said as he returned to his
seat behind his desk, �what can I do for you?�
I don�t believe you stopped by just to say �hi�.�� He laced his fingers together a top the desk
and leaned forward with that plastic smile of his.

Shuichi sighed and sat back in the chair.� He stared down at his hands lightly clasped
in his lap.� �I need your help,� he
admitted.

�Oh?� You need my help?�

As much as it irked him to admit it.� �Yes,� Shuichi nodded.

�And what would you need my help with?�

Lifting his head, Shuichi looked over the desk and
straight at his boss.� �I want to ask
Eiri to marry me,� he with a straight face.�
It was something he had been thinking more and more about lately even
before he discovered he was pregnant and seeing as their ten-year anniversary
was coming up, Shuichi figured it was as good a time as any.� Besides, it would also leave Eiri nowhere to
run when he dropped the bombshell that he was expecting their baby.� Or so he hoped.� There was still the good possibility that
Eiri would drop him like a hot potato.�
Unfortunately, that was a risk he had to take.� He loved Eiri too much to continue to lie to
him.

Tohma raised an eyebrow.� The corner of his lips twitched with a faint
trace of a real smile.� Oh, this was
going to be good.

+---+---+

Half an Hour
Later

As Shuichi, with Jacob right behind him, slowly made his
way down the hall from the elevator to the studio Bad Luck was scheduled to
use, he trailed his left hand along the wall besides him while his other hand
ghosted over his belly.� A smile
fluttered across his face.

�Of course,
Shindou-san,� Tohma had agreed
eagerly.� �Let me make a few phone calls and I will get back to you.�

He had a son he adopted with Eiri, he was pregnant
with Eiri�s child and in a matter of a few short weeks, he was going to be
engaged to Eiri, the man he has been in love with since he was eighteen years
old.� Hopefully.� If Eiri did not drop kick his sorry ass to
the curb.� If he were not dreading going
through the door that stood not more than ten feet from where he was standing,
Shuichi would swear that his life was perfect.

Even if by chance, Eiri did leave him, Shuichi would
still gladly welcome this child.� It was
a miracle.� A gift.� He hated to admit it, but if it came down to
it, if he had to chose between this baby growing and developing within him and
Eiri, he knew without a doubt who would come out the winner.

Pushing away from the wall, Shuichi strode across the
hall and grabbed the doorknob.� Taking a
deep breath, he closed his eyes momentarily as he tried to psyche himself
up.�

And then opening his eyes, he turned the knob and
pushed the door to the studio open.� He
stepped into the studio with his stomach doing summersaults.

�Hey!� Shuichi,�
cried the greeting.

�Hey, guys,� Shuichi returned the greeting with that
false cheer once again as he shut the door behind him.

+---+---+

Later That
Night

�My
Lord.� My Lady,� I heard Deykin say
respectfully.

I lifted my
head and glanced around the office.�
Deykin was gone.� I had not heard
him leave.

�So,� Lady Carwen
asked impatiently from the other side of the closed study door, �what did you
find out, Captain?�

I immediately
felt my body go tense as a surge of anger coursed through me.� My hands closed into tight fists.� He lied to me!� They had
asked him to question me!� I did not like being lied to.

�You were
right, my Lady,� Deykin answered my mother.�
�She was so upset upon hearing the news of the passing of her-�

I held my
breath.� Would he spill everything he
promised to keep secret?

�-friend that
she did not know what she was saying.�
She wishes me to convey her utmost apologies for her earlier
indiscretion.�

I closed me
eyes and let out my breath as I said a silent thank you (1).

---

Eiri leaned back in the chair and wracked his fingers
through his hair before lacing his hands together behind his head.� He stared up at the ceiling deep in
thought.� He was not sure he particularly
cared where this story was going.� There
seemed to be too much back-story.� Maybe
it would be better to scrap the entire story and start from scratch on
something else.� Growling, he took off
his glasses and placing them on the desk besides his laptop, scrubbed his hands
over his face.� He sighed.� Deciding he had enough for the day, Eiri
saved his work just in case he decided to continue with it.� Then he shut down the computer.� He flicked off the desk lamp as he maneuvered
out of the office and into the living room.�
Immediately, he spied his son sitting sideways in the armchair watching
television.� �Go do your homework,� he
ordered as he crossed towards the couch.

As predicted, Riku whined.� He swung his legs off the arms of the
armchair.� �Aw!� Why?�

�Because you know better.� No TV, no phone, no net �til your homework is
done.�

�C�mon, Dad!�
It�s the weekend!� Can�t I do it
tomorrow?�

�No.�

�Man!� No fair,�
Riku grumbled as he pushed to his feet.

