Ask and Ye Shall Receive
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Gravitation › General
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
1
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2,430
Reviews:
11
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Currently Reading:
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Category:
Gravitation › General
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
1
Views:
2,430
Reviews:
11
Recommended:
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.
Ask and Ye Shall Receive
A/N: Happy Holidays! i'm back with a special holiday fic that may or may not be done for Christmas, but i hope you all enjoy it anyway!
disclaimer: i do not own the christmas carols sung by shu-chan
disclaimer 2: i do not own jude law, nor do i mean for my words about him to imply that i think anything against him. i just needed a british actor and something for yuki to be pissed at. sorry jude.
enjoy!
italics=flashbacks, thought, emphasis
_________________________________
Ask and Ye Shall Receive: Chapter 1
_________________________________
Yuki Eiri stood looking out of his office window at the snow heavily falling outside. It was promising to be another cold winter, much as every other winter he had known since he had moved to England when he was young. He momentarily let his mind wander to his younger days at a Shinto shrine in Japan. He couldn’t quite remember what his father looked like, but it wasn’t as if he wanted to. The bastard hadn’t been the best father, and he sure as hell hadn’t been the best priest.
Shaking his head to rid himself of the memories, Eiri turned from his silent contemplation of the snowy night to his cluttered desk. On it laid the outline for the latest issue of his magazine. His eyes lazily roamed the layout of articles ranging from holiday recipes to how the stars were spending their Christmas this year. His golden eyes caught on a picture of Jude Law holding a small girl in his arms, several other children surrounding him. The actor was smiling in the picture, pretending to be quite oblivious to the paparazzi snapping pictures of him outside of the orphanage.
Eiri scoffed silently and reached for his mug of coffee. He really had nothing against the man, but he knew that the actor was just there for some publicity shots. What kind of inconsiderate prick would parade orphans in front of a camera, for God’s sake? Of course, Jude Law was probably smart enough not to fall in love with one of the homeless kids hanging off his arms.
Body collapsing heavily in his leather chair, the handsome, blonde exec let his forehead crash painfully against the cherry oak desk. A pen rolled from the force of the impact, dangling precariously from the edge of the desk before plummeting to its doom.
“My, my, one of the most affluent men in England, and he’s rotting away in his office, banging his head into a desk. If that’s not tabloid material, I don’t know what is.”
Eiri lifted his head from the desk and glared at his uninvited guest. His brother-in-law stood in his doorway, leaning casually against the jamb, one foot propped up on the tip of an elegant wingtip, arms crossed over a fur-covered chest. A matching fur hat sat jauntily atop his head, while some of his dirty blonde bangs fell wildly into his eyes. Said eyes shifted from side to side, looking through the glass walls of his office, searching for signs of life from the other offices.
“How about the President of NG Japan flying halfway around the world for the holidays, only to die at the hands of his less-than-amused brother-in-law?”
“Aren’t we touchy?”
“When did your plane get in?”
“About 2:30 yesterday afternoon.” Eiri started. Had he been so caught up in things at the office that he’d missed some days? “Don’t worry. Your mother sent Tatsuha to get us, though I could have just hired a limo.”
“Ah, but that would have brought unwanted attention your way.”
“Yes, as far as tomorrow goes, but after that, attention may be just what I want.”
“What do you have planned, Tohma?”
“My dear, Eiri, whatever do you mean? I’ve merely been asked to conduct the university’s Christmas concert this year, and I thought it might help bring in the audience to know that I’ve accepted the offer.”
Seguchi Tohma was the President of NG Productions Japan, currently looking to build companies in other countries. He’d taken the company over from the previous owner who signed anyone who jiggled the right way, and now handed out record deals to anyone with enough talent to impress him. He was not easily impressed. Nor was he too keen on doing something as, in Eiri’s opinion, demeaning as directing some puissant university chorale during his holiday vacation with his family. Taking all this into account, Eiri knew his brother-in-law was up to something, and he raised an elegant blonde brow to show his disbelief at the innocent act.
“Come on. Mika is dying to see you, and Mother is worried because you haven’t been home in a few days. And before you deny it, she knows this because your secretary has been talking to her about your state of being for the past week. She seems to think you’re anxious about something.”
Eiri recognized the gleam in Tohma’s eye, the same one that meant he knew something that he shouldn’t. He turned his eyes away nervously, falling down to his personal calendar. Tomorrow’s date was circled and marked in permanent ink while everything else was penciled in. Pencil meant that his plans were tentative at best. But the very red ink on tomorrow’s square glared out from the plain black and white page. Thinking about what he and Tohma planned to do tomorrow, a few things clicked in his head.
