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Still Raining	By : Chocho Category: Gravitation > AU - Alternate Universe Views: 3218 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Gravitation or the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1
- 2
Still Raining

Sequel to: On
the Street of dreams

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:�
There was one woman at the press conference that refused to leave well
enough alone.� Two years later, she is
back and causing trouble for Shuichi and Eiri.�
She is determined to prove that Aizawa is not the biological father of
little Takanori.� What if she is
right?� And as if that weren�t enough,
what if Mr. Shindou was right all along as well?� What if Shuichi really isn�t his son?

Chapter Summary:� Nami Mataguchi is back and she issues Shuichi
a challenge.

Warning: angst, drama, romance, m-preg, language,
m/m, hentai

Inserts:�
Chapter 24: �A Not so Secret Secret�, epilogue

A/N:�
How long has it been since �On the Street of Dreams� was first out?� I kept going back and forth over whether
there would be one.� It was not that I
was opposed to the idea.� I just did not have
any ideas.� But here it is.� Finally.�
There will be many surprises.� I
want to thank sweetsally,
Mrs. Hatake Itachi, fahaar, RRW, sun�s and stars, Angel of Melancholy,
evilanimeprincess121, BloodyRoseSharpThorn, UnratedCrimsonBlood, Acherona,
Nusku, tinlizzie81592, glostarz for
their reviews and for everybody else I may have forgotten.� This one is for you guys.

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

LOOK OUT MY WINDOW

IT�S STILL RAININ�

LOOK OUT MY WINDOW

IT�S STILL RAININ�

THEY SAY TIME HEALS EVERYTHING

I�VE FELT THE PAIN THAT LOVE CAN BRING

IT DON�T GET NO BETTER WITH EACH PASSING
DAY

ANY HOPE I HAD IS SLOWLY SLIPPING AWAY

-�Still Rainin�, by Jonny Lang, Wander This World

+---+---+

(Last Time)

Shuichi
opened his eyes and glanced at Eiri with a heavy heart.� His eyes glistened with unshed tears.� There was a mix of emotions racing across his
face.� �I'm sorry about what they said,
Eiri.� About you being a pervert and
child molester.�

Eiri
shrugged.� Truth be known, it had hurt,
but he could see where they would think that.

Tohma had
quickly diffused that situation by announcing that Eiri and Shuichi did not
have a sexual relationship.� It was a lie
of course, but given the alternative, it was a lie they were all willing to
live with.� Of course, the press had not
bought it because Shuichi was clearly pregnant.�
Unless the baby was conceived immaculately, it was obvious that the two
of them did indeed have a sexual relationship.

Once again,
Tohma came to the rescue.� He explained
the father of Shuichi's unborn child was Taki Aizawa, Shuichi's
ex-boyfriend.� The couple broke up and
Shuichi started dating Eiri before Shuichi realized he was pregnant.� Then, unfortunately, Aizawa died in a car
accident shortly after finding out he was to be a father.� And with the permission of the Aizawa family,
Eiri planned on adopting the child and raising it as his own.� It was not exactly the truth, but neither was
it a lie.� Thankfully, the press bought
it hook, line and sinker�most of them anyway.

There was one
woman who could not leave well enough alone.�
She made the comment that it was �awfully convenient that this �supposed
ex-boyfriend� just happens to be dead�.

+---+---+

Chapter 1: Reemergence Leads to Change and a Challenge

(One Year Later � May � Sakuma- Uesugi Residence - Tokyo, Japan)

A sound curse flowed passed Tatsuha Uesugi�s lips as
he took in the headline.� Yanking the
cigarette from his mouth, he crushed it in the ashtray besides its brethren and
with the tabloid magazine in his hand, marched through the apartment in search
of his long time partner.� He found him
sitting on the floor of the master bedroom�s walk-in closet with a shoebox in
his lap.

With a heavy sigh, Tatsuha crossed his arms over his
chest and leaned against the doorjamb.�
The paper crinkled as it was crushed under his armpit.� �Ryu,� he called softly.

With a sniffle, Ryuichi lifted a photograph out of the
shoebox.� He ran the fingers of his free
hand over the image and gave a watery smile.�
�My baby has a baby,� he whispered softly through his tears as if he did
not hear the other man.

Tatsuha rolled his eyes with another heavy sigh.� Here we go again, he thought.

Ryuichi laughed softly.� �Can you imagine?� Me?� A
grandfather at my age?�

�Like father.�
Like son,� Tatsuha supposed.

Ryuichi laughed at that.

Pushing away from the door, Tatsuha tossed the paper
over his shoulder onto the bed and stepped into the closet where he crouched
down besides Ryuichi.� Draping an arm
around his older lover�s shoulders, Tatsuha planted a kiss on the side of
Ryuichi�s head.� Ryuichi�s brown tresses
were soft to the touch.� Then resting his
head against Ryuichi�s, Tatsuha glanced down at the photograph Ryuichi held in
his hand.� It was a photograph of a very
young looking Ryuichi who had a huge stupid looking grin plastered on his face
and tears streaming down his cheeks as he held a small screaming bundle wrapped
in a yellow blanket.� �How old were you?�
Tatsuha asked softly.

