net
Ver. 1.0 thistle
[Friday evening]
“Aggh. Stop that! Why would you even want to go? I don’t want
to be there.” He leaned back in his chair, pushing away from the
laptop. Why had Mizuki even sent the damned invitation? His
editor knew how much he hated that shit. He didn’t enjoy being
around people in general. Fellow writers were an entirely
different can of worms.
“But, Eiri, I didn’t even know you had other author friends.”
Eiri stood and snatched the postcard from his lover’s hand. “No!
Who gave you permission to read my mail, anyway??” He
stomped out of the office, knowing Shuichi would follow him. He
was seriously annoyed. Mizuki had probably sent a postcard on
purpose, hoping Shuichi would read it. He dropped the card into
the wastebasket, walked down the hall and shoved the living
room door open; heading for the kitchen.
Eiri brushed past the boy. With long strides, he reached the
kitchen and grabbed a beer from the ‘fridge. Popping the top off,
he took a long drink and leaned back against the countertop.
Shuichi sat on the island countertop, swinging his bare feet and
lightly kicking the cupboard door. The postcard was in his hands
and he was reading through it again, smiling triumphantly.
Damnit, he already thinks he’s won, Eiri thought.
Shuichi let go of him immediately, throwing his arms into the air.
“Yay! We get to go to a party!” He started hopping and dancing
around the room. “You’re taking me to a party!”
“Keh. Settle down, brat. Today is only the second. The party isn’t
for another three weeks.” Eiri grabbed the beer and headed back
to his office.
His lover hugged him again quickly, briefly impeding his progress
across the living room floor. “I know, but I’m so excited! You
come to NG’s Christmas parties, but that’s because Seguchi-san
and your sister invite you, and you don’t go to the release
parties, usually, and I’ve never been to an authors’ party. They
must not come around very often. That makes this extra-special,
right?” Shuichi’s voice was muted by closing the living room
door. Eiri was relieved that he hadn’t been pursued. Apparently,
the excitement of the party was enough to keep Shuichi happy
for now.
The author rubbed one hand across his neck. He would have to
speak with Mizuki. If Shuichi found out how many of these
invitations he refused, he’d have trouble. He would have to make
sure that Mizuki did not make a habit of addressing mail to both
of them, either. That was sneaky. His editor knew how easily he
said no to her, and she also knew how hard it was for him to
refuse Shuichi. Still, I guess twenty-five years is an important
milestone for a publishing company, he thought. He sighed
again. Maybe I’ll get sick on the 24th and I won’t have to go . . .
***
[Saturday afternoon]
Shuichi popped his head out of the changing room. With a big
smile, he jumped out of the booth and spun around, showing off
this latest fashion. Eiri wasn’t certain how he’d managed to put
the pants on. “Do you think these are too tight?” Shuichi asked
earnestly, holding up his shirt and rotating in front of the three-
way mirrors.
That look, combined with the pants made Eiri instantly horny.
Sometimes he hated how Shuichi could do that to him. He tried
for nonchalance; shrugging, he said; “Your choice.” He imagined
Shuichi wearing those pants when they were alone, later . . .
then he frowned, eyes narrowing suspiciously. “You wouldn’t
wear those to the party . . .”
Shu smiled knowingly, “No? You’d don’t think they’d be the hit of
the party?”
Shuichi laughed and danced back into the booth, shutting the
door. “Oh, no! I still want to try on a couple more things.
“You should buy it,” Eiri said. “The shoulders are a bit too wide
for you, but they do alterations here, don’t they?” Shuichi
nodded and bit his lower lip. “I’ll find a tailor,” Eiri volunteered. “I
have to find a place to put this out, anyway.” He gestured with
the cigarette.
***
The night of the 24th came around and Eiri was healthy. Damnit.
So was Shuichi, although Eiri may have trouble peeling him off
the ceiling when it was time to go— figuratively, of course. He’d
had lunch with that imbecile, Sakuma Ryuichi. The idiot was still
flying high from the idea of a new duet Sakuma had planned to
sing with him. Add to that the excitement of the party this
evening and ‘hyper-active’ was just too mild a term for Shuichi’s
state of mind, energy level, and enthusiasm.
Maybe I should thank Sakuma for taking the brat out of here, Eiri
thought. I don’t think I could have tolerated this all day. Shuichi
was sitting on the couch, dressed in his new suit, legs tucked
under him, toes in the cushions. Surely he’s not an adult. He
can’t even pretend to be an adult, Eiri thought, condescendingly.
Shu was loudly singing along with a music video on the TV and
bouncing erratically. Eiri watched his lover briefly from the
darkness of the doorway. Shu looked about two years old rather
than twenty. Eiri must have made some sound, because Shuichi’s
head snapped toward him and he jumped up.
“Is it time to go, Eiri? I’ll shut the TV off . . . ” He did, continuing
his babble. “I was just watching this new video an—”
“Let’s go.” Eiri turned away and reached into the closet to grab
his coat. It was about sixty degrees and raining lightly— around
average for May. Eiri pulled out his keys and slipped on his
shoes. Shuichi had had to buy new shoes, to go with the suit.
Sneakers just wouldn’t cut it. Fortunately, shoe shopping had
taken a lot less time than clothes shopping. With a bound,
Shuichi landed his feet in the shiny new shoes left by the door.
“Okay!” The kid declared. “You look good, Eiri. I like that red
jacket. It’s so much cheerier than black! What do you think the
party will be like? I’ve been wondering all week, ya know?” Shu
didn’t bother with a coat. They stepped out and Eiri locked the
apartment while Shuichi continued his prattle. “Does everybody
just stand around talking about writing? Is there much to talk
about like that?” Eiri thought it was a rhetorical question, so he
didn’t answer. “Or maybe they just stand around looking sour?”
Shuichi smiled at him and poked him in the ribs.
Shuichi could always read him. Climbing into the car, the singer
became serious. “Are you worried, Eiri? I’ll be good, really. I
won’t embarrass you.” He buckled his seat belt and looked at the
floor, saying, “It means a lot to me that you’re taking me with
you.”
Eiri noted that Shuichi’s usually messy pink hair had been
combed. It still slid into his eyes, though. The kid had even
offered to wash out the pink coloration, to make a better
impression. Eiri had told him not to bother. In truth, he had
become used to Shu’s odd-colored hair and its fruity, herbal
scent. Eiri remembered Shu’s original hair color, but . . . it didn’t
suit him anymore. Eiri, himself, had always refused to dye his
hair black to appear like a ‘normal’ Japanese. It would be
hypocritical to ask his lover to change himself for something as
petty as an office party.
Both men defied more than one social custom on a regular basis.
There really wasn’t a great need for either one of them to
conform, either— especially when they were so successful being
themselves. Besides-- the two of them had been public news for
some time and Shuichi mattered much more to Eiri than public
opinion. Eiri started the car and backed out into the street. “I
know,” he responded quietly. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be going.
***
Review Authors Have Parties, Too?
gurabiteshiyon.net
[Saturday night]
Apparently sensing his ire, Shuichi distracted him. “Eiri, let’s get
something to drink, okay? Excuse us.” The kid grabbed his arm,
pulling him toward the bar. Eiri shook him off after two steps, but
followed. He really is trying to be good, Eiri mused. He isn’t
running or bouncing across the room, either.
The hall was filling up now and Eiri could see the cliques start to
develop. There; the non-fiction authors— he recognized a man
and woman he had met before, speaking with Miyamoto. By the
bar were the cookbook folks, loudly discussing the virtues of
cooking with saffron. The stuffy-looking group of men in high-
fashion suits were the publishing executives. He thought that the
giggling group of young women seated at a large round table
were secretaries. One of them was pointing toward Shuichi with
wide eyes.
Shuichi opened his mouth but Eiri put a hand on his shoulder
speaking for him, saying firmly, “Orange juice. I’d like a martini,
please.” He usually drank beer, but this was a special occasion.
He could drink something different once in a while. The bartender
glanced at them both and started preparing the drinks.
The bartender handed over the drinks and smiled at Shuichi. “If I
may say so, sir, I really like your music.”
How did Shu have that kind of effect on people? Eiri wondered.
He knew how to charm people with words when he had to, but
his Shuichi could always put others in a good mood, just by being
around them. Even me, he thought. “Are you hungry?”
Eiri looked around. Who might Shuichi get along with? “Ah. You
see that guy over there with long black hair? In the green shirt?
That’s Hitori Izumo. He’s a biographer. I know he’s written free-
lance articles on Nittle Grasper…”
“Uh, nice to meet you,” Shuichi said, filling the silent pause.
“Yes, Bad Luck,” the kid answered. “Our latest single, ‘Airplane’,
hit number one last week.” Shu’s bright smile worked such
wonders. Megumi’s responding smile looked kind-of sick, though,
when she glanced up at Eiri. Did she catch some hint of the
indulgent pride he felt for Shuichi? The singer’s voice changed a
little, becoming brusque. “Excuse us; Eiri was going to introduce
me to other people.” Was the kid bristling?
Eiri blew out smoke and moved around Megumi. “Don’t worry,”
he said quietly to Shu as they crossed the floor. “I’d never have
anything to do with her.”
The other author was not quite as tall as Eiri, putting him
somewhere under six feet tall. He wore a tailored, pinstriped grey
suit with a bright green shirt the color of spring leaves and shiny
black dress shoes. His long black hair was mostly pulled back in a
loose ponytail that left long strands of hair falling onto his
shoulders. The hair style reminded Eiri of Shuichi’s friend, Hiro.