“You’re going to try and get him tomorrow, aren’t you?”
“And you are going to stand off to the side and watch it happen because you’re too scared to get close to him, ne? Honestly, Eiri, it isn’t a crime to get to know him.”
Eiri’s grip on his coffee mug tightened defensively before he threw a scathing glare at his brother-in-law, who just put his hands up in surrender and chuckled. He said he’d give the tall blonde enough time to tidy his office before he forcibly dragged him to the parking garage and left. Eiri looked at the empty spot for a minute before he began to move mechanically to follow the orders. His eyes once again fell to his calendar.
Tomorrow.
Tomorrow, he and Tohma were heading to St. James’ Orphanage to hand out gifts to the children. It was something that his mother had done every Christmas before she’d become bedridden, and then he and his brother Tatsuha had done it afterwards. But then Tatsuha had decided that chasing girls was more exciting than handing out gifts to parentless children, but luckily Tohma had come into the family by then. Mika had brought him to England the Christmas after their marriage, and he’d happily tagged along with Eiri as he delivered the presents. And now it was practically their Christmas tradition.
And the orphanage was where Eiri had met him. ‘Angel’ was the only way he could describe him. In all his twenty-four years of life, Eiri had never met anything so beautiful and innocent. Those big, violet eyes could drown a man, and they did every time Eiri saw them. One day of the year, for the past three years, Eiri shed his ‘cold bastard’ persona and basked in the radiance of the orphan boy, secretly loving the other with all his heart. But he could never express that love. It was wrong, if not morally, then some other way. How could it be right for someone as cold and arrogant as he to be with someone as warm and loving as his orphan?
Despite all his vicious vows that he’d never think of the boy as anything other than a pitiful orphan, Eiri looked out the window, into the snow-filled night, and remembered three years ago when he’d first met an angel…
>*<
“This, this is Christ the King, whom shepherds guard and angels keep. Haste, haste to bring him laud, the babe, the son of Mary.”
Eiri listened to the song trail off as Tohma and the headmaster of the orphanage talked. The old man was thanking them profusely for being “so kind as to bring gifts for the children every year, though it must cost so much.” Eiri held in a snort. The man didn’t know they were two very wealthy, very powerful men. And that was the way it should be.
“The children are being entertained in the sanctuary at the moment. If you’d like to stay and listen, then you can give them the gifts afterwards.”
“That would be fine. We really don’t have anything else planned today, do we Eiri?”
“Hn.” He gave Tohma a flat look and turned back to a statue of the Immaculate Mother he’d been looking over before. He could hear another song starting and suddenly turned to the headmaster. “Are the children being entertained by a radio?”
“Why, no!” The headmaster gave him a surprised chuckle and smiled at him. “One of the older orphans is singing to them right now. They do so love to hear the boy sing.”
“That voice is someone singing?” Tohma turned disbelieving eyes on the headmaster. He must have thought it had been a recording just like Eiri.
“Yes, it’s Shuichi-kun.”
“What, is he Japanese?”
“Yes. His parents taught Japanese language and mythology at the university some years ago, but, sadly, they died in that horrible subway incident. Little Shuichi was suddenly alone in a foreign country. Luckily, your mother, Uesugi-san, knew Japanese and brought the child here. She tutored the boy in English herself.”
Eiri strained his ears to catch the soft voice coming from the sanctuary. It sounded so heavenly, like an angel. But it was nothing more than a pitiful orphan making such a beautiful noise, he reminded himself. Eiri’s feet moved by themselves as his ears picked up the familiar tune. It was the same song his mother had sung him to sleep with when he was younger. He rounded the corner, into the chapel, Tohma on his heels.
“Here where sweet flowers their fragrance bring; sleep, sleep my little King. Thousand seraphim, thousand cherubim, come from Heav’n above to guard the Lord of Love.”
Eiri quietly gasped as he took in the scene. The afternoon sun shone down through a stained glass window, illuminating the children at the altar. A taller boy, who looked to be almost through his teens, stood before them, the light bouncing off his hair, creating a halo of light around his head. Closed eyes opened to reveal a stunning violet color that Eiri had never seen before in his life.
The last note hung in the air, and the little girls and boys gathered broke out into gleeful applause. A breathtaking smile appeared on the boy’s face, and Eiri had to keep himself from just walking to the boy and running his fingers over that gorgeous expression.