�I turned fourteen fifteen days before Shuichi was
born.�

Tatsuha was silent.�
He could not imagine what it must have been like for his husband.� To have it all and then be threatened with
losing it all in the very same day.� He
wasn�t sure if he should bring it up, for even now, eighteen years after it
happened, it was still a very sore subject.�
But not without reason, given the turn of events that followed.� �Whatever happened to�what�s his name?� Yuki?�
Is he still in that loony bin?�

��Yeah��

O-kay, Tatsuha thought.� �Have you talked to him since...?�

Without having to ask, Ryuichi knew exactly to what
Tatsuha was referring.� Ryuichi shook his
head as a sharp pain ripped through his heart as he remembered the awful events
of that day.� Of what could have
happened.� He traced the image of his
infant son in the photograph with a nostalgic smile on his face.

Tatsuha wrapped both arms around Ryuichi.� �You haven�t seen him once after that?�

��No��

�Not even when he gave birth to Shuichi?�

Ryuichi shook his head.

�So, the only contact you had with him was
through�what?� Your manager or
something?�

�And our lawyers.�

Tatsuha nodded.�
��You think he knows about little Takanori and the new baby?�

Ryuichi shrugged.

�You going to tell him?�

Ryuichi shook his head.� �No.�

�But he�s his-!�

�I know.�

Tatsuha sighed.

�He gave up his rights�to our son�when he�� Ryuichi�s throat closed over.� �When he tried to��

Tatsuha gently squeezed Ryuichi in an attempt to
reassure him.

Ryuichi took a ragged breath to try to relieve the
tightness in his chest and blinked away his tears.� He had mixed feelings over that period in his
life.� Part of him was glad he had that
affair with Yuki because it ended up with them creating his precious baby boy,
but at the same time, if Ryuichi had not had that one night with Yuki after the
concert at Zepp Tokyo where Nittle Grasper had opened up for some band that has
long since disappeared into obscurity, Yuki would not have jumped to the
conclusion that Ryuichi�s feelings ran deeper than they actually did.� Ryuichi would not have had to reject him,
which in turn caused Yuki to become an obsessed, overzealous fan who stalked
him constantly for the next six months when he tried to blackmail Ryuichi into
going out with him.

�Love
me!� Ryu!�
Love me!�

Ryuichi tried to shake aside the memories that threatened
to pour forth, but like a failed dam, the memories gushed forth unbidden.

He remembered being in the studio with Tohma and
Noriko working on their follow up album when there was a sudden commotion out
in the hall.� Tohma had popped his head
out and asked the first person he saw, some sound technician, what was going
on.

�There�s
someone on the roof threatening to jump!�

Ryuichi could not explain it.� He couldn�t then and he still couldn�t, but
his blood had suddenly turned to ice.� He
knew.� He knew beyond any shadow of a
doubt.� Neither Tohma nor Noriko had
known about his little tryst with Yuki before that day.� But after everything was said and done, most
of the people who were at L8r Records that day, knew the whole sorted history
between Yuki and him.

He raced blindly up to the roof with his heart
pounding so hard it was just this side of exploding.� He may not have been in love with Yuki, but
he had cared about him a great deal.�
Besides, he could not stop blaming himself.� The guilt started to eat at him at the
thought that it would be all his fault if Yuki jumped.� If Yuki killed himself, then it would be his
entire fault.� He could have done
something to prevent it, but hadn�t.

Through the heavy steel door, he burst.� Charging through the blustery January winter
wind that was whipping around like ice pellets and pushing his way through the
crowd of people who were gawking at the spectacle instead of doing something
useful.� Panting heavily, that was when
he saw him.� Balancing on the lip of the
building that could not have been more than six inches wide at most was Yuki�a
very pregnant looking Yuki.

At thirty weeks, Yuki was threatening to jump and kill
not only himself but also the baby he was carrying if Ryuichi did not say that
they could be together as a family.

��Are you going to tell him the truth?�

The sound of his lover�s voice drew him out of his
thoughts.