Izumo had a long thin face and sculpted bone structure. His
green eyes registered interest as the two of them approached.
The man set his drink on a nearby table, freeing his hand and
offering it, American-style. “Yuki-san, nice to see you again.”
Eiri stuck his cigarette in his mouth and transferred his glass to
his left hand to shake hands. The man’s grasp was firm and dry.
He had long, thin fingers, Eiri noted. “You, too,” he greeted. “This
is—“
“Thanks! Nice to meet you, too,” Shuichi said. “Eiri said you’ve
written about Nittle Grasper?”
“Damn! The tabloids are bad enough, Eiri. What awful things
could they print in a whole book?” Shuichi’s eyes began to water.
Not here, he thought. “Don’t think like that,” Eiri scolded him
coldly. “Most biographies are all about the good things.” He
glanced at Izumo, silently asking for help.
Eiri had been in the limelight before Shuichi had come into his
life, but the singer had added another dimension to the media
blitz. If someone did write a biography about Bad Luck, how
much would they pry into his life? Eiri resolved to check into Eiko
Publishing, to see if there were any such book proposals floating
around. If there were, then he would decide what action needed
to be taken.
Eiri pulled out another cigarette. Shuichi jumped up, but quickly
controlled his first inclination to bounce or run. Eiri could see the
effort it took for him to walk like a normal adult. It made him
want to laugh. He toned his reaction down to a smile before it
escaped. He hoped the singer wouldn’t take too long. Eiri didn’t
want to be swamped by the secretaries.
He crossed his right leg over his left knee, slouching in the chair
and puffing on his cigarette. He idly looked around the room and
moved the table’s ashtray closer to himself. It seemed that
Shuichi was the one who’d be swamped by the secretaries. Eiri
smirked, watching the women converge on the singer. The crowd
of females had appeared around Shu as soon as they saw that he
was by himself. I won’t rescue him until he needs it, Eiri thought.
Scenes like that had been happening more often, lately. Almost
two years of rock hits, Eiri mused. He still writes shitty lyrics, Eiri
thought, but the public sure eats ‘em up. He could hear Shuichi’s
melodic laugh over the subdued din of conversation.
Eiri raised an eyebrow. What did the man expect him to say?
Was it a ploy to flatter and then ask for a favor? “You honor me,”
Eiri temporized. It wasn’t likely he’d blow-off a request from
senior management . . . Well, within reason, Eiri amended.
The man smiled, transforming his face from pale, aged leather to
that of a pleasant grandfather. “We’ll be making some company
announcements in a few minutes. Would you be willing to have
some publicity photos taken, in honor of Eiko Publishing’s 25th
anniversary?”
“Good, good.” The old man slapped his knees and stood. “I see
your friend is returning,” he commented, “enjoy the party.” As
the man walked away, Eiri could see Shuichi making his way
back to their table, carrying two small plates. He was stopped
and spoken to often enough for Eiri to be able to finish his
cigarette by the time Shuichi returned. Eiri sat back, content to
watch the room, as the kid came closer.
Eiri took another sip of liquor. Shuichi’s own plate was half
crumbs. He wondered how the younger man had been able to eat
from his own plate while both hands were full. He hoped Shuichi
hadn’t just sucked the hors’d’oerves directly off the plate. Eiri
waited for Shu to tell him about the people he’d been talking to,
because Shuichi talked about everything. Using his fingers,
Shuichi ate a small, puffy pastry in one bite and watched him
back. Eiri bit into the strawberry shortcake and was rewarded by
Shu’s smile. The dessert was good. He ate some more. For Shu,
Eiri’s acceptance of the food was his cue to jabber.
“The secretaries here are really nice. I didn’t know how many
authors like Bad Luck, either! A lot of people already knew who I
was!” Eiri thought that made perfect sense. Not all writers were
veritable hermits, like he was, after all. If any of them listened to
radio or TV, they would have heard of Bad Luck and Shindou
Shuichi. Shuichi himself just never seemed to grasp his own
popularity. Maybe that naivety was part of what kept him striving
for ‘bigger’ and ‘better’, blithely unaware how much he had
attainted.
The elderly man who’d spoken with Eiri earlier took the
microphone. “Welcome, everyone. I’m happy to see such a good
turnout for this event. We have had a very successful twenty-five
years. This is the result of hard work on the part of our authors,
editors, publishers, and staff; we thank you.” He bowed, humbly,
eliciting another brief round of applause.
“We have many exciting ventures planned for the future,” the
executive continued. “First, I wish to formally announce that we
plan to expand our company in the new year. Our romance
novels, in particular, have become so popular that we are
opening a new division. It will be called “Never Ending Dream”.
This new division will have all the support of the company’s main
branch, but will allow our readers to easily identify our most
popular genre of books. Our growth would not have been
possible without the work of one man in particular . . . Yuki Eiri!”
The old man gestured him to the front of the room. Eiri
performed for the crowd: smiling and shaking hands with the
executives, holding still for publicity shots, and toasting the
company’s future. Did Shuichi ever feel like this? Like an exotic
animal on stage, paraded out by its trainers to perform tricks?
No, it was probably different for a performer. The performance
was the band’s payoff for hard work in the studio— a chance to
dazzle their fans and reap the praise of a live audience. Eiri knew
Shuichi loved that aspect of the music business. The kid craved
the attention.
Eiri felt his real work was done in private; in the cool, (relative)
quiet of his office. This . . . this kind of exploitation felt too open.
He hated it. He hadn’t done anything remarkable and, in his
estimation, he didn’t feel deserved of this kind of treatment.
***
gurabiteshiyon.net
[Saturday night]
On the way home from the party, Shuichi was quiet. Perhaps the
singer was wary of Eiri’s uncertain mood. Eiri had a lot to think
about and he was tired. Phony public performances like that took
a lot out of him. It annoyed him how Shu was watching him
carefully. “It’s not your fault,” Eiri said harshly, hoping to
displace some of his lover’s tension. He was upset but didn’t
want to take it out on Shuichi.
Shuichi nodded. “I could tell you didn’t like it— the attention, I
mean. You’re *so cool*!” Shuichi looked at him with wide
admiring eyes. “I would have cracked.”
“Later?”
The song ended and Shuichi’s voice dropped into speaking range,
talking over the next song seemingly without a pause for breath.
“So, you never answered me: *do* women still put phone
numbers in your pockets?”
Eiri shook his head and turned onto their street. “Idiot.” He’d
forgotten the snappy comeback he’d planned to use before.
Instead, he said, “you’re the one who does the laundry. Do you
find phone numbers in my pockets?” Shuichi frowned and he
touched his chin: a sign of deep thought.
Would that baby-face of his ever wrinkle or get laugh lines? Eiri
wondered. Before Shuichi had barged into his life, he hadn’t
thought about much of anything long-term. Now he was looking
forward to seeing his lover grow old?? Arrrggh! And there his
lover sat, taking his time thinking about it the possibility of Eiri
cheating on him? He narrowed his eyes and glanced at Shuichi,
waiting for an answer.
“Sometimes I find bits of paper in the lint trap, but most of the
time, they’re my notes that I forgot to take out of my pockets.”
***
[Monday afternoon]
“I’m serious, Mizuki, I want some answers,” Eiri said into the
phone. “I’ve been trying to reach you all damn—“
“I’m sorry, but I’m very busy. Tech support is taking away my
computer and I—“
“Why?”
“Okay, Mizuki, 4:00.” He hung up. Yes, it was rude, but he felt it
was justified. Hell, she probably appreciated him cutting the call
short. It sounded like she had other things to deal with right
now. The offices must be chaos. Mizuki was really flustered and
she’s one of the most patient souls Eiri knew. He figured she
could explain it all later.
Eiri still had a little more than an hour until four. Shuichi was due
home at six.
He moved into the kitchen and went about the process of
brewing fresh coffee. This new book division was suspicious. It
was *announced* on Saturday, and personnel were moving to
new offices on Monday? Bizarre. I wonder if this is actually a
quiet merger? Eiri thought. Had Eiko somehow usurped a smaller
publishing company? That would explain how the editors already
had a new office building. Who do I know that would have the
truth of the story, Eiri mused. He decided if the story didn’t
appear in the media within a week, he would track it down.
If could convince Shu to confront his sister, how could the kid
question Maiko without getting himself all upset? Maiko should at
least be warned to keep her trap shut, Eiri thought. After all,
Izumo had seemed to think that it was only a matter of time
before a biography came out. Eiri hesitated to even *think* it,
but . . . maybe a family visit was the solution? At least Shu’s
family wasn’t as dysfunctional as Eiri’s. The down-side was that
both Shu’s mother and sister were readers and fans of his books.
He sighed and took another drink. I’ll wait to see what Mizuki can
turn up, he told himself. There was no need to jump to extremes,
yet.
Who else might talk? Hiro had a dead-beat brother, didn’t he?
Some kind of failed actor or something? Getting him to talk
would probably be a piece of cake; a simple matter of waving
money in front of him. Eiri thought the man had some sense of
honor, but guessed the right amount of money could overcome a
lot of hesitation. Eiri didn’t know anything about Fujisaki. Shu
didn’t talk about him much, except to complain. Did that kid have
inconvenient family members, too?
The more Eiri thought about it, the more he felt ill. Life had been
so much simpler when he didn’t care about anyone. A new
thought occurred to him: what if the potential biographer went to
Tohma for permission instead of directly to the band? Tohma was
a shark and his company did hold certain publicity rights. To him,
almost any publicity was good publicity. Tohma would not qualify
what material went into print—unless something was printed
about Eiri, himself. If Eiri wanted to protect his Shuichi from
some rotten tell-all biographer, he needed to get busy. The
coffee soured on his tongue.