“That was just beautiful, Shuichi-kun.” The headmaster walked forward a bit, and Shuichi looked up at them. Eiri’s golden eyes locked with violet ones for a split second before that smile was turned to all three of them. Eiri could have hit himself for even thinking anything as stupid as the boy had looked at him for a reason other than just ‘skimming the crowd.’ But then the boy spoke, and Eiri felt as if they were the only two in the room.
“Good afternoon, Uesugi-san.”
>*<
Eiri had come up with several crazy notions over the years of how the boy had known his name. He drove himself mad thinking of those. So in the end, he decided to focus just on the plausible and sane ones. One would be that his mother had talked to the small boy of her own sons, and Shuichi had somehow remembered a description his mother had given so long ago. Another would be that the headmaster had told the children of the two men who gave them gifts every year, and since Tohma was a little freer with his name in England then in Japan, Shuichi must have singled him out as the other one.
That one made the most sense to Eiri’s rattled brain, so that was the excuse he’d taken a firm belief in for the past three years. Still, that belief never stopped his heart from frantically beating every time Shuichi called his name on those days he and Tohma visited the orphanage. At first, after their first meeting, Eiri had been upset with himself at showing such unusual emotions for an orphan. But as the days went by, and he couldn’t get the boy off his mind, he’d come to accept that maybe he had feelings for the boy. And then, before Eiri knew it, a year had passed, and he found himself once again in Shuichi’s presence…
>*<
“Uesugi-san, I’m so glad you came again this year. The children really enjoy your gifts, year after year.”
Eiri just grunted. He thought Shuichi would be taken aback by his rude behavior, but the boy just smiled that angelic smile at him. Eiri just stared, surprise evident in his golden eyes, and Tohma joined them before he could say anything to that smile.
“No need for all that, Shuichi-kun. We have one for you as well.”
“Oh no, Seguchi-san! I couldn’t possibly accept it! I’m seventeen years old!”
“That doesn’t mean you don’t get a gift, Shuichi-kun. The headmaster told us everything you do for the orphanage, and you deserve this. I mean, you have a part-time job to help the orphanage with bills, you sing the hymns during the Sunday mass, you take care of all the children, and you even do their Christmas shopping with whatever money the orphanage can give. You are truly a remarkable boy!”
Eiri watched a slight blush color Shuichi’s cheeks. His bangs fell into his face, obscuring his eyes from the two of them. Slowly, he held his hands out for the package Tohma had in his arms, and his brother-in-law gave it to him with a satisfied smile.
“Thank you, Uesugi-san and Seguchi-san.” Eiri watched as the young boy looked at the candy-cane wrapping paper and red bow, eyes lingering on a tiny bell near the knot. Shuichi moved and set it on a nearby table and reached for the bow. The tiny bell jingled when Shuichi tugged a bit too harshly on the bow.
“I guess that little bell doesn’t have a satisfactory ring, ne, Shuichi-kun?” Tohma smiled amusedly at Shuichi.
“All that matters is that it rings.”
Eiri didn’t know what that meant, but it seemed to make the boy happy, and Eiri had come to realize that’s all that he wanted; he wanted the small boy to be happy. Shuichi unwrapped his gift and stared into the box.
“I noticed that the ones you had looked worn out. These should keep the snow out.” Shuichi looked up at Eiri. The tall blonde had decided that they’d get the boy a practical gift that would mean a lot more than something fancy he couldn’t use or would have to sell in order to help the orphanage. Shuichi turned back to the box and took out his present.
The boots were made of supple leather and laced up to mid-shin. The soles were thick so nothing from the environment could reach his feet. They were black so they couldn’t possibly clash with anything the boy wore and give him an excuse not to wear them. Eiri argued that someone in Shuichi’s position couldn’t really afford to be picky like that, but once Tohma made up his mind, that was it. Besides, Eiri conceded, black was a nice color regardless of the reason for its choosing.
Shuichi sat himself down on the floor and discarded his old boots of cracked leather and frayed laces. He quickly put on the new ones, apparently not wanting Eiri and Tohma to see the state of his socks. Eiri hid a smirk at the sight of a toe sticking out of a hole in the boy’s socks, and he elbowed Tohma discreetly.
“Shuichi-kun, there are socks in the box as well. You can’t have new shoes without new socks, can you?”
Eiri saw another blush dusts the boy’s cheeks and had to fight off a contented sigh. Shuichi was sometimes too cute for words, which worked out for Eiri as he rarely spoke in the first place. Shuichi stood up and looked down at his new boots. The soft light of the room reflected off the surface of them, making the boots shine. Shuichi looked up at them and then bowed low, something Eiri hadn’t received in some time. He saw Tohma return the bow just as deeply as it had been given, and he moved to do the same.
