Sugar Cane

Disclaimer: I do not own Gravitation.


Sugar Cane
By 11


Chapter 07

Shuichi couldn’t help the yawn even as he had walked all the way to school and was just now entering the schoolyard. Not a lot had changed since a few night’s ago, nothing except Yuki’s bullying tactics had changed.

“Morning Shindou, couldn’t dress yourself like an actual teenager for once, I see.”

“Aw… were you waiting for me?” Shuichi asked as he paused standing in front of the blonde sitting on the steps, with his laptop, as he had the day before.

“Don’t dillude yourself,” Yuki said glancing up at him, “I, unlike you, have a girlfriend. Course who’d want you.”

“That’s just cause I’m scarier than you,” Shuichi shot back, “you just don’t know it yet. That’s why you verbally attack me. You’re scared of me.”

“Me? Afraid of you? Now you’re really of your rocker,” Yuki shook his head with a small smirk, “how many times did you bang your head on the wall before you arrived here anyway?”

“Probably a few times less than you,” Shuichi answered choosing to end the conversation and go inside, it was getting late, Yuki himself was shutting down his computer to go inside.

“Didn’t do you any better so far as dressing like a five-year old,” Yuki said as the doors swung shut behind Shuichi.

Shuichi growled slightly, he had a perfect comeback for that one! ‘Yeah, you dressed like my grandmother.’ He didn’t know what the blonde would have said back, and probably wouldn’t. It was impossible to get the last word unless he wanted to be late for class. Stupid Yuki could afford to be late, just not him.

Life just wasn’t fair.

`

“Hey, Shuichi.”

“Hey Hiro,” Shuichi greeted with a smile as the older boy exited the top floor building and sat down on the roof next to him. “How was history?”

“Boring,” Hiro shrugged, “We have another project due, something about culture plates? It’s got to be one of the stupidest idea’s the government school systems have come up with.”

“Yeah, they’ve got a lot of those,” Shuichi agreed with a grin. The wind up here was nice, and during lunch break it was usually vacant of the loafers who skipped class and slept up here, so they had it all to themselves.

“Hello!!”

Well mostly to themselves…

“Hey Ryuichi!” Shuichi looked up with Hiro, still somewhat gaping, despite the fact the older teen had done this several times before already.

Ryuichi grinned at them from the outside of the fence of the roof; he continued up over the other side and dropped down onto the roofing tile with them.

It still was amazing how he managed to climb up a school building wall, two stories, with no foot or hand places and without being noticed or falling and breaking his neck.

“How are you today?” Shuichi asked as he plopped down in front of the two junior high students.

“Absolutely great, we had a concert last night, did you see it?” Ryuichi asked, then holding up the pink bunny rabbit, “Kumaguro would be so sad if you missed it…”

“Nope, I stayed up till nine taping it,” Shuichi said proudly, “I fell asleep around that time, but the tape went all the way through, so I’ll be able to watch it later.”

“I had to study, I missed it,” Hiro stated plainly.

Ryuichi frowned, “well then, we should all have a sleepover at Shindou’s house to watch it!” he declared joyfully.

“What? You’re inviting us over to Shuichi’s house? It’s his house and he hasn’t said anything,” Hiro reasoned.

“Why? You don’t want to Hiro? Come on, it’d be fun!” Shuichi prompted. Hiro rolled his eyes slightly, they both were just so childish sometimes.

“By the way Ryuichi, where’s K? I thought he followed you around at school too, right?” Hiro asked after a minute breaking into the other two’s plans for a night to get together and watch the taped performance.

“Nah, K stays behind whenever I leave, he has to, to cover for me,” Ryuichi explained, “why?”

“No reason,” Hiro shrugged.

The idea of getting together and watching the movie, itself was too much talked about between the two immature boys that they didn’t even agree on a date or time by the time the bell rang signaling that Fukuro Junior high lunch and break time had ended. So they had to start off to class and Ryuichi snuck off, back down the wall he had come. Still an amazing feat that neither were willing to question.

Hiro closed the doors behind him, the auditorium was always vacant this time of day after classes ended, of course without a talent show coming up it would be, but he and Shuichi still met up here after class. At least for a little while after school, just to practice a little bit, and recently they were working on a new song Shuichi came up with while on a caffeine high, so he said.

Hiro had already started setting up his guitar and the microphone systems when Shuichi came in, he was quiet until he reached the stage, his face splitting into his ever present grin. “Hey Hiro!” he greeted stepping up onto the stage. Hiro nodded to the violet-eyed boy with a returned smile. They went over what they’d come up with the acoustics for the new synthesizer the school got and set it up to play on automated mode.