***
Author’s Note: The story grew past its original title, but I’ve left it
alone for consistency’s sake.
gurabiteshiyon.net
[Monday afternoon]
Eiri arrived at the café early, but he had finished his coffee and
couldn’t find anything to watch on TV. Tohma hadn’t been taking
calls. His secretary claimed he was out of his office this morning.
There hadn’t really been time to get involved with his latest book
again, since he had a tendency to loose time when he wrote.
Instead, he killed time at the café. The temperature was in the
mid-seventies and he sat outside, smoking and surreptitiously
watching a lovers’ spat. It gave him ideas for his writing--
although his version would involve infidelity and a fatal disease.
Mizuki was ten minutes late.
“I’m very sorry I’m late, Yuki-san,” she plopped into a chair and
settled her valise at her feet. Eiri thought she looked harried. She
sounded a little breathless, too. She usually wore a feminine-
style business suit with a skirt and double-breasted blazer. Today
she looked almost casual in a muted green pants suit with the
jacket unbuttoned over a white blouse.
She shook her head. “It was a surprise to most of us. Apparently,
a few of the senior editors had word of the plan before the
announcement, but they were ordered to keep quiet.” Mizuki
tucked a fall of short, light brown hair behind her ear and leaned
her elbows on the table, setting her chin on her hands. “I didn’t
know they were going to take publicity shots of you, either. Did
you see the article in the ‘Tokyo Times’ entertainment section?”
His editor shrugged. “The article didn’t say very much.” She
pursed her lips. “It’s very . . . interesting over at HQ, today. The
new building is just down the street— toward the news stand on
the corner— number 4012. They were putting up a large pink-
lettered ‘Never Ending Dream’ sign on the front, today. You can’t
miss it, but it’s the building with the all-glass foyer that’s been
empty for the last three months.” He nodded recognition. “My
office will be on the 3rd floor.” Mizuki shook her head. “It’s really
amazing how almost everything is all prepared. It’s like the
entire building was just waiting for people to fill it. I’m not
exactly sure what’s going on, but there’s a big kick-off meeting
over there on Wednesday at 11:00. Supposedly, there will be an
executive there to answer questions and fill in the details. The
company is going about this all backwards, if you ask me.”
Their drinks arrived and Eiri crushed his cigarette in the ashtray.
“Yes. Could you find out if there are currently any proposals for a
biography about Bad Luck or Shindou?”
They spoke briefly about the status of the book while she finished
her Coke. They planned a meeting for Wednesday evening so she
could update him about the company’s new division, any
information she found, and give him the new office phone
numbers. She also reminded him about the book-signing
appearance scheduled for tomorrow afternoon. It was a special
promotional grand-opening for a prominent book store chain. The
store was paying a considerable amount of money for the
privilege of having Yuki Eiri there, too. He always drew crowds.
The last time he had attended one, the book store ran out of
copies of his latest book. His fingers had been sore for days after,
from all the unaccustomed writing he’d done with a pen.
Mizuki left the café and Eiri stayed to finish his beer. Since he
wouldn’t be home tomorrow at dinner time, he wanted to make a
little effort to spend time with his lover tonight. Bad Luck was
going on tour again in another week and a half. Eiri hated the
needy feeling that took him over, urging him to spend extra time
with Shu while he was here, at home, in Tokyo. This feeling
seemed to prick him most just before tours cropped up. He
realized it was a pre-curser to the loneliness that set in when the
singer was absent.
On the other hand, if Eiri traveled with the band, he never slept
well; transferring to a different hotel room every night. He never
accomplished much writing on the tour bus, either. Not writing
left him with nothing to do all day, except entertain Shuichi. The
biggest reason *to* go was that they both functioned better
when they could be together. It was a weakness that he hated
and Shuichi thrived on. Maybe I’ll go with them for the second
stretch of the tour, Eiri considered. By the time he was done with
the beer, he had just about enough time to get take-out and get
home before Shu came home.
***
[Tuesday night]
How that idiot could have heard Eiri’s entrance over his own
bawling was a mystery but as soon as Eiri turned away from the
door, the wailing got louder and Shu threw himself into Eiri’s
arms. “It’s aw-aw-aawful,” he sobbed. “M-M-izuki said . . .
WAH!!” Eiri’s emotional wreck of a lover blubbered incoherently
against his chest, wadding the writer’s suit coat up in his small
fists. Eiri held Shuichi—mostly out of reflex because he’d been
knocked backward into the door with the force of Shu’s spastic
welcome.
Eiri wanted to hang up his coat and take off his shoes and tie. He
wanted to relax. It wasn’t going to happen unless he took control
over the situation. “SHUT UP!!”
“Idiot! Let me in the door. Let me put my coat away and take my
shoes off, first!”
Eiri shook his head and rubbed his temples. This did not bode
well. The shoes came off and the coat found its way into the
closet. Eiri loosened his tie and took the opportunity to change
clothes. He put on a pair of loose, black pajama pants and an
unbuttoned over-shirt. At least he’d be comfortable while Shuichi
cried on him. Mizuki must have turned up a biography. There
wasn’t much else that she would say to upset Shu.
When Eiri came into the living room, Shuichi was sitting on the
floor with his back against the couch. On the table, he’d set out a
dinner of rice and sushi, beer, a pack of cigarettes, and a lighter.
Shu’s eyes watched him hopefully, timidly. Eiri knew that
pleading look. It asked for forgiveness, even though the singer
didn’t need to apologize. He is adorable when he’s being so
submissive, Eiri mused, but a flip of mood can reveal his
stubborn strength. Eiri loved that side of the bratt, too. Eiri
settled onto the couch and Shuichi immediately laid his head on
the writer’s leg, wrapping arms around his calf. Eiri ran his
fingers through his lover’s fine pink hair, knowing the touch
would calm him down.
“Okay. I’ll eat and you can tell me about it,” Eiri said. He picked
up the plate. Flexing his abused fingers, he grasped the
chopsticks and dug in.
Eiri rolled his eyes and set aside his dinner. He’d only had two
bites. “Forget it, Idiot. Come here.”
Shu looked up at him with wide, wet eyes. His nose was running,
too. “But you’re not finished with—“
“Let me take care of it.” Shuichi nodded and climbed into his lap,
fitting himself against his lover like a long, heavy overcoat. Eiri
combed his fingers through Shuichi’s hair, releasing the scent of
the herbal shampoo the kid used.
“Eiri, she said it was bad. She wouldn’t say that if she didn’t
mean it.”
Eiri knew he had the clout at Eiko to block Miyamoto’s book, but
it wouldn’t prevent the author from taking his manuscript to
another publisher . . . unless Eiko had already bought the
publishing rights, paid him an advance, or if his contract
stipulated exclusive association with Eiko. Maybe Mizuki’s
message would have some other useful information. Eiri had his
personal request / threat letter all typed up— just to be
prepared, he’d told himself when he wrote it. He’d send it, or
maybe hand deliver it tomorrow.
Eiri’s rice was cold by the time he ate it. He gave up on it and
leaned forward again, holding Shu, so he could reach the
cigarettes and lighter, along with the ashtray that sat in its usual
place on the table. Shu must have emptied it for him. He was
glad the younger man had had the foresight to set these things
out for him. Shu often came across as a klutz and a screw-up,
but he was really very caring and considerate. Eiri might not say
it, but he appreciated it. He lit up. Even the TV remote was
within reach, on the couch cushion. Eiri punched it on,
automatically turning the volume down. Shu had a tendency to
listen to the TV at a much higher volume than Eiri liked.
Predictably, the TV had been left on the music video channel and
Shuichi stirred against him when music first burst from the
speakers.
Shuichi was warm and cuddly against him. Eiri almost wished he
could sleep in this position and not wake up sore. Hmph. So
much for my massage, he thought, disconsolately. In the
morning, Eiri would have to coach Shuichi and tell him what to
say regarding the biography. If he didn’t, Shu was likely to start
a panic among his band mates and NG staff members. Then, Hiro
and K would come over here, knocking on the damned door . . .
or knocking it in— either looking for information or blaming Eiri
for making Shuichi depressed. He didn’t need that shit. Eiri
hoped he would be able to speak with Tohma, tomorrow.
***
gurabiteshiyon.net
[Friday morning]
Eiri still didn’t know the real story about his publisher’s new book
division. When he and Mizuki had met on Wednesday evening,
his editor’s description of the company meeting sounded more
like a pep-rally than anything professional. The executive had
spent most of his time handing out new business cards and a
bunch of pens and paraphernalia sporting the new division’s logo.
There hadn’t been any constructive answers to the motives
behind ‘Never Ending Dream’. Eiri was still planning to deal with
this mystery— just not right now.
With a grimace, Eiri practically threw the handset into its cradle.
He stepped into the kitchen doorway, and growled, “What do you
want?”
“Eiri.” She smiled evilly and slipped off her sunglasses, stowing
them in her designer hand-bag. That was the smile she gave him
when she achieved a rare check-mate against him. “Father would
like you to visit him.” She made a casual, graceful gesture to
brush her long hair back over her shoulder.