Tohma then told the boy that they had to be going, and he wished him a merry Christmas. Shuichi thanked them once again, and Tohma turned and walked out of the room. Eiri stood looking at the kid for a moment, then made to turn away. But he hesitated before doing so completely, and then turned back to face the boy. Eiri lifted his hand, took a deep breath, and set it on Shuichi’s shoulder. The boy startled a bit, and Eiri dared to lean in toward the boy’s ear.
“You’re welcome, Shu-chan.”
>*<
Eiri let out a quiet groan. What the hell had he been thinking? Being so familiar with the boy had probably served no other purpose than to freak him out. Who wouldn’t be disturbed if a man four years his senior called him by a nickname he probably hadn’t heard since his parents were alive?
Eiri shook himself from those thoughts and got back to shutting down his office for the night. Tohma would be back any minute, and he’d be damned if he was caught daydreaming. Except, he couldn’t get the horrible thought that his angel hated him out of his head. It hurt his heart to think that way, but he was a ‘cold bastard,’ and he would get over it. And then he remembered the following year when Tohma and he had returned…
>*<
Eiri was sitting in a pew by himself, staring blankly at the cross behind the altar. He hadn’t seen Shuichi all afternoon, and since Tohma was in the orphanage playroom handing out gifts, he figured the chapel was a safe place to continue not seeing the kid.
“Uesugi-san?”
So much for that plan of action, he thought. Eiri grunted a response and hid his surprise when Shuichi sat down on the pew a little way’s from him. There was silence for a moment, and then Shuichi asked him a question.
“How is your mother doing?”
“Fine.” He saw from the corner of his eye that his curt answer seem to discourage Shuichi from asking anything else, so he reluctantly elaborated on his answer. “She’s still stuck in bed, but the doctor says she’s doing much better otherwise. Just to keep her warm through the winter so she doesn’t have a relapse.”
“That’s wonderful, Uesugi-san!” Shuichi instantly brightened. He was quiet for a moment, and then asked, “Why aren’t you with Seguchi-san handing out gifts?”
Eiri thought about telling Shuichi that he really didn’t care for children, but thought better of alienating someone who obviously adored them. “I had a few cigarettes before we got here, and I wouldn’t want them inhaling any lingering smoke.” That wasn’t technically a lie, even if he didn’t care one way or another about it.
“That’s very considerate of you, Uesugi-san.” Another silence fell between them, and Eiri felt that if he didn’t keep the conversation going, Shuichi would find a reason to leave. But, hadn’t he wanted to keep away from the kid in the first place?
Either way, he found himself impulsively asking, “Are you going to sing for us tonight?”
Vibrant violet eyes swung his way, and a brilliant smile added to the angelic picture before him.
“Hai! I mean, yes, I’m singing tonight for the children. Does this mean you and Seguchi-san are staying for while?”
I guess it does, he thought, while he gave a short nod to the boy. He and Tohma hadn’t stayed either of the other years, but he knew Tohma wouldn’t pass up an opportunity to hear Shuichi sing. Eiri guessed he should head back and inform Tohma of their extended plans and motioned for Shuichi to get up. The boy complied, and together they walked to the playroom.
>*<
“Come on, Eiri! I’ve never known you take so long. Your mother wants to see you some time tonight.”
“She’ll see me all holiday season. She’s even got the extra guest room set up for me.”
“She just wants her family with her for the holidays. Now let’s go. The sooner we call it a day, the sooner tomorrow will come. I have a meeting with some record company executives in the morning, so we probably won’t get to the orphanage until evening. I called the headmaster and informed him of the time frame.”
Eiri nodded and walked to the door where Tohma was waiting. He left the light on for the janitor, and they walked to the elevator that would take them directly to the parking garage. When he saw his car was the only one there, he asked his brother-in-law how he’d gotten to his building in the first place.
“Honestly, Eiri. I’m not so pretentious as to not use a taxi.”
Shrugging it off, Eiri dug into his coat pocket for keys and his cigarettes. He brought the pack to his lips and extracted a stick as he pressed the auto-unlock on his ring. As Tohma climbed into the passenger seat, Eiri replaced his cigarettes and brought out his lighter. The tip flamed to life, and with a flick of his wrist, Eiri closed the lighter and slid into his car. His tires squealed as he left the empty garage, his mind on one thing.
Tomorrow.