And without further ado:


Furidashita totsuzen no ame ni sekasareru [akuseru]
Omae no inai [baiku] no se ni shigamitsuiteru kodoku

The sudden start of the downpour of rain makes the acceleration go faster
Loneliness is clinging to the back of the motorcycle without you on it.

Kami sae mo yurusanai ai ni futari miserareteta
Ore ni wakare tsugeru mae ni [joushiki] nante sutero yo

Together we were enchanted by a love that even the gods won’t forgive.
Before telling me you’re leaving me, let’s throw away common sense and anything like it.

Shin’nyuufukinshi no kiken na kono koi ni oretachi mou ichido dake
Onaji yume, kaketemiyou ze!

In this love that’s like a “No entry allowed” warning sign, let’s try just
one more time
to see if we can gamble everything on the same dream!

I’ve NO STYLE!! jiyuu no I’ve NO STYLE!! tsubasa de
Torimodoshite miseru omae to kasaneta kodou
I’ve NO STYLE!! omae no I’ve NO STYLE!! subete de
Atsuku sawagu karada nagusamete

(I’ve no style!) Upon these (I’ve no style!) free wings,
show me we can regain that pulsing beat when we're pressed together.
(I’ve no style!) With everything (I’ve no style!) that you are,
Comfort this hotly clamoring body.

Furimuita sono hitomi ga mada ore wo matteite kuretara
Itsu no hi ka tomadotteta kuchizuke wo shinaosou

If you could still wait for me to come back, with those eyes turned away,
someday, let’s recreate that bewildered kiss.

Tashikameau koto futari ni wa aru no sa...
Hadaka no mune ni furete ari no mama ore wo kanjite

What we can confirm in each other is that we are together...
Touch my naked heart; feel me just as I am.

I’ve NO STYLE!! jiyuu no I’ve NO STYLE!! tsubasa de
Kogareru mama daite dakarete kimi to ikitai
I’ve NO STYLE!! saigo no I’ve NO STYLE!! Rakuen
Kuchizuke de mezameru It’s a “destiny”

(I’ve no style!) upon these (I’ve no style!) free wings,
in this state of yearning, hold me, let me hold you; I want to go with you
(I’ve no style!) to the final (I’ve no style!) paradise
where I’m awakened by your kiss. It’s a “destiny.”

There’s nothing you can not do jounetsu no mama ni
Don't turn your back on it now tobu no sa
There’s nothing you can not do ato modori wa shinai
Don’t turn your back on it now...

(There’s nothing you can not do) Flying
(Don’t turn your back on it now) in a state of passion.
(There’s nothing you can not do) There's no way to go back.
(Don’t turn your back on it now...)


As the tones died away the sound of a person clapping broke the auditorium’s silence. “Who are you?” Shuichi asked the older man in the back seating of the auditorium. The man stood and approached the edge of the stage, extending a hand in greeting as Shuich hopped down off the stage.

“Hello, I am Mr. Kurenai, I own a club downtown of Mudo street,” he introduced himself, “I have a daughter that goes to this school, and I saw you at the talent show a few weeks ago. I was wondering if you would be interesting in doing a gig one night at my club.”

Shuichi glanced at Hiro, who gave a miniscule nod, “Sure, what night?” Shuichi agreed.

“Actually if you wanted to do it tonight, that’d be great,” he said, “You’d get Y200 for the hour you perform.”

Hiro set his guitar down and joined Shuichi on the floor, “Tonight would work for me.” He told Shuichi more than the man.

“Sure, just give us directions, well be there.” Shuichi nodded.

After the man left Shuichi broke into a look that reminded Hiro of a little kid who’s been given an entire mountain of candy.

“We have our own gig, already!” Shuichi nearly squealed in happiness. Never mind the fact it was probably just a one night job at some club downtown, it was a chance to show off his voice and songs, at the moment that was all that was going through Shuichi’s head.

And Hiro really couldn’t blame him at the moment.

`

`

…

I’ve NO STYLE!! jiyuu no I’ve NO STYLE!! tsubasa de
Kogareru mama daite dakarete kimi to ikitai
I’ve NO STYLE!! saigo no I’ve NO STYLE!! Rakuen
Kuchizuke de mezameru It’s a “destiny”

(I’ve no style!) upon these (I’ve no style!) free wings,
in this state of yearning, hold me, let me hold you; I want to go with you
(I’ve no style!) to the final (I’ve no style!) paradise
where I’m awakened by your kiss. It’s a “destiny.”