“That would be nice.” She kept up her evil smile and settled on
his couch, keeping her knees together tightly in her very short,
black mini-skirt. Her high-heeled black boots left stab-wounds on
his rug. He grimaced at her rudeness for not removing her shoes
at the door and he went back into the kitchen, filling his mug and
another with coffee. What kind of blackmail did she think she had
on him this time? He brought Mika the second coffee mug and
sprawled next to her on the couch. He set his own mug on the
end table and scooped up his lighter, while locating cigarettes in
his shirt pocket. Like asking her to show her poker hand, he said,
“What have you got?” He lit a cigarette and dropped the lighter
into his pocket with the rest of the pack.
She sipped the coffee, still smiling. “Father won’t let Tatsuha
come to Tokyo until you visit.”
“Pffft. And why should I care?” He exhaled smoke and set his
right ankle on his left knee. What kind of lame threat was that?
“The old geezer couldn’t keep Tatsuha home if he wanted to,
anyway.”
Mika’s smile got wider, and toothier. “He can and he will.” She
hummed a little. Ooooo, she’s really pleased with herself over
this one, he thought. He watched her sip the coffee some more.
“What would happen if Ryuichi-kun couldn’t see Tatsuha?” She
asked, rhetorically, silky-sweet.
“What does the old man want, anyway?” Eiri was defeated. He
may as well accept it.
“He didn’t say,” Mika said flatly. She finished off the coffee and
placed the mug on the table. She really didn’t know? Odd.
Her evil smile turned into a full-blown grin. “Of course I am! Both
of my brothers and my dear father at the family temple, while
my loving husband is away . . . ” Her laugh is just as black as her
twisted heart, Eiri thought. He snorted. She may as well admit
that she just wants to watch the show . . . and the fireworks that
are certain to follow, he thought, ruefully.
***
[Saturday afternoon]
Shuichi had not been happy about the change in plans. Eiri
wasn’t, either. Shu wanted to go with him. He couldn’t get out of
work, and when he’d tried to cancel dinner with his folks, his
mother had laid a thick guilt trip on him and he’d caved in. He
promised Eiri he would be in Kyoto by Sunday. Neither one of
them thought that Eiri would get away from family before then.
To Eiri’s great surprise, his father was at the back of the house,
sitting and drinking tea with . . . Miyamoto! The shoji [2] had
been opened so the two men could look over the garden. They
were chatting like old friends about *temple architecture*. At
that moment, several isolated bits of information fell into place.
Apparently, Tatsuha wasn’t the one who needed killing.
***
[1] Kuro = black. This is the kimono Eiri wears when he’s home.
The haori is the men’s half-jacket worn over the kimono on
formal occasions or bad weather. Eiri’s kimono looks to me like
the men’s version of a tomesode— which married women wear.
It is black with small family crests on it— but I couldn’t find any
special name for the men’s version. The under kimono has a
special name, too, but it’s essentially the short, plain white
kimono that is worn under the outer kimono and typically slept
in.
[2] Shoji are the door/walls of wood and covered with rice paper
in a traditional Japanese home.
***
gurabiteshiyon.net
[Saturday]
Eiri approached the room where his father and a guest were
drinking tea. The Uesugi patriarch made a great show of
introducing his eldest son to Miyamoto Ranmaru-san. Eiri
appraised the man. He looked older than Eiri’s father. He had
sparse, faded grey hair on top of a round head, narrow black
eyes, a lumpy aged nose, wide pale lips and a jowly jaw line. As
Eiri had seen him in before, he wore a conservative grey business
suit, white shirt and dull, understated tie. Eiri only nodded to
acknowledge the introduction, being purposefully insulting. “The
two of you seem awfully cozy,” Eiri said. Kneeling, he gave a
temporary impression of behaving.
Even the old monk knew the signs of a winter storm in his son.
“Eiri, why don’t you have some tea?” Eiri did not answer, but
focused his burning, icy stare on Miyamoto.
His father could not see what kind of viper his guest was. The
two old men probably shared enough common interests that the
Uesugi patriarch could not be made to see reason. Eiri rubbed his
head, tousling his hair. The damp wind helped clear his mind.
Had Miyamoto meant to provoke him? Mizuki had warned him
that the man was known for his bad temper. Eiri laughed at
himself, silently. He’d nearly assaulted the ass after an almost-
comment about his Shuichi. It certainly hadn’t been the personal
slights to himself; he could care less what the man thought of his
writing. Is Miyamoto a danger or just a windbag? Eiri wondered.
Eiri had smoked most of one cigarette when his younger brother
came and sat on a rock at the pool’s edge. He was in full monk
attire, smoking. “That guy’s a total prick,” Tatsuha said quietly.
“I hate it when he’s around.” He blew smoke in a near-perfect
imitation of Eiri. The prayer beads around his wrist clicked softly
when he moved. “He puts father in an even more-traditional
mind set. I think that guy is a little older, too.” Tatsuha’s voice
turned sulky, “I figure he’s the reason I’ll be stuck in fucking
Kyoto on my day off.” He pouted darkly. “I was planning to
spend the day with Ryu-kun, too.”
Eiri tossed his cigarette onto the damp, sandy edge of the water.
“I’m here. I think that lets you off the hook.”
Eiri snorted. “He had to work today, and then he’s having dinner
with his parents. He’ll be here tomorrow, probably early.”
“Hm?”
“Yeah,” Tatsuha sighed. “I know. Ryu’s going along for the first
two weeks of it.”
Eiri frowned and dug into his sleeve for another cigarette. Shu
had neglected to mention that fact. Or had he? He had gone on
at length about the duet they had recorded this week. Maybe this
was related? A soft, low growl slipped out of him as he lit his
cigarette.
Eiri blew out smoke and put his lighter away. He hated being
jealous of Ryuichi. Not only was the man was twice Tatsuha’s
age, he was a complete and utter hare-brained idiot. Tatsuha
and Ryuichi seemed devoted to each other— not that there was
any question of devotion on Tatsuha’s part! No, the question was
where Ryuichi’s interests lay. Reluctantly, Eiri granted that the
man was a powerful singer, but that was about his only selling-
point, in Eiri’s estimation. It annoyed him to no end that both his
brother and his lover were enamored of that child-in-a-man’s-
body. Eiri trusted Shuichi, but being with the young singer had
left Eiri vulnerable to so many things: socialization, black mail,
protective urges . . . and emotions. Like jealousy. Damnit.
“Maybe this time the old man will follow through and die,” he
said coldly.
Eiri narrowed his eyes at his brother. “Yeah, Mika came to watch,
too, but I thought you had a date,” he said pointedly.
***
Dinner that night was formal. A chill rain had chased the brothers
inside for the afternoon. Eiri had managed to hide with, er, sink
himself into a book during that time, but he was informed that he
must attend dinner. Mika usually got away with non-traditional
clothes, but the required formality even extended to her tonight.
Eiri hadn’t known she owned a tomesode with the Seguchi crests.
He didn’t think he’d seen her wear a kimono since she wore a
shiromuku [1] for her wedding.
Their father was really making a point of honoring his guest. His
children, on the other hand— particularly his sons, did their best
to end, stifle, or thwart all attempts at conversation in order to
maintain a very cold silence. Tatsuha is really good at this game,
Eiri realized. The younger monk’s experience in conducting
funeral rites gave him plenty of horrid stories to turn
conversation toward. The amount of grim, depressing detail he
could extricate from a scene was . . . impressive. Morbid, too.
Not to be out-done, Eiri simply invented tragedies he could relate
to otherwise happy topics. Mika was exasperated with her
brothers. Their father glared at them, balefully. He hated it when
the two of them showed a united front against him. Tatsuha and
Eiri were the only ones who ate with any appetite. The others
picked at the perfectly prepared food. Eventually they gave up
trying to speak. Both brothers were gleefully anticipating a much
more cheerful and entertaining breakfast tomorrow. Mika knew
*something* was up.
After dinner, the table trays were cleared and a staring contest
began. The stoic Uesugi patriarch finally started reprimanding his
sons in front of his guest. Miyamoto watched the whole thing like
a ball game he had bet money on. It was only a replay of the
same old arguments; ‘Eiri, shave your head or die your hair
black’, ‘Lose the earring’, ‘Move back home.’ Eiri was pretty sure
the old man had given up on the ‘get married’ argument. He
wasn’t sure about the ‘as eldest son, you must be prepared to
take over the temple’ bit. His father didn’t bring up either topic,
this time around. To both of them, the old man said, ‘Give up
smoking!’ It was a signal for both men to light up. The old man
was a hypocrite on that score, since he smoked, too.
With smoke hanging in the air and the chill rain still coming
down, Mika lit lanterns in the room and fetched the koto [2] from
storage. She must be desperate to change the ambient mood
and temperature in here, Eiri thought. Mika didn’t play the
instrument very often and probably hadn’t practiced in years.
She could only play a few traditional pieces well, but it always
pleased their father when she did play. Eiri guessed she
reminded Father of their mother. Her impromptu concert let
them all off the hook until morning.
After the patriarch turned in for the night, Eiri went to his room,
too. He didn’t think he’d be able to sleep, so he read a little
more. He never went to sleep this early at home, but to his
surprise, he found himself yawning. He turned out the light and
tucked himself into bed, a little sad that the sheets were cold and
there was no one here to warm them. Until morning, he
reminded himself. A smile crept across his face in the dark and
Eiri covered it with a blanket.
***
***
gurabiteshiyon.net
[Sunday morning]
He didn’t get very far before Shuichi threw himself into Eiri’s
arms, knocking him down and causing him to sit in the hallway,
hard, with a hollow thud. Shuichi straddled him, hugging him
tightly. “I missed you,” the kid whispered into Eiri’s ear,
snuggling. He clapped a hand over the sensitive ear, casting his
rambunctious lover an offended look. The herbal scent of his hair
and the deeper, clean scent of his body enveloped Eiri. Shuichi
giggled.