Ryuichi was blessed to have a man like Tatsuha by his
side.� They met soon after Tohma started
dating Mika and even though Tatsuha had been nothing more than a child at the
time, it had been love at first sight for Ryuichi.� Over the years, as he watched Tatsuha grow
up, his feelings had only intensified.�
Then finally, one day it happened.�
It was a party for Tatsuha�s sixteenth birthday party.� He managed to get him alone and kissed
him.� The rest, as they say, is history,
despite the eight-year difference.� But
it had been only a few years ago when L8r Records was dissolved that Ryuichi
had been allowed to finally confess his darkest secret to his lover.� That Shuichi Shindou had actually been born
Shuichi Sakuma.� That whom Tatsuha had
been led to believe was his husband�s baby brother was in reality his baby
boy.� His son.� There had been many tears and a lot yelling
and screaming, accusations.� Ryuichi had
even sported quite a nice shiner for the next few weeks.� But in the end, Tatsuha had forgiven him for
lying to him and accepted the child that had been born of Ryuichi�s illicit
relationship with Yuki.� Though it was still
a touchy subject.

Unfortunately, he was the only one who had.� And Yuki was not the only one who had been
forced into signing away his parental rights, but Ryuichi had them back now and
he promised to make up for all the lost time.

Pushing away from his younger lover, Ryuichi put the
photograph back into the shoebox before putting the lid back on.

�It�s not like there�s anything keeping you from
telling him,� Tatsuha pushed into the silence.�
�Not anymore.� Not like there
was.�

Pushing to his feet, Ryuichi shook his head and
crossed the closet where he slid the shoebox onto the top shelf.� He shuffled some things around and when he
stepped back, the shoebox was gone.� �So,�
he said, turning around to face Tatsuha, �what�s up?�

Tatsuha studied Ryuichi a few moments longer before
walking out of the closet and picking up the magazine from the bed.� �Here,� he said, handing it to Ryuichi, �take
a look.�

Throwing Tatsuha a questioning glance, Ryuichi took
the proffered paper.� His eyes became
bigger and bigger as he read the article.�
Very quickly, his shock gave way to anger.� His hands began shaking.� The paper crinkled in his hands.� �That bitch,� he hissed.� �She just can�t leave well enough alone, can
she?�� With the paper crushed in his
hand, the older singer pushed passed Tatsuha and strode purposefully across the
bedroom and vanished out into the hallway.

Tatsuha scratched his head with a sigh.� That woman sure had a death wish.

But�

He wished Ryuichi would sit Shuichi down and tell him the
truth about his parentage.� �Before he
finds out some other way,� he muttered aloud.

+---+---+

(NG
Productions Executive Offices)

The intercom buzzed.�
Without taking his eyes from the latest sales figures, Tohma reached for
his phone blindly.� �Yes?�

�Sir,� his secretary said, �Mr. Sakuma�s on the phone
for you.�

Tohma sighed mentally.�
He saw this coming a mile away.�
Setting the document aside, he told the woman he would take it.� �Hello Ryu�Yes, I did se�Ry�Yes, Ryu�� Tohma fought the urge to sigh again.� He pinched the bridge of his nose as he
listened to his old friend�s angry tirade.

Nami Mataguchi.�
Owner, founder, president, CEO and editor-in-chief of The Trinity and the main instigator in
the rising opposition against the parentage of one Takanori Uesugi.� Damn bitch has been nothing but a thorn in
their sides ever since the press conference over a year ago.

---

�Do you really think
that them not having a sexual relationship makes it alright for them to be
involved?� Mr. Shindou is still a minor.�

��

�Shuichi is sixteen.�
He will become of age in April and then it will no longer be an
issue.� Eiri, though we tend to forget,
is only
twenty-two.� Besides, we all grew up
together and Shuichi's guardians know and
trust Eiri and have supported and
allowed their courtship. �They have set strict rules and guidelines,� Tohma added.� �They even granted Eiri permission to marry
Shuichi.�

�Shindou's family my approve of their relationship,
Mr. Seguchi, and you may trust Mr. Eiri with him, but in the end it all comes
down to Mr. Shindou being only sixteen years old.�

---

The Trinity was a Christian extremist magazine.� Meaning, she was one of those people who
believed that allowing Homosexuals to marry would inevitably lead to people
having sex with animals and that Homosexuals were possessed by Satan and needed
to be cleansed by God or that the Harry Potter novels promoted witchcraft.� These were just a few of their deluded
beliefs (1).� There were few, if any,
people in Japan,
who actually gave the crazed woman the time of day, but unfortunately, the crap
she has been spewing was being picked up by reputable media sources and people
were beginning to talk.

When it first broke, it was a huge scandal.� That Eiri Yuki, self-proclaimed bachelor and
ladies man, was engaged to and having a child with an underaged male
Neutral.� Some of the reporters called
Eiri �a pervert and child molester� during the press conference.� The situation had quickly spiraled out of
control, but Tohma stepped in and took control of things.� He claimed that Eiri and Shuichi did not have
a sexual relationship.� Because Shuichi
was clearly pregnant, nobody bought his lie.�
But he explained the biological father of Shuichi's unborn child was
Taki Aizawa, Shuichi's ex-boyfriend, who recently passed away in a car
accident.� Shuichi started dating Eiri
before he realized he was pregnant.� It
was not really a lie, but neither had it been the exact truth either, but given
the alternative, there had been no other option.� Naturally, Nami Mataguchi bought not one
ounce of that can of bullshit.� He vowed
then and there to keep an eye on her.�
After little Takanori was born, she thankfully quieted down.� They all believed that was the end of that,
but here it was one year later and all that talk about Shuichi and Eiri �not
having a sexual relationship� was beginning to backfire because people were
starting to realize that little Takanori looked nothing like his �supposed
biological father�, one Taki Aizawa.