�Hey, life�s not fair,� Eiri said as he plopped down
on the couch.� He swiped the remote from
the coffee table and switched the station from The Music Channel where some
rock band wearing Michael Meyers-like masks were playing in a burning
field.� Instead, he turned to Book
TV.� That bitch that tried to write a
biography about him was on speaking about her latest book.� He quickly switched it to the twenty-four
hour news station.

�This sucks,� Riku continued to grumble as he made his
way up the stairs to his bedroom.

�Speaking of which,� Eiri said as the newscaster spoke
about the growing unease between Iran
and Israel.� Maybe it would just be better to blow the Middle East off the face of the planet.� Would do the world a hell of a favor.� It was always the Middle East this and the Middle East that.�
Or maybe if Mohammad was never born, Islam never would have been
established as a religion and then there would not be these asinine extremists
making trouble for the rest of humanity just because they were all brain-dead
Neanderthals.� Seriously.� Nothing good ever came from having government
formed around religion.� The proof was
there in the history books and on your nightly news program.� He remembered hearing something a while back
that the president of Iran
said when he spoke at some US
college.� Something about how there were
no gays in Iran�If that was true it was only because they all either fled the
country, were so deep in the closet, or had been executed, seeing as
homosexuality was illegal and punishable by death in all Muslim countries
(2).� He flicked the channel to Tru
TV.� Forensic
Files was just coming on.� �Where�s
your mother?�

�Grandma�s.�

�Huh.�� He did
not remember Shuichi saying anything about going to visit his mother.� He wondered what was going on?

+---+---+

Shindou
Household

From his seat on the barstool at the kitchen island at
his parent�s house, Shuichi stared blankly down in the steaming mug of hot
chocolate.

�Shuichi,� his mother said as she sat down besides him
with a plate of chocolate chip cookies fresh from the oven.� �You�ve been with Yuki-kun how long now?�

�Ten years next month,� Shuichi answered
automatically.� He reached for a cookie
and bite into it.� Instantly, he was in
heaven.

Shindou-san nodded.�
�Why haven�t you told him about this?�

Shuichi shrugged.�
One, his mouth was full.� Two, he
really had no answer for her.

His mother sighed as she too picked up a cookie and bit
into it.� �I don�t know what to tell you,
Shuichi,� she said.� �It�s up to you
whether to tell him or not.�

That was not what he had been expecting to hear.� Disappointed, he slumped over the counter
with a tired sigh.

�But I think it�s best to be honest, honey.�

With tears in his eyes, Shuichi picked himself
up.� �But, Mom, what if�?�

With a soft smile, Shindou-san reached out and ran a
gentle hand through her son�s hair.� �If
he dumps you then he really wasn�t the one, was he?�

Shuichi buried his face in his hands with a cry.� Now he was even more confused than ever.� He wanted to tell him.� He wanted to open and honest with Eiri.� He really did, but he was so afraid.� He couldn�t lose Eiri.� He couldn�t.�
He knew he had decided that if it came down to it, this child within him
would take precedence, but still.� Eiri
was his everything.� Why did these things
always happen to him?

+---+---+

Uesugi-Shindou
Household

�Hey Dad?� Riku called over the railing as he walked
out of his room half an hour later.�
�Woh,� he cried softly as the railing gave slightly under his grip.

�What?�

A sly smirk crossed his face.� �When are you going to ask Mama to marry
you?�

Something within Eiri snapped.� �Never if you don�t shut your face and go do
your homework and leave me the fuck the alone!�

Riku�s smile broadened.

Realizing what he just said, Eiri cursed.� As he heard his son�s cries of jubilation, he
cursed again.� What the hell has he just
gotten himself into?� Damn manipulative
brat, Eiri cursed.� Reminded him of
someone else.

+---+---+

Uesugi-Shindou
Household - An Hour Later

�Hey Shuichi.�

Shuichi looked up at the familiar voice.� He smiled and inclined his head slightly in
greeting.� �Hey, Grant,� he returned as
he stepped into the lobby.

Grant Christian used to be a sergeant with the United States
Air Force based out of the US Airbase here in Japan.� He ended up falling in love with one of the
local girls who worked at the base and after his tour of duty was over,
requested and received an honorable discharge and after marrying the girl,
moved back here to Japan.� Grant claimed it was the best decision he
ever made.