Miyamoto choose that moment to peek out his own door. “What
is all this racke…t?” The grey-haired author took in the pink-
haired boy sitting in Eiri’s lap on the floor, and the wild-looking
adult male with the pink stuffed bunny in his hand, pouncing on a
sleeping monk. Miyamoto’s eyes grew big, he spluttered, and
shut the door with a clap, as the wooden frame of the shoji
struck the door frame. Eiri could almost swear that some of the
other author’s grey hairs had gone white before his eyes.
Shuichi burst out laughing and Eiri chuckled a little. Ryuichi was
laughing, too, but shutting the door to Tatsuha’s room. They
could both hear Tatsuha’s just-awake voice, faintly, over
Ryuichi’s squealing and giggling. Shuichi looked at Eiri very
seriously and said, “Ryu’s really ticklish.”
Eiri grabbed his lover’s chin and kissed him. “I’m glad you’re
here,” he said quietly. Shuichi’s eyes shined, filling with water.
The kid grinned and nearly squeezed the breath out of him.
“Me, too!” He squealed. With spandex shorts on, Eiri could tell
how happy he was. Shu shifted his body around a little, rubbing
their groins together teasingly. That was dangerous in a loosely-
tied kimono.
Eiri pulled Shuichi’s arms off his body and kissed the singer’s
nose. Ug, Eiri thought, we have only been apart for one day and
we’re acting like . . . Eiri stopped his thought trail. They would be
wrecked in no time if he didn’t go with the Bad Luck tour. He
changed the subject. “Now what were the two of you doing that
made so much noise?” Eiri figured he may as well try to minimize
any damage.
“Yes,” Eiri hissed. He lit his cigarette and got to his feet. Shuichi
looked confused. “He’s a friend of my father’s, I guess.” Shu still
looked uncertain. Eiri put his hand on Shu’s back to propel him
forward. “Let’s see if we can find some breakfast, instead, okay?”
The kitchen was the only truly modern room in the building. The
floors were tile over wood, instead of traditional tatami mats. [1]
There was a modern refrigerator, an old-but-modern stove,
plenty of cupboards and lots of counter space. Shuichi was
gathering pans and dishes. “Eiri! Can you make one of those
American-style breakfasts, like you sometimes do for me? I saw
lots of eggs in the ‘fridge. Ryuichi would really like that. He told
me he likes scrambled eggs. I can make some—“
“YOU won’t do anything, except carry the dishes, Idiot.” Eiri tied
his kimono sleeves back with a ribbon of cloth. “Yes, I can make
American-style breakfast,” he said indulgently. It actually
sounded good to him, this morning. Shuichi jumped backward to
sit on the counter, away from the stove. Eiri leaned against
another counter, finishing his cigarette before he cooked. “How
was your trip here?”
“The what?”
“Ryu calls it the ‘trunk’— you know, the boot? The back of the
car, where the bags go—“
“Idiot! I know what the trunk is! Did you say *shrine*?”
“Uhg! How can they eat that stuff first thing in the morning? How
can you? Can’t we have some tuna, or something?” She poked
her head into the refrigerator.
“You can fix some for father and his guest, too, then,” Eiri told
her. She grumbled, but complied.
“ICE CREAM!”
Mika threw back her head and groaned, but her noise was kind-
of lost against Ryuichi’s chant of, “ICE CREAM, ICE CREAM, ICE
CREAM . . . !” It got louder until the older singer arrived in the
kitchen with a squeal. Ending his chant, he went to search the
freezer. Tatsuha came in behind him, dressed in jeans and t-
shirt, smiling widely. Ryu pulled his head out of the freezer,
shaking it sadly. “No ice cream for Kumagorou, no na da,” he
announced.
“Oh, yum!” He inhaled the cooking smells happily. Mika rolled her
eyes. “Tat-kun, we can have eggs and sausage for breakfast!”
Ryu grabbed Tatsuha’s hands and danced him in circles. Tatsuha
didn’t look too sure about eggs for breakfast, but he was willing
to try it. Mika lit a cigarette and poured coffee for herself. She
looked like a shock victim. Eiri dished out breakfast. The other
two people in the house should be joining them shortly . . . for
one reason or another, Eiri thought.
About the time the breakfast trays had been set out, and
everyone was settling down to eat, the Uesugi patriarch
appeared. “More guests, I see,” he said flatly, kneeling before his
tray-table and settling his robes.
“Good morning!” Ryu and Shu crowed, nearly in unison. The old
monk looked at all of them. Ryu was so close to Tatsuha, he was
practically sitting in the monk’s lap, and there was a lot of casual
touching between the two of them. Between Eiri and Shu was the
palpably close warmth and comfort of an established relationship.
Mika sat alone, across from her brothers and their lovers, eating
quietly. There was no sign of Miyamoto.
Tears trickled down Mika’s cheeks. “Excuse me,” she choked out.
She left, wiping at her eyes. Her food was mostly uneaten.
Shu let go of Eiri’s arm to give Ryu a look of surprise, too, jaw
dropping in disbelief. “You don’t know??” Shu questioned him.
Ryuichi shook his head. “Really??”
***
***
gurabiteshiyon.net
[Sunday]
With four people to clean up, the breakfast dishes had been
washed and tray tables stowed away quickly. Eiri and Tatsuha sat
on the back porch, legs hanging off the ledge, smoking in
companionable silence. Ryuichi was chasing a couple of
butterflies and laughing. Earlier, he had scared the carp in the
pool, by splashing through it. Shuichi was sitting by the pond,
frowning and scribbling in a notebook. Occasionally, he would
stop and tap his pencil in rhythm, sometimes closing his eyes in
concentration. Eiri understood the lightning strike of inspiration.
Watching Shu write made him itch for his laptop.
“You should go talk to Mika,” Tatsuha told Eiri again. It was like a
children’s game of ‘you do it’, ‘no, you do it’. They had each been
trying to convince the other to confront or comfort their elder
sister. They had already agreed that Ryu and Shu wouldn’t be
acceptable as brother-substitutes or diplomats.
“Just get it over with. She might need someone to scream at,”
Tatsuha added quietly.
“I wondered who would come.” She sniffled. “Come in,” she said
with resignation. Eiri wondered if her reaction was because she
didn’t want to be bothered, or because it was him. He pulled the
door open and shut it behind him. Mika was sitting on her
rumpled sleeping mat and there were still wet tear-traces on her
pillow. Her eyes were red and puffy. Eiri sat on the floor next to
her. He pulled out what was left of his pack of cigarettes, silently
offering her one. “No, thanks,” she said. She hugged her pillow
across her stomach. Eiri figured his sister would crack first if he
didn’t say anything. He located an ashtray on her desk, rose to
snag it and she spoke again. “I suppose you want to know where
he’s gone.”
Mika sighed heavily with the hint of a sob. She tried to make
light of herself, saying, “Did you draw the short straw?” Eiri
shook his head. They both knew he wasn’t about to say
something mushy about caring for his sister. “It hurts,” she
confessed. “Father…” tears trickled from her eyes and she held
her chin up. She looked at him, bleakly. “My marriage with
Tohma was always treated as a business deal. I accepted that,
because I do love him.” She grabbed a tissue and blew her nose.
She tossed the tissue toward the trash, missing the basket. She
slumped. “I was holding on to the fact that I had done my proper
duties; as a daughter to contract a beneficial marriage and as a
wife. . . ” Her voice broke.
Mika sagged forward and Eiri moved slightly, to hold her head on
his lap. Her face was hot and he could feel her tears soaking into
his kimono. He hesitated to comfort her. He didn’t remember
ever doing this for her before. He wondered if Tatsuha had? Mika
had always taken care of herself while watching out for her
brothers. Cautiously, he reached out and smoothed her hair back
from her face. It wasn’t the same sort of gesture he made for
Shuichi, but there was some similarity. His sister cried brokenly
while he pet her.
After a while, Mika pulled back. Eiri thought she had cried herself
dry. She blew her nose again, this time getting the used tissue
into the basket. She looked at him, smiling bitterly. “Tohma’s on
vacation. Nittle Grasper was taking a break. Bad Luck doesn’t go
on tour for another …well, Thursday, right?” Eiri nodded. “He
plans to be back Thursday. Work wasn’t too busy.” That didn’t
seem right, Eiri thought. Setting aside the fact that he didn’t take
his wife with him on vacation; why would Tohma not tell any of
his family, friends, or band-mates where he would be? It didn’t
make much sense, until Mika spoke again. “He’s found someone
who makes him happy.”
Now what? Eiri wondered. His father had been right. Mika had
followed the rules and she was miserable. Eiri and Tatsuha
fought conformity and gained happiness. It was completely
against what tradition taught them all. A part of him said, ‘Mika
knew what she was getting into’. He didn’t feel any need to
avenge her, nor any reason to punish Tohma. Eiri couldn’t think
of anything he could do for his sister. ‘At least he’s discreet’
would not be a helpful thing to say…
“Eiri? Mika? Are you in there?” Shuichi called from the hallway.
“Okay!” Eiri heard the hollow patter across the floor as Shuichi
ran off.
“You go. I’ll clean up and be there shortly,” Mika told him. He
nodded and stood up, putting the ashtray back on the desk. She
stood, too. “Thanks,” she said quietly. She ran one hand across
his upper arm and turned away. He left.