�Dammit Shuichi,� Tohma said as his best friend
continued to rant and rave his ear off, �what the hell have you done?�

But of course, she refused to stop there.� She has also begun hinting at other�details of Shuichi�s life that did not
seem to jib.� At least to her.� But then again, what didn�t?� One incident in particular he remembered
clearly.� Of course, Ms. Mataguchi
refused to come right out and say it, but she insinuated that Ryuichi and Shuichi�s relationship was not what it
appeared to be.� She stated that it was
clear what the truth was after she called in a few favors.

�Not what it
appears to be?� What the hell�s that
supposed to mean?� he remembered
Shuichi asking him.

He sighed.� This
whole thing has gotten way out of hand.�
�Look Ryu, I��

�There�s got
to be something we can do, Tohma!� This
has to stop!�

�There�s not much I can do, Ryu.� You know as
well I do that every time we fire back at that �crazy bitch� she uses it
against us.� It�s a never-ending cycle.�

��Then what
can we do?�

�I�m not sure, Ryu, but I�m beginning to think that
maybe we should just��

�What?�

�-amuse her.�

�We can�t do
that!�

Tohma sighed.�
�If Shuichi is right about little Takanori being Mr. Aizawa�s son, then,
as much as I hate to admit it, Ms. Mataguchi is right.� He shouldn�t have any problem submitting to a
DNA paternity test.�

�But Tohma-!�

�At least then, maybe we can finally get her out of
our hair once and for all.�

��Yeah...But
I�I�m not�Are you sure?�

�What other choice do we have?�

�Yeah, but Tohma��

Tohma sighed.�
�I know, Ryu.� I know.�� If you give in to a terrorist just once, then
what was there to stop that terrorist, or others, from demanding more?

+---+---+

(Shindou-Uesugi
Household)

The noise was deafening.

Eiri had a splitting headache.� Planting his elbows on the lip of his desk,
Eiri ground his middle fingers into his temples.

Sitting on the floor besides him, little Takanori was
playing drums with several pots and pans he managed to drag out of the kitchen
and was using a couple of wooden spoons he managed to find, who knows where, as
drumsticks while doing, what only Shuichi would call, �singing�.� God, this kid was really his mother�s son.

Lifting his head, he gazed down at the fifteen month
old.� He loved his son.� There was no doubt about it.� He had no regrets concerning his choice to
adopt him, but right about now, he regretted having agreed to take him for the
week.� Takanori was this close to sending
him over the edge.� Thank God, it was
Sunday.� Shuichi should be coming by any
time now to pick up their son.

A sudden shrill ringing startled him out of his
musings.� Please let that be him now,
Eiri pleaded as he reached across his desk for the phone.� �Shu?�

��Eiri?�

Eiri cursed.�
�Tohma.�

There was a moment of pause. �Then, ��What
is that?�

�Your nephew.�

�Aah!�

�Apparently, Shuichi took him to band practice with
him one day and Takanori fell in love with his new drummer�s drum set.�

�I see,� Tohma chuckled.

Eiri sighed heavily.

�How is
Shuichi anyway?�

Eiri shrugged.�
�Fine.� I suppose.� You would know better than I would.�

Tohma sighed over the line.� ��You
really should try to work things out with him, Eiri.�

�There�s nothing to work out,� Eiri snapped.� They actually went out to the movies on
Friday night. �It was the first time they
did anything together, other than going to Shuichi�s OB/GYN, since Shuichi
moved out.� Eiri was hoping it was a good
sign.� He could not stand being in this
house without his pink haired baka.

�Eiri��

�Was there a reason for this phone call?��

�Actually-�

Eiri started to growl as his son�s drumming continued
unrelentingly.� �Knock it off,� he barked
as his patience, which had been holding on by a tiny thread, snapped.� Even as he watched, Takanori�s wide hazel
eyes golden like the sun filled with tears.�
�Shit,� Eiri cursed softly as his son�s loud wails filled the sudden
silence that had descended upon the apartment after Takanori�s drum solo was
silenced prematurely.� He did not need
this right now.� Pushing away from his desk,
he stood up and put the phone on speaker so that he could speak with his
brother-in-law and deal with his son.�
Multi-tasking at its finest.

�Need some
help, Eiri?�

�No,� Eiri bit as he lifted his son into his arms with
a grunt.� Man the kid was heavy.� What in the worlds did Shuichi feed him?� Eiri made cooing, shushing noises as he
searched for the boy�s pacifier.� He
ignored the soft chuckles emanating over the line.