TBC
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so maybe two or three more chapters and it's done. next chapter is about shuichi and will take place on the day yuki and tohma come to the orphanage. btw, i know nothing about most religions, so if i get anything wrong about orphanages in england, let me know.
thanks for reading!
disclaimer: i do not own the christmas carols sung by shu-chan
disclaimer 2: i do not own jude law, nor do i mean for my words about him to imply that i think anything against him. i just needed a british actor and something for yuki to be pissed at. sorry jude.
enjoy!
italics=flashbacks, thought, emphasis
_________________________________
Ask and Ye Shall Receive: Chapter 1
_________________________________
Yuki Eiri stood looking out of his office window at the snow heavily falling outside. It was promising to be another cold winter, much as every other winter he had known since he had moved to England when he was young. He momentarily let his mind wander to his younger days at a Shinto shrine in Japan. He couldn’t quite remember what his father looked like, but it wasn’t as if he wanted to. The bastard hadn’t been the best father, and he sure as hell hadn’t been the best priest.
Shaking his head to rid himself of the memories, Eiri turned from his silent contemplation of the snowy night to his cluttered desk. On it laid the outline for the latest issue of his magazine. His eyes lazily roamed the layout of articles ranging from holiday recipes to how the stars were spending their Christmas this year. His golden eyes caught on a picture of Jude Law holding a small girl in his arms, several other children surrounding him. The actor was smiling in the picture, pretending to be quite oblivious to the paparazzi snapping pictures of him outside of the orphanage.
Eiri scoffed silently and reached for his mug of coffee. He really had nothing against the man, but he knew that the actor was just there for some publicity shots. What kind of inconsiderate prick would parade orphans in front of a camera, for God’s sake? Of course, Jude Law was probably smart enough not to fall in love with one of the homeless kids hanging off his arms.
Body collapsing heavily in his leather chair, the handsome, blonde exec let his forehead crash painfully against the cherry oak desk. A pen rolled from the force of the impact, dangling precariously from the edge of the desk before plummeting to its doom.
“My, my, one of the most affluent men in England, and he’s rotting away in his office, banging his head into a desk. If that’s not tabloid material, I don’t know what is.”
Eiri lifted his head from the desk and glared at his uninvited guest. His brother-in-law stood in his doorway, leaning casually against the jamb, one foot propped up on the tip of an elegant wingtip, arms crossed over a fur-covered chest. A matching fur hat sat jauntily atop his head, while some of his dirty blonde bangs fell wildly into his eyes. Said eyes shifted from side to side, looking through the glass walls of his office, searching for signs of life from the other offices.
“How about the President of NG Japan flying halfway around the world for the holidays, only to die at the hands of his less-than-amused brother-in-law?”
“Aren’t we touchy?”
“When did your plane get in?”
“About 2:30 yesterday afternoon.” Eiri started. Had he been so caught up in things at the office that he’d missed some days? “Don’t worry. Your mother sent Tatsuha to get us, though I could have just hired a limo.”
“Ah, but that would have brought unwanted attention your way.”
“Yes, as far as tomorrow goes, but after that, attention may be just what I want.”
“What do you have planned, Tohma?”
“My dear, Eiri, whatever do you mean? I’ve merely been asked to conduct the university’s Christmas concert this year, and I thought it might help bring in the audience to know that I’ve accepted the offer.”
Seguchi Tohma was the President of NG Productions Japan, currently looking to build companies in other countries. He’d taken the company over from the previous owner who signed anyone who jiggled the right way, and now handed out record deals to anyone with enough talent to impress him. He was not easily impressed. Nor was he too keen on doing something as, in Eiri’s opinion, demeaning as directing some puissant university chorale during his holiday vacation with his family. Taking all this into account, Eiri knew his brother-in-law was up to something, and he raised an elegant blonde brow to show his disbelief at the innocent act.
“Come on. Mika is dying to see you, and Mother is worried because you haven’t been home in a few days. And before you deny it, she knows this because your secretary has been talking to her about your state of being for the past week. She seems to think you’re anxious about something.”
Eiri recognized the gleam in Tohma’s eye, the same one that meant he knew something that he shouldn’t. He turned his eyes away nervously, falling down to his personal calendar. Tomorrow’s date was circled and marked in permanent ink while everything else was penciled in. Pencil meant that his plans were tentative at best. But the very red ink on tomorrow’s square glared out from the plain black and white page. Thinking about what he and Tohma planned to do tomorrow, a few things clicked in his head.
“You’re going to try and get him tomorrow, aren’t you?”