In the hall, he realized that his right foot had fallen asleep and
his kimono was wet from Mika’s tears, so he changed into black
pants and a loose, white shirt. He transferred his lighter and
cigarettes into the shirt, too. The clothes made him feel more like
himself. What would it take to restore Mika to herself? He feared
it would take something that only Tohma could give her. As
generous as he was with his wife, Eiri wasn’t sure if Tohma was
capable of giving her more love than a friendship.
***
Eiri did not sing. Instead, he considered the swords, pulling the
katana from its sheath and inspecting the blade. The hilt alone
was about a foot long, wrapped in black cloth, pattern-twisted.
The blade was a little longer than two feet, curving slightly and
finishing in a diagonally-edged blade tip. [1] The blade was really
beautiful; finely polished steel with a raised hamon temper line
down its center. The sheath was unadorned; smooth, black,
lacquered wood. The tsuba was a plain metal disc separating hilt
and blade. The weapon was breath-taking in its simplicity and
violent purpose.
Shuichi’s face was suddenly two inches from his own; large,
merry, blue-violet eyes filling his vision. Eiri jerked back,
instinctively. Shuichi kneeled in front of him, grinning. He
probably would have jumped into Eiri’s lap, if Eiri hadn’t been
holding a sword. The writer set it aside and his lover took that for
an invitation, sitting on him and wrapping legs around his waist.
“Yes?” Eiri said coolly.
“Idiot. You are with me,” he teased warmly, putting one arm
around Shuichi’s back. He knew what Shu meant.
Eiri approached his sister. She was still wearing the shining
crown. “We’re leaving. If . . . if you need me . . . ” he started,
awkwardly.
She looked surprised. “Thank you. I’ll see you on Thursday, for
the kick-off concert, right?”
Eiri went to the temple to tell his father good bye. The old man
was lighting incense. “I’m going home, Father,” he announced.
Old Uesugi nodded. He stood and turned toward his eldest son,
setting a hand on Eiri’s shoulder. He frowned. “I pray for you all,
but look after your sister, Eiri.” It was possibly the most practical
request the old man had made of him since he’d moved out.
Well, besides the old saw, ‘quit smoking’. That was practical, but
there wasn’t any chance the old man would ever see it happen.
“And quit smoking!” Hypocrite.
***
***
gurabiteshiyon.net
[Wednesday afternoon]
He saved and closed down the word processor program with the
latest chapter of his book. He’d been picking at it for the last
hour— re-reading it and changing a word here or there. He just
hadn’t been *adding* to the story. Why? Because he couldn’t
keep his mind on it. DAMN IT. He lit a cigarette and accessed the
internet.
First, he scanned his e-mail. Hmm. One from Mizuki, one from
Shu, and a bunch of junk mail. He clicked on the one from Shu.
It was a comic strip about music. Shuichi had probably thought it
was hysterical. Eiri shrugged. Next he checked an on-line news
site. As he scrolled down the page, a minor headline caught his
attention, ‘Eiko Publishing Swallows Competitor’. He clicked on
the link and read the article. It claimed that Eiko had taken on
the debt and holdings of the Mikuno Book Company for an
undisclosed price. The reporter cited speculation from different
sources who disapproved of Eiko's decision, claiming that the
lesser company’s debts had been too big for Eiko to absorb and
said there was little to be gained from the deal. The article
concluded that Mikuno was now being called ‘Never Ending
Dream’ as a new division of Eiko.
The first link took him to a stock-watch site. Eiko stock had fallen
over the course of the week. The second link was a pessimistic
article about the new division. A publisher, cited there, said, “In
the business of publishing, it is suicide to pin profitability on the
hopes of a single author.” From the context, Eiri was pretty sure
that person was referring to him. Contemptible moron, he
thought derisively. Eiko actually had a large group of romance
writers; he was simply the most prominent. The third link
brought up a database style document. It was titled, ‘Authors
Transferred to Never-Ending Dream’. Authors were listed
alphabetically. Eiri recognized some of them, either from
meetings or conventions, or book covers. He was certain that
some of them were new to Eiko. He saved the document to his
hard drive. He sent a reply to Mizuki thanking her for the
information.
So, it looked like Eiko had bought out Mikuno and turned it into
Never Ending Dream. There was nothing wrong with that; it must
happen all the time. Big fish swallow the little fish and that’s the
way of the world, right? Eiri drank some coffee. In his opinion, it
was risky for Eiko to take on a lot of debt in exchange for the
smaller company’s holdings, but it wasn’t without merit. He
wondered just what factors influenced taking on Mikuno. Did they
have better distribution, a paper mill, a better printing factory?
He would watch the situation. It still felt like he was missing a
piece of the story. If Eiko failed, he’d just have to find another
publisher.
He was about to disconnect from the internet when his mail alert
beeped. It was another message from Mizuki. It said, “You’re
welcome. A bit of advice for your main character: have him go
ahead and do it. Then he can have adventures and you can
torment him. If he doesn’t go, the whole book would be about
him being depressed and mopey. Besides, you already did a
character like that in ‘Fear of Fate’.” Eiri snorted. Sometimes
Mizuki was a little too wise about what went on in his head. He
disconnected and shut down, setting his glasses on the desk. He
was out of coffee and needed a break.
---
When Shuichi came home, Eiri’s suitcase was packed. The two
cases sat beside each other near the door and would be obvious
to Shu when he came in. Eiri would pack up his computer
tomorrow. He wasn’t likely to get anything written between now
and tomorrow night’s concert-- since Shu would be home during
the day— but he could try.
Eiri rolled his eyes, and placed his cigarette between his lips to
free his hand to run it through Shuichi’s pink hair. Shu sighed
happily, closing his large, expressive eyes. Eiri leaned over his
lover to put his beer down and turn the TV off. When he sat up
again, Shuichi crawled up his body to straddle him, tucking his
head under Eiri’s chin. Eiri held his cigarette, blowing smoke. He
sighed in temporary contentment, knowing the quiet wouldn’t
last for more than 10, 9, 8, 7…
“Hiro won the bet,” Shu said slyly. Eiri grunted. “There was bet
down at NG about whether you’d come with us for the first part
of the tour. If you don’t change your mind again, then Hiro wins
the bet.”
Eiri brought his cigarette to his lips and inhaled. He wasn’t sure if
he should be offended that people were making bets about his
decisions or if he cared at all. Okay, he decided quickly, I’m
pissed! They had no right! Why does everyone think they know
what goes on in my head! “Who bet?” He asked.
“Oh, just about everybody. Shu sat up and held out his fingers,
ticking off names; “Tohma, Noriko, Hiro, Fujisaki, Sakano didn’t
bet but K did, and Tomino,” the choreographer, Eiri’s memory
supplied, “and Hikaru—“
“Stop. Was Hiro the only one who thought I’d go?” Shuichi
nodded. Hah. I guess that shows how much they know about
what I’m thinking. “You didn’t bet?”
Shu’s eyes got big and he violently shook his head ‘no’, followed
by a breath-shortening hug. “I don’t try to second-guess you,
Eiri! I love you. I’ll accept whatever you decide. I *want* you to
come, but . . . I know other things are important to you and that
I can’t always have you to myself and you—“
Eiri kissed him. It was the most effective way to shut him up. He
also wanted to do it. It was a deep, passionate kiss. Without
words, it should tell his little lover how much Eiri felt for him;
how important the kid was. Eiri intended to pull back, but Shu
pursued, chasing his lips and licking them, raising himself up to
reach Eiri’s face and molding his body against his lover’s. Shu
sucked gently on Eiri’s lower lip and the writer responded by
holding Shu’s head and taking the younger man’s breath away.
He pulled back, letting go just long enough to remind him, “You
have me all to yourself now, Idiot.”
Shu answered with a grin, stripping off his shirt and reaching for
Eiri’s shirt buttons. When Shu had the shirt open, he ran his
hands up from Eiri’s waist, spreading his fingers over every inch
of the writer’s chest and sliding his fingers under the shirt where
it still clung to his shoulders and pushing it off his arms. Eiri
obliged him by leaning forward enough to finish removing the
shirt. Shu trailed his fingers over Eiri’s bare arms, caressing his
skin.
Eiri consumed Shu’s lips and ran his hands over Shu’s back.
Goosebumps of anticipation sprang up on the younger man’s
sides. Shu’s hands reached for his pants. Pressed together, half-
naked was how K found them. The kissing stopped.
“OH! Excuse me,” the tall man said in English. Eiri looked up in
surprise and deep annoyance. Long bits of blond hair hung
around the man’s face, loosened from the long ponytail that
sprouted from the back of his head. He wore sun glasses, a white
shirt tucked into khaki slacks, a blue tie at half-mast, a shoulder
holster with a large pistol, and a rifle, and a sub-machingun.
Eiri took the paper and read it. It was a death threat. He had to
admit that that was a good reason. He asked K, in English, “Who
knows about this?”
***
***
gurabiteshiyon.net
Shu whimpered beside him, reaching out for him in his sleep. Eiri
put his hand on Shu’s hair and he settled. How did he remain
such an innocent? He wasn’t, really; he just looked and acted like
it. So much had happened to him that could have, *should have*
altered Shuichi’s world view. He just seemed to be able to
maintain the same childish naivety, despite what had been done
to him; a belief that most people were good or kind. Eiri’s eyes
narrowed in sudden determination, watching over his sleeping
lover. *I* am the one who is wise to the world and I will make
certain that nothing bad happens to Shindou Shuichi.
Who would want to kill the kid? Eiri considered the problem.
Rabid fans? Some traditionalist against pop music? Maybe
someone with a prejudice against gays? Miyamoto? Would he go
that far? That idea led to another can of worms, so to speak.