�If only your
fans could see you now.�

Eiri snorted.�
He finally found Takanori�s binki hidden beneath one of the bigger
pots.� As soon as it passed the boy�s
lips, his screeches (that was the only to describe them) were immediately
silenced.� Now that he was partially
deaf, Eiri made his way back to his desk chair as he fended off his son�s
roaming hands.� The kid loved to play
with his daddy�s glasses and his earring.�
Eiri sighed heavily as he sat down gratefully into his leather recliner
desk chair.� He had to switch his son
from his hip to his lap in the process.�
�So, what is it that you wanted?��
He pushed his laptop away from his son who apparently wanted to break
the keyboard.� Immediately, Takanori
whined in protest.� �Other than to annoy
the hell out of me?�� When Takanori began
wiggling, Eiri placed him on the floor.

�Oh, come
now, Eiri.�

Eiri rolled his eyes.�
He could just imagine the pout on his brother-in-law�s face.�

�Can�t I just
call to say �hi�?�

Eiri snorted.�
He watched as his son made his way across the room to the bookcase and
began pulling book after book out and tossing them onto the floor.� Thank God, the books on the lower shelves
were his son�s.

�Fine.� Fine!�
After all I�ve done for you��

�I�m hanging up now.�

�Alright.� Alright!�

Having apparently found the book he was searching for,
Takanori sat amidst the mess he made and pulled the book onto his lap.� His binki was gone, Eiri noticed.� Takanori fingered the pages and reciting
aloud from said pages as if he were reading.�
Eiri chuckled at the sight.

�

�Have you
watched the news or read the paper this morning?�

That was a stupid question.� �Of course not.� You know I don�t watch that crap.�

�Well��

Eiri grew curious.�
�Well what?�

�Ms.
Mataguchi is at it again.�

Eiri heaved a disgusted sigh.� �What the hell do I care?�

�Eiri, she�s
using the fact that you and Shuichi�separated.�

Of course she was.�
Bitch.

Takanori finished the book he was reading and went in
search of another one.� Eiri silently
cursed.� That was the one thing he did
not like about having children.� They
left a heap of destruction in their wakes.�
Walking disaster areas.� He really
needed to teach his son to clean up after himself.� At one year old, Noriko�s daughter could put
her toys away after she was done with them.�
So, he knew it could be done.

�Look, people
were speculating that the reason why you two �broke up� was because he cheated
on you.� Right?�

Eiri felt his anger swelling up within him.� Why they took delight in spreading crap
around like that was beyond him.� These
tabloid reporters and various media for the more �legitimate� entertainment
news were the reason why couples, who- if they were normal, average people like
the rest of society- would have stayed together for possibly the rest of their
lives, broke up.� Controversy was their
first, middle and last names.� Sometimes,
despite how two people felt about each other, all the press and tabloid fodder
that encircled the couple became too much.�
It has happened on more than one occasion.� The press feeds a bunch of bull about a
certain celebrity couple just to stir things up and see how far they can push
things and then when the couple breaks up, they all wonder, �what
happened?�� Gee, I wonder.

It appeared that Takanori was finished reading.� He walked back to his drum set and picked up
his drumsticks.� Dear God, Eiri thought
as the noise level rose to deafening heights once again.

�There was
also that rumor that he was pregnant again.�� Tohma had raised his voice over
the rising noise level.

The sound of Tohma�s voice snapped Eiri out of his
thoughts.

That was right.�
Around the same time Shuichi and he decided to take a little hiatus,
rumors began to circulate that the reason was because of infidelity and they
all pointed the finger at Shuichi because he was spotted going into the pharmacy
and buying an over the counter pregnancy test.�
That it was for his little sister Maiko didn�t stop the rumors from
spreading.� At this point Shuichi didn�t
even know or suspect that he was pregnant yet.�
That discovery was made a few weeks later.

�What the hell does this have to do that bitch?�

�Well,
basically, she�s claiming that it�s �convenient� that when Shuichi discovered
he was pregnant, you dumped him and yet both claim neither of you cheated on
the other.�

That was not exactly how it happened, but he let it
slide.� Bitch likes to put together the
puzzle her way and not the way it was supposed to be.� �There wasn�t
any.�

�I know that,
but you have to admit that if you look at it from her point of view, she has a
point.�

��And?�

�Eiri?�

�This isn�t any different from every other tabloid,
but this time she�s about three months behind.�

�True, but
she uses the infidelity angle as a launching point.�

�For what?�

�Well, she goes
on to say that this�s like history repeating itself.�

�Huh?�

�Eiri, you
guys split up and claim that the child Shuichi�s carrying is indeed yours.� It�s the same thing that happened before with
little Takanori.� Shuichi claims Taki
Aizawa is his biological father, right?�
And yet the two of them broke up.�

Eiri sighed.�
Why Nami Mataguchi just could not let sleeping dogs lie was beyond
him.� �So, she still claims that she
doesn�t believe that Takanori is Aizawa�s son?�

�Yes.�

�So what?�� He
was fed up with dealing with her.