“And you are going to stand off to the side and watch it happen because you’re too scared to get close to him, ne? Honestly, Eiri, it isn’t a crime to get to know him.”
Eiri’s grip on his coffee mug tightened defensively before he threw a scathing glare at his brother-in-law, who just put his hands up in surrender and chuckled. He said he’d give the tall blonde enough time to tidy his office before he forcibly dragged him to the parking garage and left. Eiri looked at the empty spot for a minute before he began to move mechanically to follow the orders. His eyes once again fell to his calendar.
Tomorrow.
Tomorrow, he and Tohma were heading to St. James’ Orphanage to hand out gifts to the children. It was something that his mother had done every Christmas before she’d become bedridden, and then he and his brother Tatsuha had done it afterwards. But then Tatsuha had decided that chasing girls was more exciting than handing out gifts to parentless children, but luckily Tohma had come into the family by then. Mika had brought him to England the Christmas after their marriage, and he’d happily tagged along with Eiri as he delivered the presents. And now it was practically their Christmas tradition.
And the orphanage was where Eiri had met him. ‘Angel’ was the only way he could describe him. In all his twenty-four years of life, Eiri had never met anything so beautiful and innocent. Those big, violet eyes could drown a man, and they did every time Eiri saw them. One day of the year, for the past three years, Eiri shed his ‘cold bastard’ persona and basked in the radiance of the orphan boy, secretly loving the other with all his heart. But he could never express that love. It was wrong, if not morally, then some other way. How could it be right for someone as cold and arrogant as he to be with someone as warm and loving as his orphan?
Despite all his vicious vows that he’d never think of the boy as anything other than a pitiful orphan, Eiri looked out the window, into the snow-filled night, and remembered three years ago when he’d first met an angel…
>*<
“This, this is Christ the King, whom shepherds guard and angels keep. Haste, haste to bring him laud, the babe, the son of Mary.”
Eiri listened to the song trail off as Tohma and the headmaster of the orphanage talked. The old man was thanking them profusely for being “so kind as to bring gifts for the children every year, though it must cost so much.” Eiri held in a snort. The man didn’t know they were two very wealthy, very powerful men. And that was the way it should be.
“The children are being entertained in the sanctuary at the moment. If you’d like to stay and listen, then you can give them the gifts afterwards.”
“That would be fine. We really don’t have anything else planned today, do we Eiri?”
“Hn.” He gave Tohma a flat look and turned back to a statue of the Immaculate Mother he’d been looking over before. He could hear another song starting and suddenly turned to the headmaster. “Are the children being entertained by a radio?”
“Why, no!” The headmaster gave him a surprised chuckle and smiled at him. “One of the older orphans is singing to them right now. They do so love to hear the boy sing.”
“That voice is someone singing?” Tohma turned disbelieving eyes on the headmaster. He must have thought it had been a recording just like Eiri.
“Yes, it’s Shuichi-kun.”
“What, is he Japanese?”
“Yes. His parents taught Japanese language and mythology at the university some years ago, but, sadly, they died in that horrible subway incident. Little Shuichi was suddenly alone in a foreign country. Luckily, your mother, Uesugi-san, knew Japanese and brought the child here. She tutored the boy in English herself.”
Eiri strained his ears to catch the soft voice coming from the sanctuary. It sounded so heavenly, like an angel. But it was nothing more than a pitiful orphan making such a beautiful noise, he reminded himself. Eiri’s feet moved by themselves as his ears picked up the familiar tune. It was the same song his mother had sung him to sleep with when he was younger. He rounded the corner, into the chapel, Tohma on his heels.
“Here where sweet flowers their fragrance bring; sleep, sleep my little King. Thousand seraphim, thousand cherubim, come from Heav’n above to guard the Lord of Love.”
Eiri quietly gasped as he took in the scene. The afternoon sun shone down through a stained glass window, illuminating the children at the altar. A taller boy, who looked to be almost through his teens, stood before them, the light bouncing off his hair, creating a halo of light around his head. Closed eyes opened to reveal a stunning violet color that Eiri had never seen before in his life.
The last note hung in the air, and the little girls and boys gathered broke out into gleeful applause. A breathtaking smile appeared on the boy’s face, and Eiri had to keep himself from just walking to the boy and running his fingers over that gorgeous expression.
“That was just beautiful, Shuichi-kun.” The headmaster walked forward a bit, and Shuichi looked up at them. Eiri’s golden eyes locked with violet ones for a split second before that smile was turned to all three of them. Eiri could have hit himself for even thinking anything as stupid as the boy had looked at him for a reason other than just ‘skimming the crowd.’ But then the boy spoke, and Eiri felt as if they were the only two in the room.