Since Eiri and Shuichi’s relationship was public knowledge, it may
be one of Eiri’s rabid fans. He shook his head. He had witnessed
some of the lengths fans went to just to see either of them, or to
get an autograph. If one of them had become obsessed and
jealous . . . What a tangle.
---
Eiri was puttering around the kitchen, eating some leftover take-
out for breakfast, when K came in, wearing wrinkled clothes and
looking sleep-mussed. “Coffee?” He asked, sniffing the air.
“Mugs are there.” Eiri pointed to the cupboard over the coffee
maker and leaned back on the counter, eating.
“Yes.”
Eiri spun on him angrily. “Shuichi gets a death threat and you’re
worried about a stupid bet at work!?!”
K shook his head ‘no’. Eiri realized K’s hair was down. He must
have taken out the ponytail to sleep. “He is supposed to come to
his office at 10:00 today. I have left messages so he will know
what is happening.”
About half an hour later, Eiri had sent the police detective,
Yoshiro Mamaru-san, an e-mail with an attached file of
information including names of enemies or potential suspects
complete with any contact information and a short note about
each. He had also given the detective Mizuki’s contact
information so that they could talk to her and access his fan mail
at the publishing office. Since the media had staked out the
apartment and broadcast its location on national news, a lot of
their fan mail had been coming here. He would have to contact
the post office about holding onto it. It probably wasn’t safe to
open right now. Besides, they’d both be gone for at least a week
—maybe even the whole month. Eiri sent one last e-mail to
Mizuki, with Yoshiro-san’s contact information and warned her
that he would be in touch and why. She’ll love that, he thought
sarcastically.
He hit ‘send mail’ about the time that Shuichi came in, yawning.
The singer was dressed in a black Nittle Grasper t-shirt with the
band members outlined in silver and loose shorts with
suspenders. He had a towel draped around his neck and Eiri
could see that his hair was still damp. It had that slightly-limp,
not-so-fluffy quality to it that it only attainted when wet, and it
was a darker shade of pink when wet. Shuichi was humming
SuperDrive. He took his place on the stool beside Eiri’s desk. Eiri
looked at him.
Eiri pulled away. “Shut up. Don’t you dare cry about not going
out!” He was incensed. How could the younger man not
understand the gravity of his situation? Someone wanted to kill
him! Eiri was concerned about his safety at a concert with
security teams and body guards. He let his worry loose and lit
into the singer, “There is no way you are leaving here, unless I’m
sure you’ll be safe!”
“You could invite her for lunch?” Shuichi said, following him,
testing Eiri’s acceptance of his suggestion. Eiri sighed. The
alternative was worse. “Maybe she talked to Tohma this morning.
Wouldn’t you like to know?” Shuichi prodded.
“What?” Eiri knew his voice was cold and tight with pent-up
frustration and anger.
He had. Eiri stepped forward with his hand out, “Give it to me,”
he ordered.
Why did Shuichi pick the worst times to have emotional break
downs? Never mind; he has them all the time, Eiri thought.
Some of the time, it was just more inconvenient. Like now. He
felt so tired, physically and emotionally. He snapped the medicine
lid shut and dropped the container into his pant’s pocket. He
ruffled Shuichi’s pink hair, in a cursory apology and stepped over
him.
“Hey!” Eiri was annoyed all over again. K didn’t have the right to
answer his phone! He moved forward, to take the phone away,
but the conversation was too short.
“K, here. . . Yes. . . Okay. See you later!” K set the phone down
again. “Seguchi Mika-san said she will be coming for lunch at
11:00 and she will bring your cigarettes.” K grinned at him.
“What will we be having?”
***
***
gurabiteshiyon.net
[Thursday]
Shuichi slipped his headphones off, saved his work and shut
down his computer. “Hello, Mika-san. How are you?”
She didn’t answer him, tossing a plastic shopping bag onto the
living room table. “Here are your cigarettes, brother dear. You’d
better pay me back.”
K nodded. Either the man didn’t know about the tense nuances
between the two Seguchis or he purposefully chose to blind
himself to them.
Shuichi returned quickly and handed Mika some bills which she
pocketed, without looking at them. The money wasn’t important
to her. It was more like keeping score between siblings: Eiri had
done her a favor by listening and being there for her when she
needed someone, now she was doing him a favor by bringing him
the cigarettes. It made them even but an expenditure of money
would upset the balance.
Eiri dished up the food and brought it to the three in the living
room. K sat at ease, perhaps because he knew that Tohma would
be personally over-seeing the details when he could not. Shu
watched Mika and K, moving his eyes back and forth between
them, uncertainly. His thoughts were so obvious; he wondered
how much he could or should say about family matters in front of
K. Mika . . . looked like she was cracking around the edges.
“You can get your own,” Eiri told Shu, as the kid set their lunch
on the table.
The younger man bounced off to the kitchen, declaring, “I’ll get
K’s coffee, too, then.” The two of them fixed drinks, moving
around each other in the kitchen with practiced ease. Shu had
juice and Eiri popped open a beer. K and Mika accepted their
drinks. Eiri and Shuichi sat. They all began eating in silence.
Shuichi’s eyes kept flicking from one to another, waiting for the
tension to break. When he couldn’t take it anymore, he drew
breath to speak, but Mika beat him to it.
“So, I’ll be extra safe among the extra security surrounding Bad
Luck,” Eiri argued.
Mika raised her voice, “With both of you in the same place, twice
as likely to be in danger!”
Eiri looked at his sister and felt his voice drop by a few degrees.
“I’m staying with Shuichi.” Shuichi sniffled and sobbed.
Eiri raised his eyebrow at her. “Mika, I’m not suicidal,” anymore,
he added silently. “I have a lot to live for and no intention of
dying anytime soon.” His eyes strayed sideways to his lover,
whose emotions had taken a sharp turn. Shu looked at him with
tear-filled adoring blue-violet eyes, chewing on his own shirt. Eiri
averted his gaze, continuing to speak to Mika, “staying back
stage and out of danger sounds good to me.” The determination
crept into his voice again, when he said, “I want to be there for
Shuichi,” the one I love. If I can prevent any harm from coming
to him, I will. If anything happens, I must be there, with him, Eiri
told himself.
Mika watched him with a sad, knowing little smile. That look said,
‘I know what you’re thinking. I see your love for him.’ It was also
bitterly jealous. She only nodded, acknowledging the unspoken
feelings.
Mika tossed back her alcohol and changed the subject. “Tohma
said he’d send a car at 5:00 tomorrow to pick the three of you
up. Shuichi-kun, you’ll be taken for stage prep immediately. Eiri,
you’ll probably want a book, or something. The concert won’t
start until 7:00.”
Mika finished eating and sat back. Reaching into the purse at her
feet, she located cigarettes and lighter. “By the way,” she said,
lighting up, “I saw something that may interest you, Eiri.” She
reached into her purse again, extracting a newspaper clipping
with a small picture at the bottom. She passed it across the table
to her brother. “Today’s society column mentioned that the
grand-daughter of Eiko’s founder, Kunikida-san, is getting
married to a Mikuno Akira.”
***
Author’s Note: Well, K. was very quiet, but I guess he was busy
stuffing his face and watching the scene. ;-) The questions are
being answered and this fic will be wrapping up pretty soon. Are
you looking forward to the concert??
gurabiteshiyon.net
[Friday]
Tohma sat across from him, sitting up straight with one knee on
top of the other and his hands in his lap. He wore a dark purple
suit with pinstripes, a black shirt, black half-boots with black side
zippers, and his trademark black hat. He looks happy and
healthy, Eiri thought. Seeing his brother-in-law’s smiling face
made him feel bad for his sister. There was a strange silence
between them. Tohma had been Eiri’s friend for a long time, and
in some ways, Eiri wanted to ask him about the new person in his
life that Mika had hinted at. In another sense, Tohma was
betraying Mika. If Eiri admitted knowing this, or discussed it, did
he somehow condone Tohma’s actions or share Tohma’s guilt?
Past ‘hello’, what could they talk about? While Tohma was on his
quiet little get-away vacation, there were all kinds of things Eiri
had wanted to speak with his friend about. Now, most of it fled
his mind, under the stresses of the current events.
Eiri was saved— sort of— when Sakano came in. The producer
was having an attack of nerves. The man adjusted his glasses,
and wiped the sweat off his forehead nearly continuously, using a
wide white handkerchief. Directing his frantic babbling toward
Tohma, Sakaono voiced concerns about everything from a minor
sound system malfunction, to the would-be assassin offing the
lead singer in the middle of the concert. Eiri gritted his teeth,
severely annoyed. He wished he did not have to tolerate this . . .
nervous wreck of a human being. He would not allow anything to
hurt Shuichi! He refused to let morbid possibilities worm their
way into his mind.
The man bowed and nodded. “Of course, Boss, right away!”
Tohma smiled at all of them. “You all look great! This will be a
terrific concert!” He patted Shuichi’s shoulder once, saying, “Do
your best, Shuichi-kun.” Tohma’s tone almost sounded like a
threat, Eiri thought. Shu nodded, confidently holding up a
‘victory’ hand sign. [1] Tohma smiled, his eyes crinkling. “If you’ll
excuse me, I need to find Ryuichi,” he said, and left.