�Eiri, she
issued a challenge.�

That captured Eiri�s immediate attention.� �What sort of challenge?�

�She�s saying
that if little Takanori is indeed Taki Aizawa�s son, then there shouldn�t be
any problem with proving it.�

Eiri cocked an eyebrow at that.� �You mean like a paternity test?�

�Exactly.�

�Ya know�� Eiri
sighed.� �Why does she care so
much?�� Girl needs to get a life.

�Because
Eiri.�

�Because why?� he asked, exasperated.

�Because
little Takanori looks nothing like Aizawa.�

---

�Hey,� Shuichi said late
one night as he and his fianc� lay in bed.�
�Eiri?�

��

�Hm,� Eiri asked distracted.� He was in the middle of reading a new release
from one of his favorite authors.

��

�Is it alright?�

��

Eiri's brow scrunched in confusion.� Marking his place, he closed his book and set
it on his chest.� Sliding off his
glasses, he set them on top of his book.�
He turned to look at Shuichi.� The
kid was propped up by a mound of pillows and looking at the newest sonogram of
the baby.� Or so the doctor said.� He could see nothing but a bunch of black and
white swirls.� �What?�

�Seeing you're going to be adopting the baby, I was
thinking I could, ya know, uhm��

��

Eiri sighed.�
�You want to name the
baby after Aizawa.�

��

Shuichi bit his lip and nodded, turning to look at
Eiri with those large purple puppy dog eyes of his.

��

Eiri groaned inwardly.�
Dammit, he thought.� He hated it
when Shuichi did that!� It was totally
impossible to resist.� However, as he
thought about it, it did not seem like a bad idea.� From what he was able to learn about the guy, Aizawa had actually been trying to stop Shuichi from having that abortion when
he drove past that day.� Therefore, it
was very possible that the guy would have made a major transformation knowing
that he was going to be a father.� Eiri
moved his book and glasses to the bedside table and turned over on his side to
face Shuichi.� He laid a hand on the kids
swelling stomach and rubbed small circles on his belly.� �Okay,� Eiri sighed.

��

Shuichi smiled wildly, showing brilliantly white
teeth.� �Really?� Thank you, Eiri!� I love you!�

��

�Yeah, well, just make sure he looks like you,� he
said turning his back on the kid.

��

Shuichi snorted and rolled his eyes.� �Yes, sir.�
I'll get right on that.�

---

When he made that statement, he had not actually
thought it would turn out to be the truth.�
Little Takanori had looked so much like his mother when he was born it
had been eerie.� He had Shuichi�s dark
complexion and raven black hair.�
Shuichi's round face, his big round eyes, tiny nose and big mouth, not
to mention, his huge lung capacity.� The
only hint Eiri ever had of Taki Aizawa (or so he thought) were those dark hazel
brown eyes and that had been just fine with him.� But over time, Takanori�s eyes lightened into
an almost golden hazel color.� Shuichi�s
eyes were black but had a hue to them that on most days made his eyes look more
purple than black.� So it was no wonder
people were talking.� Even though Eiri
had those same golden eyes, he knew he was not little Takanori�s biological
father.� Unfortunately.

But now Eiri sat back and studied his son, really
studied him for what seemed like the first time and came to a quick and
startling realization.� There were hints,
little peeks here and there that were unaccounted for.� Aspects that he never noticed before.� The kid was not skinny like his mother, but
was more on the hefty side and was taller than Shuichi was when he was his age
according to Ryuichi.� A little on the
short side, Shuichi was barely over five feet.�
Takanori�s eyes were a little pinched at the corners and they had a
little tilt to them that neither Shuichi nor Taki Aizawa had.� It was there in the stubborn set of his chin
and along his jaw line.� His cheekbones.

�Fuckin� hell.�

Takanori glanced over his shoulder at the sound of his
father�s voice.� A huge grin crossed his
face.� Dropping his makeshift drumsticks,
he clumsily got to his feet and ran over to Eiri while exclaiming something or
other, which Eiri could not decipher.� He
heard �dada� and maybe �bye-bye�, but wasn�t sure.� Shuichi would have been able to understand
what their son was saying.� Eiri lifted
the boy into his arms and tossed him into the air over his head.� Takanori squealed with laughter.

As Eiri looked at his son, he saw someone else looking
back and it wasn�t Taki Aizawa as he was previously led to believe.