“Good afternoon, Uesugi-san.”
>*<
Eiri had come up with several crazy notions over the years of how the boy had known his name. He drove himself mad thinking of those. So in the end, he decided to focus just on the plausible and sane ones. One would be that his mother had talked to the small boy of her own sons, and Shuichi had somehow remembered a description his mother had given so long ago. Another would be that the headmaster had told the children of the two men who gave them gifts every year, and since Tohma was a little freer with his name in England then in Japan, Shuichi must have singled him out as the other one.
That one made the most sense to Eiri’s rattled brain, so that was the excuse he’d taken a firm belief in for the past three years. Still, that belief never stopped his heart from frantically beating every time Shuichi called his name on those days he and Tohma visited the orphanage. At first, after their first meeting, Eiri had been upset with himself at showing such unusual emotions for an orphan. But as the days went by, and he couldn’t get the boy off his mind, he’d come to accept that maybe he had feelings for the boy. And then, before Eiri knew it, a year had passed, and he found himself once again in Shuichi’s presence…
>*<
“Uesugi-san, I’m so glad you came again this year. The children really enjoy your gifts, year after year.”
Eiri just grunted. He thought Shuichi would be taken aback by his rude behavior, but the boy just smiled that angelic smile at him. Eiri just stared, surprise evident in his golden eyes, and Tohma joined them before he could say anything to that smile.
“No need for all that, Shuichi-kun. We have one for you as well.”
“Oh no, Seguchi-san! I couldn’t possibly accept it! I’m seventeen years old!”
“That doesn’t mean you don’t get a gift, Shuichi-kun. The headmaster told us everything you do for the orphanage, and you deserve this. I mean, you have a part-time job to help the orphanage with bills, you sing the hymns during the Sunday mass, you take care of all the children, and you even do their Christmas shopping with whatever money the orphanage can give. You are truly a remarkable boy!”
Eiri watched a slight blush color Shuichi’s cheeks. His bangs fell into his face, obscuring his eyes from the two of them. Slowly, he held his hands out for the package Tohma had in his arms, and his brother-in-law gave it to him with a satisfied smile.
“Thank you, Uesugi-san and Seguchi-san.” Eiri watched as the young boy looked at the candy-cane wrapping paper and red bow, eyes lingering on a tiny bell near the knot. Shuichi moved and set it on a nearby table and reached for the bow. The tiny bell jingled when Shuichi tugged a bit too harshly on the bow.
“I guess that little bell doesn’t have a satisfactory ring, ne, Shuichi-kun?” Tohma smiled amusedly at Shuichi.
“All that matters is that it rings.”
Eiri didn’t know what that meant, but it seemed to make the boy happy, and Eiri had come to realize that’s all that he wanted; he wanted the small boy to be happy. Shuichi unwrapped his gift and stared into the box.
“I noticed that the ones you had looked worn out. These should keep the snow out.” Shuichi looked up at Eiri. The tall blonde had decided that they’d get the boy a practical gift that would mean a lot more than something fancy he couldn’t use or would have to sell in order to help the orphanage. Shuichi turned back to the box and took out his present.
The boots were made of supple leather and laced up to mid-shin. The soles were thick so nothing from the environment could reach his feet. They were black so they couldn’t possibly clash with anything the boy wore and give him an excuse not to wear them. Eiri argued that someone in Shuichi’s position couldn’t really afford to be picky like that, but once Tohma made up his mind, that was it. Besides, Eiri conceded, black was a nice color regardless of the reason for its choosing.
Shuichi sat himself down on the floor and discarded his old boots of cracked leather and frayed laces. He quickly put on the new ones, apparently not wanting Eiri and Tohma to see the state of his socks. Eiri hid a smirk at the sight of a toe sticking out of a hole in the boy’s socks, and he elbowed Tohma discreetly.
“Shuichi-kun, there are socks in the box as well. You can’t have new shoes without new socks, can you?”
Eiri saw another blush dusts the boy’s cheeks and had to fight off a contented sigh. Shuichi was sometimes too cute for words, which worked out for Eiri as he rarely spoke in the first place. Shuichi stood up and looked down at his new boots. The soft light of the room reflected off the surface of them, making the boots shine. Shuichi looked up at them and then bowed low, something Eiri hadn’t received in some time. He saw Tohma return the bow just as deeply as it had been given, and he moved to do the same.