Eiri saw that when Shu moved his head, the kid’s hair didn’t
move. Ick. Eiri hated it when the make-up people did that to
Shu’s hair. He grimaced. He liked to touch Shu’s hair and it
calmed both of them, but he wouldn’t touch it when that goop
was in it. It felt awful; stiff and a little sticky. Shu had also been
covered in glitter tonight. Even in the moderate glow of the
ordinary fluorescent lights, Shu’s skin and hair cast sparkles
around the room. A quick glance at the others confirmed that all
three band members had been liberally glittered.
Hiro and Fujisaki looked good, too, but they paled in comparison
to Shuichi’s shining, exuberant presence. Hiro’s long, dark red
hair looked like a disco ball it held so much glitter. Like the
singer, he wore a shirt of sequins, but his covered more. He was
complaining about it itching when he came in. The shirt was
tucked into relatively ordinary black leather pants and under
those; he wore his usual black boots which had been shined and
polished. Fujisaki wore a sequin shirt, too, but it was mostly
covered by a short black jacket with silver braid across the front.
It reminded Eiri of a marching band uniform. The keyboardist
wore black pants, too, and black boots along with a black neck
collar. Fujisaki’s short brown hair looked like it had been painted
with glitter and goop until you couldn’t tell that it had ever been
brown. It stuck up at weird angles, casting light from the glitter
into onlookers’ eyes. The three of them really would look great
on stage, Eiri thought.
Eiri smiled indulgently. Bad Luck had been at the top of the pop
charts for two years and it seemed as if Shu never tired of the
attention. The singer still peeked out of the stage wings or
through the curtain to catch glimpses of the audience at every
concert. Usually, he did it to look for people he knew in the
crowd, but tonight, Eiri would be watching Shu from the wings.
Eiri pulled his lover’s glittering body into his lap as soon as the
kid was close enough to reach. “You look great,” Eiri whispered,
sliding his hands under the coat and groping Shu’s butt.
Shuichi blushed bright red. “Eiri!” The kid laughed and leaned in
to kiss him. Shu’s body froze a moment in surprise when Eiri
kissed him back, then relaxed as both of them poured
themselves into the kiss.
Eiri chuckled, letting Shuichi go. His young lover looked over-
heated and his eyes shined as much as the rest of him. As Shu
moved off his lap, Eiri trailed his fingers over the fabric of the
long coat as it slithered off of him.
K stood there grinning, with his hands on his hips. “We just have
to hope that Tohma can find Ryuichi before the duet!” The tall
American laughed. Shuichi’s grin turned weak. Hiro shook his
head.
---
Eiri was given a special spot in the wings to stand, flanked by his
two appointed bodyguards. He was also given a hard metal stool,
in case he chose to sit. He had a decent view of the stage, but he
wasn’t allowed to smoke here. Bad Luck moved into place as
Falling Star cleared the stage. From what Eiri could see in the
dim back stage lighting, all four of the young women were cute.
They giggled as they left, chatting to each other in high-pitched
feminine whispers.
Eiri knew he was jumpy. He didn’t realize just *how* jumpy until
Tatsuha said, “Aniki,” [3] and he nearly leaped out of his skin.
How embarrassing, Eiri thought. He could usually control himself
better than this! A body guard stepped between the brothers,
until Eiri confirmed Tatsuha’s identity.
Eiri sat down on his stool, still wanting a cigarette. He fondled his
lighter instead. Tatsuha laid an arm across Eiri’s shoulders and
Eiri noticed that his younger brother held the infamous rabbit,
Kumagorou, in his other hand. “I suppose you’re the reason that
half of NG was out looking for Ryuichi?”
Tatsuha grinned. “Yeah. That’s why I’m back stage, too. Ryu-kun
had reserved a seat for me, but when we got here, he was swept
away to makeup and wardrobe. I was swept here.” He leaned
over some more, to be heard only by Eiri, “What’s with all the
muscle-men? I was frisked twice, getting through here.”
There was terrified screaming, now, and another shot was fired.
Spotlights centered on a pile of security, subduing the threat.
Everyone could see, in the glare of the lights that a gun was
wrested away from a grey-haired man, face-down at the bottom
of a pile of people. A policeman produced handcuffs and the man
was turned upright. Miyamoto!
Over all the noise and yelling, Eiri spoke to his lover, “It’s all
over, now, Shu. The police are taking Miyamoto away. He’ll never
bother us again.” Behind the curtain, Tatsuha knelt next to
Ryuichi, holding him. The other singer had fallen apart in much
the same manner Shuichi had; shocked and scared. “It’s okay,”
Eiri repeated, partly for himself, partly for Shu. “It’s all over.”
***
[1] I don’t know what they call this V-fingered hand sign in
Japan. In America, it is used for ‘peace’ or for ‘victory’ depending
on generation and on the situation. Victory seems to suit, here.
[3] Aniki = an old form of ‘big brother’, just in case you didn’t
know. ; )
***
gurabiteshiyon.net
Fanfiction > Drama > Authors Have Parties, Too? > Author: Aja Hits: 3684
Disclaimer: It’s Gravitation and so obviously shonen-ai.
Gravitation doesn’t belong to me—its characters are the property
of Maki Murakami. I am simply a devotee. Please read, enjoy,
and review. To those who have: Thank you!!
[Monday, September 8]
Eiri woke up in his own bed for the first time in over two months.
He stretched, feeling Shuichi shift around beside him. It smelled
like home. It was such a good feeling! No back aches, this
morning, either. Eiri swore that hotel staff stuck rocks in the
mattresses, chuckling all the while. Ugh. After three months of
touring with Bad Luck, with only a short visit home two months
ago, it was a great relief to know that there was no hurry today.
The public would *not* be waiting outside the door. They could
both sleep in, today. Then again . . . Eiri reached out and trailed
his fingers across Shu’s naked shoulder.
---
Eiri sighed. He didn’t feel like unpacking yet. Tohma had picked
up their mail from the post office and it set by the rest of their
crap in a big paper bag. Eiri decided they could sort through it
over a leisurely brunch. He cooked and Shuichi up-ended the bag
of mail over the kitchen table. Shu had pretty much sorted it into
‘mine’ and ‘yours’ piles by the time the food was ready. The kid
talked the entire time, verbally high-lighting names of people
who had sent mail. There was a small stack in the middle of the
table made up of things addressed to both of them.
“Shuichi, when you get your juice, would you grab my coffee?”
Eiri set the plates on the table, shoving the mail around a little to
clear a spot.
“Sure. Oooo. One from Never Ending Dream, to both of us!”
Shuichi remarked, setting in the center pile. The singer shuffled
another three letters in his hands, dropping them into his pile.
Eiri snatched the pink Never Ending Dream envelope from top of
the mutual pile. Shuichi smirked at him and sauntered over to
the refrigerator for drinks, whistling ‘Time in My Heart’.
Privately, Eiri blamed the last letter from his publisher for all the
trouble with Miyamoto. Eiri *would NOT* be going to any more
book-related parties with or without Shuichi! Quickly, he ripped
open the envelope. If necessary, he hoped he could get rid of it
before Shu tried to read it. Eiri scanned the flowery-scripted
letter, which invited him to a party in his honor, to celebrate
Never Ending Dream’s first book release to be number one on the
best seller list. ‘Golden Sands’, his last book title. He shredded
the paper and its flowery script into tiny pieces in his hands. Are
the pieces too small to put together and read, he wondered?
Where can I hide them?
“Here,” Shuichi said, sitting and handing him the bag the mail
had been kept in. “I’ve been using this.” Eiri nodded and placed it
between them, and to his right, on top of some of the mail. He
tossed the pink scraps into the bag, making a mental note to be
certain that this bag found its way to the incinerator before
Shuichi got too curious. “Why’d you rip it up, then?” Definitely,
too curious.
“Yeah, but . . . Eiri, people want to give them to you. Can’t you
just, you know, accept that?” Eiri met his lover’s earnest gaze
across the table. Shuichi gestured vaguely toward the hall. “It’s
like all that stuff that people give to me. They just want me to
see them. They can’t have a piece of me, because I’m all yours!”
Shu grinned. “They can listen to my music, and they can give me
something from themselves. That’s enough for them, er, most of
them.” Shuichi took a couple of bites of brunch, watching him.
Shuichi’s brows went up. “What was that, Eiri?” Shu mocked him,
cupping one hand around his ear, “Did you say, ‘you’re right’??”
Shuichi giggled and grinned at him.
“Shut up.” Shuichi laughed some more.
Once the mail had all been placed in stacks, Shuichi shuffled
through his piles to find the ones he wanted to read first. “It’s
from Maiko,” he said, holding it up to show him an envelope
decorated with a strange doodle of . . . a dog? Shu’s sister had a
very odd sense of humor. The kid pulled out a newspaper
clipping and a letter. He read the clipping first. “Eiri, read this!”
Shuichi dangled it in front of him, so he set down the mail he’d
intended to open.
Eiri passed the note to Shuichi, who burst into tears over it.
“That’s SO nice!” Both of them had wanted to do something to
thank the man. Paying his hospital bills had been a simple
matter, but important. The flowers had been Shu’s idea. The
singer sobbed and sniffled, blurring his words. Lots of translation
practice on Eiri’s part allowed him to decipher what Shu was
saying. “I’m so glad he’s okay. It says he’s gonna be fine!”
Shuichi climbed into Eiri’s lap, burying his face in his lover’s neck.
“It could have been one of us. That bullet might have hit . . .”
“Shhh. Shuichi, he won’t hurt anybody anymore. He can’t.” Eiri
laid his hand on Shuichi’s soft hair. “Everything’s okay.
Kazekura-san has probably already made his recovery. No one
else was harmed. Miyamoto will never get out of jail,” Eiri said,
with the voice of conviction.
***