There’s nothing you can not do jounetsu no mama ni
Don't turn your back on it now tobu no sa
There’s nothing you can not do ato modori wa shinai
Don’t turn your back on it now...

(There’s nothing you can not do) Flying
(Don’t turn your back on it now) in a state of passion.
(There’s nothing you can not do) There's no way to go back.
(Don’t turn your back on it now...)

The club hadn’t been so lively before when they first came in. People drifted around the floor and the bar area with drinks, but almost no one spent time their time dancing, and a lot of people had looked to be on the brink of leaving.

The gathering of people clapped and a few cheered, a better reaction than the dead silence of the talent show performance, and Shuichi seemed to just gather that feeling of accomplishment into himself. Hiro couldn’t help feeling a sense of… no other word for it… coolness, after the appreciated performance. Their hour was over and as he and Shuichi packed up to head home by this time late at night. They had the five to six hour shift and it was still fairly light, but getting darker as time wore on.

Mr. Kurenai approached them afterwards giving them their check, and expressing his appreciation of their performance. They had an invite back, but it’d have to be an arranged date since they were both still in school for the moment.

“That was great!” Shuichi declared cracking his knuckles as they rode in the car with Hiro’s brother Yuuji driving. Hiro nodded, leaning back into his seat as well, that had taken energy, and he had liked it, but it also left him very tired.

He felt Shuichi’s head drop over on his shoulder, “did you have fun Hiro?” he asked some of the same tiredness that the older boy felt he could hear in the younger boy’s voice.

“Mhm.” Hiro answered wordlessly, shifting a little so he could rest his head on top of Shuichi’s. Hiro liked the closeness, and ever since a few nights ago they had been a bit more open with each other. Hiro enjoyed the warmth seeping into him from the younger boy. He would have fallen asleep there if Yuuji hadn’t just pulled up at Shuichi’s house and the violet-eyed boy had to go. Oh well.

Yuuji smiled just slightly to himself as he started driving again. It was good that his little brother had someone to play with, it was interesting to note that neither of them seemed to be able to tell that they weren’t so much serious so much as they were ‘seeking warmth’.

A comfortable existence based on love, not being in love. There was a difference, and not a lot of people could recognize it.

`

“Good morning Shindou, stayed up late last night writing those stupid songs?”

“No actually, I went to a club, you don’t get invited to those though do you, Eiri?” Schuichi shot back as he neared the school doors. It was the same every morning, even if the topic changed somewhat.

“No, you see if I stayed up late getting stoned like you do; I’d be as weird as you.” Yuki said not taking his eyes off the computer in front of him.

“I thought being weird was your job? Besides, don’ those dumb stories of yours keep you up all night to meet your precious deadlines?” Shuichi asked as he opened the door to the school.

“At least it’s something worth getting done, unlike you and your drugs,” Yuki said saving the program and closing the laptop.

“Yeah, I’m sure yours are a lot better,” Schuichi said not skipping a beat in their verbal battle, despite the surprise in the blonde actually putting his ever-present computer away. “That’s how you write those demented stories, right?”

“I win,” Yuki said standing up and looking Shuichi in the eye.

“What?” Shuichi asked in both question and slight anger with the other boy, not sure why, but he just was angry with him. Besides, how had he exactly ‘won’ again? Shuichi got the last line.

“You just admitted I’m better than you,” Yuki said simply, “your creative factors and mine, a large difference.”

Shuichi just glared, he could say something but he didn’t really understand what the blonde was saying to begin with.

“Spring break’s coming up, there’s a party on my yacht during that time, you’re invited,” Eiri said after a brief moment.

“You have a yacht…?” Shuichi asked blinking, why did the blonde have all the cool stuff!

“Yes. The whole school’s invited,” Eiri added, “you’ll probably find a flyer in your locker, like everyone else.”

“Ok…” Shuichi said, he felt like he should say thanks, but would there be any reason if he did? Eiri’s probably just scoff at him if he did. So he just nodded and continued on his way into the building. He didn’t see if the blonde followed him inside or if he went back to his computer. He went straight to his locker and opening it up he found the flyer just as Eiri said he would.

“Hey Shuichi,” Hiro greeted as he walked over, he also apparently got a flyer, the same identical copy of paper in his hand. “Guess you got one too.”