+---+---+

(Across Town
� La Noix de Coco Caf�)

Shuichi placed his elbows on the edge of the table and
leaned his chin on his linked hands.� He
turned to stare out the window of the small internet caf� located across the
street from NG Productions� new Tokyo
headquarters and sighed.� Before him lay The Trinity opened to Nami Mataguchi�s
editorial, which was once again bashing him and his family.� Not too long ago, she made some hints about
Ryuichi and he looking too much alike to be only brothers.� What was it about this crazy bitch and
appearances?� God!� Why did she feel the need to interfere?� If it was not one thing then it was another.

A buzzing sound caught his attention.

Shuichi�s glance shifted from the view of the massive
glass structure that housed his record company to his sleek black blackberry
that was dancing across the table.� The
screen was lit up.� He really was not in
any mood, but he caught his cellphone before it danced off the table.� A quick check of the LCD screen had him
sighing.� For some reason Shuichi had a
feeling this was not going to be an inquiry into when he planned on picking up
Takanori.� �Yes, Eiri,� he breathed.�

�We have a
problem,� Eiri said, cutting right to
the chase.

�I know,� Shuichi sighed.� Why did he have to be right?

�Then you saw
the article.�

�Yes,� he answered exasperated.

��So?�

�So what?�

�So, what are
we gonna do?!�

�About what?�

Eiri sighed.� He
sounded annoyed.� �About that crazy bitch?� he snapped.

�Nothing.�

�What!?� What do you mean nothing?!�

�Just that.�
Nothing.�

�Shuichi�!�

�Eiri.�

�Goddamnit
Shuichi!� She�s out to ruin you, you know
that!�

Shuichi shrugged.�
It seems his nonchalant, laid-back attitude was annoying Eiri even more
so than his noncompliance to Nami Mataguchi�s challenge.� �She can try all she wants.� I frankly don�t care.� She can try to pick as many fights as she
wants.� Not my problem if she wants to
come off looking like a five year old.�

�Shuichi�� Eiri sighed
over the line.

Something inside Shuichi snapped.� �What?!�
Then what the hell do you suggest Eiri?�

�Get the
paternity test done.�

Shuichi did not have to think about it.� He said, �No,� immediately.

�Why the hell
not?�

�I don�t have anything to prove to that bitch.�

�That�s not
the point!�

�I�don�t�care.�
I�m not going to get a paternity test done just to prove who fathered my son.�
You are his father and that is all that matters.�� Without waiting for a reply, Shuichi hung
up.� Dropping his phone back down on the
table, he dropped his face in his hands.�
Dammit all to hell!� This was so
exasperating.� Maybe he could hire
someone to get rid of his problem.� He
was sure Tohma knew someone who could help.�
That guy had more connections than God did.

�Big brother?�

Startled, Shuichi spun around.� A broad grin crossed his face.� �Maiko!��
He started to scoot out of the booth, but Maiko came to him.� They hugged.�
Then Shuichi held his baby sister out as arm�s length.� �Wow!�
Look at you!�

Maiko pouted.�
She glanced down at herself.� �I
look fat, right?�

Shuichi giggled.�
He knew that feeling all too well.�
�No, you look great.� You can�t even
tell you�re pregnant.�

�Really?�

�Really.�

Maiko slid into the booth opposite him grinning
broadly.

�So, how�ve you been?�

The smile slipped from Maiko�s face.� She shrugged listlessly.� Clasping her hands together on the tabletop,
she stared down at her laced fingers blankly.�
��Scared,� she finally answered in such a soft whisper that Shuichi
almost missed it.

Shuichi nodded in understanding.� He gave his little sister a reassuring
smile.� �Yeah, I was too.�� He reached across the table and covered one
of her hands with his own.� �But it�ll be
alright.� You�ll see.�

Maiko lifted her head and tried to smile, but it ended
up looking a little sickly as her fears swept over and through her.� She still could not believe that she had been
so stupid and allowed this to happen.�
Never had she thought that something like this would happen to her.� That she, of all people, would be in this
position.� Head of her class.� Straight A�s.�
Part of the debate team, in Honor�s Society, Vice President of the student
body and on the school newspaper.� Part
time member of the archery club.� She had
her whole future ahead of her.� All of
the top colleges were vying for her even though she was only a second
year.� But then she had to cave into peer
pressure.

Tears started to trickle down her face.

She�d had a crush on the captain of the swimming team
since middle school.� But the guy had
always been way out her league.� Someone
like him would never have anything to do with someone like her.� So, she just settled on admiring him from
afar.� But about four months ago, she was
invited to a party a friend of a friend was throwing.� Her secret crush was there.� She had been there only an hour when he
started hitting on her.� It was a dream
come true!� This was something she has
been wishing and hoping and dreaming about for years!� He asked her to dance.� She agreed.�
Then he wanted to take her upstairs.�
She refused at first, but her friends egged her on.� This was a once in a lifetime
opportunity.� She should take it.� Did she want to spend the rest of her life
wondering, �what if�?� So, reluctantly,
she allowed him to steer her upstairs.