�Hey, you know someone moved into Chosokabe-san�s
apartment already?�

Shuichi blinked at that.� �What?�

�Yeah.� I�m heading
out to pick up some stuff for dinner and just happened to notice this guy
moving boxes in.�

�Wow.� That was
fast.�

�No kidding.�
Hope he doesn�t turn out to be an asshole like that last guy.�

Shuichi snorted.�
�Really.�

�That last guy� was Sadohara Hajime.� Besides his and Eiri�s, there were three
other apartments on their floor.� One
belonged to Grant and his wife.� The
second belonged to (or used to belong to) Kita and Morisaki Uiko resided in the
third with her husband.� But on the floor
above theirs, there were only two apartments.�
One of them used to belong to Hajime.�
The guy turned out to be a bipolar bastard.� He was the least neighborly person on the
face of the planet.� He acted like a
three year old with a temper tantrum.�
Always yelling and screaming and fighting with his girlfriend.� Always pounding his feet when he walked.� At times even more so than others.� Not to mention the guys smoked like a
chimney.� The stairwell always smelled
like an ashtray.� It was such a
nauseating smell.� Whenever someone
complained to the landlord, Hajime became an even greater annoyance.� Pounding even harder.� Yelling and screaming louder.� Eiri in turn would always go and call the
landlord right back up and complain.� The
landlord would call Hajime and Hajime�s childish, immature antics would
escalate again.� It was a never-ending
cycle.� Shuichi just told Eiri to ignore
the guy, but Eiri flat out refused.

�We pay too
much for this dump to put up with assholes like him,� is what Eiri would say.

Finally, the landlord had had enough and ended up
evicting Hajime after only a few months.

�It wasn�t
just you who complained,� the
landlord said.

Seeing as Hajime�s apartment was a single story
instead of two like theirs, his place encompassed Eiri and his and the
Christians� apartment so Grant and his wife also bitched about the guy.

At one point, Eiri threatened the landlord with, �It�s either him or us.�� In the end, Hajime was given the boot and
everything has been quite since.

�Well, have a nice night, Shuichi,� Grant said as he
exited the building.

�You, too,� Shuichi returned.� With Jacob behind him, Shuichi headed
straight to the elevator and Eiri.

+---+---+

The elevator slowed as it came to his floor.� Shuichi pushed away from the back wall as he heard
the familiar ping.� The doors slid open
and he stepped out when Jacob indicated it was alright to proceed.� He started down the hall towards the
apartment he shared with Eiri and their son when the door to what used to be
Chosokabe Kita-san�s apartment just this morning opened and out stepped a man
who had to be at least Hiro�s height.

Jacob came to a sudden halt before him and held out an
arm, which forced Shuichi to stop.

�Aah!�
Hello!� You must be, Shindou-san,�
the man greeted with a wide toothy grin when he spotted Shuichi.

Shuichi forced himself to smile at the man.� �Hello,� he returned with a small voice.� He felt his smile waver.� The man had a pale complexion, but not like
Eiri�s.� It was more of a sickly
paleness.� Almost as if the man could
keel over at any moment.� The narrow eyes
the color of mud seemed to bore deeply into Shuichi�s.� An abnormally large nose took up most of his
long face.� Shuichi found himself taking
several steps backwards away from the guy.

�I�m Rinjin Yasashii,� the man introduced.� He stepped forward.� �I�m your new neighbor.� Nice to meet you.�

Shuichi stared at that hand with those white skeletal
digits Yasashii was holding out to him.�
A wave of fear washed over him.�
He could not explain it, but he did not like this guy.� Not one bit.�
There was something about him.�
But thinking he was being ridiculous, for he did not even know the man,
Shuichi tentatively stepped forward and shook the man�s proffered hand.� Yasashii�s clammy, wraith-like fingers closed
around his and Shuichi fought against the impulse to pull his hand back and
race into his apartment to sterilize it.�
Instead, he remained where he was with a forced smile on his face.� �N-nice to meet you too�Rinjin-san.�

---OWARI---

(1)
Taken from my original short story �The Journey�

(2)
True, unfortunately.�
F-ing bigots.� Yes, gays may not
be able to marry or may not be allowed (openly) to join the military in a great
deal of countries around the world, but at least it isn�t against the law to be
gay.� Maybe all these Muslim countries
could join the twenty-first century with the rest of us?� (I mean no offense to the normal, ordinary
citizens of said Muslim countries or if any of you guys are Islamic).

A/N:� I know.�
I know.� I said �Give in To Me�
would be the last part.� So I lied.� So sue me.�
Actually, I went back over �Give in To Me� and am in the process of
going back over �This I Promise You� to add Riku (which is not easy let me tell
you) and thought that it might be prudent if I were to add a short little
interlude that revolved around Shuichi actually meeting Yasashii for the first
time.� And this story was born.� I might add more little interludes in the
future as well.� We will see.

And do not
fret.� The sequel to �Street of Dreams�
will be out soon (I am in the process of writing it) as well as the next
chapters of �Naked� and �Wolfram�s Bruise�.�
Oh!� And for those who read my Kyo Kara Maoh fanfic,
there is still time to place your bets on the gender of the baby (or �babies�
if you prefer) and a name.

So, what do you think?
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My Heart Beats Like A Drum