“Eiri said the whole school’s invited, guess he wasn’t kidding,” Shuichi grinned slightly. His blue-eyed friend seemed a little miffed though.

“It’s a little odd though,” Hiro said, “he’s inviting everyone in the school to a yacht party, how does he expect to fit everyone onto one yacht?”

Shuichi shrugged, it might be a really big yacht. “Who knows? Maybe Eiri, you could ask,” Shuichi said, “I’m going though,” he decided after a moment. “No way I’m passing up a chance to go on a yacht.”

Hiro looked down at the flyer again mistrustfully, looking for so much as the slightest error in the type out, finding none he folded it and tucked it away. If Shuichi was going he probably would go too, if anything just to look after his poor gullible friend.

`

The bell rang, and school was over again. Amazing how slow it was getting to the end of the day, and when you got there it seemed that it was actually pretty short.

Shuichi and Hiro walked down the street heading near the same area their houses were. Somehow they’d gotten into talking about different luxury ships and how cool it would be one summer to go a cruise like was advertised sometimes for places like Panama and Hong Kong.

Both boys waved exchanging quick good-byes as they reached their paths divergence and each headed on alone. Shuichi walked comfortably for a few moments before hearing a few double pairs of footsteps following along behind him. He frowned and stopped walking turning around with a glare to face whoever it was that was following him, if anyone.

“What do you want?” Shuichi asked the three boys after a moment and recognizing them for who they were. ASK, Taki Aizawa, Ken-chan and Ma-kun.

Aizawa’s dark eyes were glaring right through him, and Shuichi glared right back. Taki stepped forward toward him, Shuichi didn’t move.

A swift movement, and Shuichi’s face stung blood boiling to the surface where Taki had punched him. He stumbled back slightly glaring at the other boy, now in both anger and shock.

“You little idiot,” Taki ground out, hate practically pouring off of him. “Do you know how long we’ve been trying to get a gig? We’ve freaking auditioned more places than that stupid school talent show, and we still haven’t gotten one yet. Yet you and that stupid upperclassman, Nakano got one without even trying…”

Shuichi almost snorted with the morbid hilarity of Taki’s words. “Yeah, well that’s not my fault.” Shuichi told him standing up straight again, and planning to bolt if they didn’t leave him alone, his house wasn’t far and a sprint would probably get him there in a few seconds.

Apparently Taki didn’t care, and wasn’t about to listen to reason as Shuichi had expected; what he hadn’t expected was that all three of them would tackle him down at once, a split second later.

A clenched fist slammed into his gut, a hand gripping his arm hard enough to bruise. Blindly lashing out, he was sure he hit one of them; but such thoughts were short lived, as a fist landed for the second time into his face.

Pain lanced through his nerves as the gripped arm was bent over behind him, the same time a barrage of hits to his stomach. He wanted to keel over, and curl into a little ball on the ground; then their damage could be limited, but with his arm twisted over him he couldn’t move much without causing his spine to feel like it was about to crack.

“Shuichi!”

The grip of his arm broke and he fell forward, looking around him the nerves along his arm and spine still stinging as the blood started to flow back into them. Hiro tossed Ma-kun down on the sidewalk; Ken was already backing away. “Bastards.” Taki spat, and with a malicious glare and last look of hatred at Shuichi, Taki and the other two took off.

Shuichi rubbed along his twisted arm, to try and dull the sting; it was slowly coming around. “Thanks Hiro,” the violet-eyed boy said gratefully, “how’d you know I was in trouble?”

“I didn’t, you left your notebook with me after last period,” Hiro said holding the book up, “figured you’d need it since there’s a test this Friday.”

“You okay?” Hiro asked looking over the red blotches on his friend’s face.

“Yeah, part of me hurt a little, but I’ll be fine,” Shuichi said managing a grin.

“You don’t look fine.”

Hiro and Shuichi looked up at the blonde intruder. “Eiri, what are you doing here?” Hiro asked brusquely.

“I was on my way home from the library,” Eiri said simply, looking over the other two boys, taking in the red marks on Shuichi’s face and the red lines fading to dark coils long the twisted arm. “What happened to you anyway, Shindou?”

“Nothing.” Hiro said.

At the same time Shuichi said, “ASK were being jerks.”

“Taki and those guys you mean?” Eiri asked, a coldness to the question.

“Yeah so?” Hiro asked, stepping forward to form a barrier between the blonde and his younger friend. It’s not like you care, Eiri.