�Oh, Maiko.�

�It was only one time,� Maiko sobbed.� �One time!�

�That�s all it takes,� Shuichi whispered.

�God!�� She
buried her face in her hands.� �How could
I have been so stupid?�

She woke a little while later groggy and alone.� That was when it set in.� What she just did.� What she just allowed to happen.� She started to cry.� Over her tears, she heard voices in the hall right
outside the bedroom.� It was him.� Silently, she crept towards the door.� And that was when she learned the awful
truth.� She had been used.

Shuichi felt helpless as he watched his sister
sobbing.� He bit his lip and searched his
mind for a way to cheer her up.�
�Hey!� Want me to go beat that
asshole up?�

Maiko burst out laughing through her tears.

�Hm?�

Sitting, Maiko grabbed a napkin and patted her face
dry.� She shook her head.

�C�mon,� he pushed.

�Thank anyway, Big Brother, but I already did.�

�Really?� Way to
go Maiko,� he praised when she nodded.

Pushing her worries aside for another time, he focused
on her older brother.� �So, what about
you?�

Shuichi shrugged.�
�Finally stopped puking thank God.�

Maiko laughed.�
�Well, you look great.�

Shuichi blushed.�
�Thanks.�� At twelve weeks
pregnant, he felt like a bloated whale.�
Like he could try out for the World�s Ugliest Dog Contest and win the
grand prize.

�Where�s my nephew?� Maiko asked, glancing around the
caf�.

�With Eiri.�

Maiko nodded and made a little humming noise that
Shuichi recognized immediately.

�What?� he demanded.

Maiko blinked.�
�What what?�

�Maiko.�

Maiko smiled.�
�I was just wondering about you and Eiri.�

You and the rest of Japan, Shuichi thought rolling his
eyes.

Something caught her eye.� �What�s that?�

�Huh?�

She pointed at the open magazine.� �That.�

�Oh!�� Shuichi
quickly grabbed the magazine and fumbled with as he hurriedly tossed it into
his bag sitting besides him.� �Nothing
you need to worry about.�

Maiko gave a weak smile.� ��It�s that woman again, isn�t it?�

Taken aback, Shuichi blinked at his sister.

�What?�� Maiko
cocked her head to the side.� �You think
I wouldn�t keep up with what�s going on with my big brother?�

Shuichi felt like a fish as he opened his mouth and
then closed it.� He snorted with a quick
shake of his head.� She certainly was
something else.

�So, what�s she up to this time?�

Shuichi rolled his eyes.� �What else?�

�Takanori?� she guessed.

�Yeah.�

��What if�?�

�Hm?�

��What if she�s right?�

Shuichi gaped at Maiko in disbelief.� Not her too!�
�C�mon Mai!�

�I�ve seen pictures of Taki Aizawa, Shuichi.�

�Yeah and I�ve slept with him,� Shuichi shot back.

��So, you know it�s possible.�

Unable to meet her gaze, Shuichi glanced out the large
window and watched as the cars zipped passed without a care in the world as
something he has been trying to ignore for the passed fifteen months floated to
the surface.� Doubt.

---TBC---

(1)
There are actually people like this.� Morons.�
Should be rounded up before a firing squad.

Preview:� �The Challenge is Accepted�

A/N:� I�m not sure how long this is going to
be.� I originally wanted it to a
one-shot, but realized that it was too complicated for that.� So, what�d you think?� Like it?�
Hate it?

I would like to say something if I
could.� I posted this on another site
last week and got an angry review from a girl who for some reason believed that
what I wrote about Nami and her magazine was my personal beliefs concerning
Christians.� That is not the case.� Nami�s beliefs have ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do
with my personal beliefs.� I would like
to stress that I DO NOT believe that crap about Christians.� Seeing I was raised as a Roman Catholic.� One of my sisters has entered the monastery
and is a nun.� My mother is in the
lay-life.� Meaning she is in the
religious life as well.� My mother�s
family is half Lutheran and half Catholic.�
My father�s family is half Catholic and half Methodist.� I have friends who are straight and who are
gay.� I have friends who come from all
religious backgrounds on the planet.� I
even knew a woman who is Islamic and whose husband was exported out of the US
because he entered illegally.� So, he,
his wife and their daughter (who were both American) moved to the Middle East.� Even
though I was raised Catholic, I personally consider myself to be a
Spiritualist.� What I was speaking of was
a very small select band of Christian who DO believe in that crap about
homosexuals and witchcraft and whatnot.�
I had to do a paper for my religion class back in my freshman year of
college and stumbled across a website that promoted crap like that.� I am sorry if you may have gotten the wrong
idea about me from that paragraph and for that I apologize.� But I used that extreme viewpoint to tell why
Nami is pressing things with Shuichi and Eiri the way she is.� Nothing more.
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