Tohma then told the boy that they had to be going, and he wished him a merry Christmas. Shuichi thanked them once again, and Tohma turned and walked out of the room. Eiri stood looking at the kid for a moment, then made to turn away. But he hesitated before doing so completely, and then turned back to face the boy. Eiri lifted his hand, took a deep breath, and set it on Shuichi’s shoulder. The boy startled a bit, and Eiri dared to lean in toward the boy’s ear.
“You’re welcome, Shu-chan.”
>*<
Eiri let out a quiet groan. What the hell had he been thinking? Being so familiar with the boy had probably served no other purpose than to freak him out. Who wouldn’t be disturbed if a man four years his senior called him by a nickname he probably hadn’t heard since his parents were alive?
Eiri shook himself from those thoughts and got back to shutting down his office for the night. Tohma would be back any minute, and he’d be damned if he was caught daydreaming. Except, he couldn’t get the horrible thought that his angel hated him out of his head. It hurt his heart to think that way, but he was a ‘cold bastard,’ and he would get over it. And then he remembered the following year when Tohma and he had returned…
>*<
Eiri was sitting in a pew by himself, staring blankly at the cross behind the altar. He hadn’t seen Shuichi all afternoon, and since Tohma was in the orphanage playroom handing out gifts, he figured the chapel was a safe place to continue not seeing the kid.
“Uesugi-san?”
So much for that plan of action, he thought. Eiri grunted a response and hid his surprise when Shuichi sat down on the pew a little way’s from him. There was silence for a moment, and then Shuichi asked him a question.
“How is your mother doing?”
“Fine.” He saw from the corner of his eye that his curt answer seem to discourage Shuichi from asking anything else, so he reluctantly elaborated on his answer. “She’s still stuck in bed, but the doctor says she’s doing much better otherwise. Just to keep her warm through the winter so she doesn’t have a relapse.”
“That’s wonderful, Uesugi-san!” Shuichi instantly brightened. He was quiet for a moment, and then asked, “Why aren’t you with Seguchi-san handing out gifts?”
Eiri thought about telling Shuichi that he really didn’t care for children, but thought better of alienating someone who obviously adored them. “I had a few cigarettes before we got here, and I wouldn’t want them inhaling any lingering smoke.” That wasn’t technically a lie, even if he didn’t care one way or another about it.
“That’s very considerate of you, Uesugi-san.” Another silence fell between them, and Eiri felt that if he didn’t keep the conversation going, Shuichi would find a reason to leave. But, hadn’t he wanted to keep away from the kid in the first place?
Either way, he found himself impulsively asking, “Are you going to sing for us tonight?”
Vibrant violet eyes swung his way, and a brilliant smile added to the angelic picture before him.
“Hai! I mean, yes, I’m singing tonight for the children. Does this mean you and Seguchi-san are staying for while?”
I guess it does, he thought, while he gave a short nod to the boy. He and Tohma hadn’t stayed either of the other years, but he knew Tohma wouldn’t pass up an opportunity to hear Shuichi sing. Eiri guessed he should head back and inform Tohma of their extended plans and motioned for Shuichi to get up. The boy complied, and together they walked to the playroom.
>*<
“Come on, Eiri! I’ve never known you take so long. Your mother wants to see you some time tonight.”
“She’ll see me all holiday season. She’s even got the extra guest room set up for me.”
“She just wants her family with her for the holidays. Now let’s go. The sooner we call it a day, the sooner tomorrow will come. I have a meeting with some record company executives in the morning, so we probably won’t get to the orphanage until evening. I called the headmaster and informed him of the time frame.”
Eiri nodded and walked to the door where Tohma was waiting. He left the light on for the janitor, and they walked to the elevator that would take them directly to the parking garage. When he saw his car was the only one there, he asked his brother-in-law how he’d gotten to his building in the first place.
“Honestly, Eiri. I’m not so pretentious as to not use a taxi.”
Shrugging it off, Eiri dug into his coat pocket for keys and his cigarettes. He brought the pack to his lips and extracted a stick as he pressed the auto-unlock on his ring. As Tohma climbed into the passenger seat, Eiri replaced his cigarettes and brought out his lighter. The tip flamed to life, and with a flick of his wrist, Eiri closed the lighter and slid into his car. His tires squealed as he left the empty garage, his mind on one thing.
Tomorrow.
TBC
________________________________________
so maybe two or three more chapters and it's done. next chapter is about shuichi and will take place on the day yuki and tohma come to the orphanage. btw, i know nothing about most religions, so if i get anything wrong about orphanages in england, let me know.
thanks for reading!