The blonde shrugged and kept walking, Hiro and Shuichi did the same, Hiro insisting on coming with him to make sure Shuichi made it home safe.

The blond watched with his ears as Hiro’s actions earned him the name of ‘overactive mom’ by Shuichi; he might have chuckled at that, if he wasn’t seeing red.

“Did Aizawa and his buddy’s come by here?” he asked a pair of girls standing talking at the street corner.

“Yeah, him and two other guys just came by here, they went that way,” she pointed down the street. “They looked pretty miffed about something too.”

“Thank you,” Eiri remembered respectfully as he followed after them on the path the girl had pointed out. It was so silly that the suburbs were only a few blocks away from the alleyway slums of the city. Most of the alley’s were occupied, and so far none contained Taki and his group.

“That little pink-haired brat!”

He heard someone curse, someone who was unmistakable in who they were. Eiri walked over to the alleyway and looked in at Aizawa, who looked ready to tear his hair out, Ma-kun sitting on a can taking a smoke, and Ken-chan sitting on the ground looking guitly, he always did.

Ma-kun looked up, “Hey, Taki,” he said pointing towards the alley’s opening.

“What?” Taki rounded on his friend then looked up at the blonde, whose face had, without his knowledge, contorted into a death glare. Yuki probably really wouldn’t have cared if he was glaring or not. “Yeah, what do you want, blondie?”

He didn’t reply, it was only a few steps, a and single motion, a strike under the jaw. Taki found himself tossed backwards and looking up at the sky, his head throbbing from the blow. Ma-kun stood, “Hey!” and found a fist in his face.

Ma-kun attempted to lash back out at his attacker, but the speed caught him off guard, and he couldn’t even see the other moving. He just felt the blows and pain lancing all through him as he finally slammed back against the brick wall. Touching his face he noted that his lip was bleeding, and so was his forehead somewhere.

Ken stood and backed away from the blonde, “W-What?” he stammered backing away from the boy, Aizawa sat up and looked at Eiri, golden eyes narrowed, and something else. Something about his eyes made Taki feel so cold. Something…

“…I’ll kill you.”

That last part was the only part that mattered, the cold that swept over him. This boy could kill, easily kill him, Ken, and Ma-kun. He knew he was shaking, and he couldn’t even hear the killer’s words for his own heartbeat, blood pounding in his ears.

Make it stop…

“You touch Shindou again and I’ll kill you,” Eiri told him, his voice low and cold. Commanding, and Ken only nodded dumbly, fear rooting him to the ground, keeping him from reaching for his cell, to call the police, the hospital… Ma-kun was bleeding.

“I’m the only one allowed to beat up Shindou.” Eiri said, more to himself than anyone else, as he swept out of the alley. The cold he left stayed to ice over, never thawing, and Ken’s numb fingers reached for his cell to call for help.

`

Yuki kicked off his shoes when he entered the house and entered the kitchen, the bar area opened up to the living room where his brother Tatsuha sat absorbed in a Nittle Grasper DVD he had gotten, and never didn’t watch every night. Seemed like a nightly ritual for the older Eiri brother.

He set up his computer on the kitchen table and got a glass of water. The rules of never bringing liquids near the computer didn’t apply to him, because he was always careful.

“So Yuki, you invited everyone you wanted to, to the yacht party over spring break?” Tatsuha asked over the TV when Tohma and Noriko’s synthesizer blend came on, no awesome shots of his Ryuichi.

“Yeah,” Yuki answered.

“Cool, I think there’s only about a couple of hundred or so people at your school, right?” Tatsuha questioned.

“So?” Yuki asked, opening the program he’d been working on, wondering where his brother was going with this.

“So I invited everyone at Soryuu High too,” Tatsuha said happily, “there’ll be room, it’s a big boat.”

The music came back on and Tatsuha’s eyes shot back to the TV screen, Ryuichi started singing again. Tatsuha’s eyes went wide and bubbly with every small piece of Ryuichi’s skin that was revealed as his white poet’s shirt fluttered around him. It had been windy the day of the performance that was taped, and if one looked closely Ryuichi had goose bumps. Tatsuha’s cries of making his Ryuichi-sama warm had lasted forever until after the first few times Tatsuha viewed the DVD. “Ryuichi-sama…” he squealed happily watching the screen.

Yuki sighed and closed up his laptop again taking it back to his room. Of course the only reason that Tatsuha had invited all of Soryuu was because of Ryuichi. Yuki shook his head at his older brother, and closed his room door behind him. Age really didn’t make a person mature.

---

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