{FANFICTION} Tomorrow's Way (Chapter 12)
TITLE: Tomorrow's Way (Chapter 12)
PAIRING: PiDa (Yamashita Tomohisa/Ueda Tatsuya), some RyoDa, Akame.
RATING: PG (swearing)
SUMMARY: Ueda Tatsuya was nothing. Nothing, until Yamashita Tomohisa helped him fit in. He found him a band; he found him friends. This is the story of their rise to the top - the music, the troubles faced, the bonds formed.
GENRE: Fluff, maybe a little angst, romance. AU.
DISCLAIMER: Do not own. I don't even own the title - it belongs to YUI.
A/N: First multichapter fic~
By the second week, they had sold two hundred copies of their single.
Ueda was browsing the local music store. Not to buy anything, but to just run his hands over the spines of the CD cases. There were so many different types of music; so many people working to make something work.
He had suddenly found himself with money, and he had no idea what to do with it.
Of course, he did have some previously, but it was barely enough to pay his rent and feed himself and Eri. And then there were the bills and other necessities. Jin refused to let him pay for anything, and would ignore him if he didn't want his money. Ueda was thankful for that - Jin had even paid for his new clothes and a collar for Eri - but he was happy that he was finally earning his own.
So Ueda had just left it; hadn't touched it since it had appeared in his bank account. It was too precious to use - there still wasn't that much of it.
He came across a very familiar-looking CD, and smiled widely, pride blossoming inside as he looked at his band. It was one of the few with it's cover facing outwards, with a little tag underneath praising it. Ueda was sure that it was only there because they were locals, but it didn't really matter to him. It was still exciting to see himself there, amongst many other bands. He ran his fingertips over the cover, smiled, and kept walking, hands still trailing over the spines of the other CDs.
A young girl and her boyfriend walked into the run-down store, giggling and pressing herself closer to him, not that he minded. Ueda watched them from the corner of his eye as they wandered around the store. Suddenly, she squealed and rushed towards the aisle Ueda had just been in.
"This is the band I've been telling you about," she said, turning to her boyfriend, who looked vaguely interested. "They're so cool... and the lead singers' hot." Ueda smiled, and wondered if she should be telling her boyfriend that. "But I like the guitarist," she continued. "He's so cute. And an amazing player."
"What're they called again? I can't pronounce that," the boy said, peering over her shoulder.
"Le Ciel," she answered, and Ueda's eyes widened.
"So, are you gonna buy it, or stand here gushing about this guitarist?"
"Both," she said cheekily, before rushing over to the cash register. The boyfriend chuckled, but followed her. "They call him Bambi - how cute is that?"
Ueda was pretty sure that the guitarist she had been talking about wasn't Nishikido. She had called him 'cute', and that word wasn't applicable to Nishikido - not in Ueda's mind, anyway.
He had a fan.
Ueda's smile grew a little more.
>>><<<
Kato had deemed him the songwriter of the group. He had quickly discovered that Jin had quite a grasp of the English language, and so he would ask for the others' help when he thought the song needed it.
Ueda loved writing songs. He always had, ever since he learnt how to interpret those dots and lines that represented music. He would let Eri into the shed, and she would sit next to him on his mattress, cocking her head at the sounds the strings were making as he strummed them. Ueda would pause every so often, to quickly jot down notes on a crinkled piece of paper lying beside him.
Today, however, found Ueda on a train alone, with his guitar case between his knees as the train rocked backwards and forwards. He was going to visit Koki, who was back in the hospital again. Ueda thought that maybe Koki needed the company and anyway, he needed help with the bass and drum parts of the songs he was working on.
The path to the hospital from the train station was well burnt into his mind - he had been visiting Koki almost every day since he was re-admitted. Ueda walked slowly down the road, mind elsewhere as he weaved inbetween the people coming the opposite way.
His feelings for Yamashita hadn't gone away, as he'd hoped they would. He had hoped that if he had ignored them, if he had ignored that twisting in his gut, that his feelings would change. However, they had only gotten stronger.
Ueda didn't know what to do about them, though. There was no way he could march up to Yamashita and demand that he should feel the same about him. There was just no way. He knew that he couldn't ask Kamenashi - this was something he had to figure out for himself.
Before he knew it, he was standing out of Koki's hospital room. He blinked, wondering how he got there so quickly, but awkwardly slid the door open with both hands full. Koki's face lit up as he saw who was at the door, and Ueda smiled.
"Hey," Koki said. Ueda stumbled inside, closed the door, and settled himself into the chair next to Koki's bed.
"Hi," Ueda said, a little breathlessly. Koki chuckled.
"You know, you don't have to trek all the way from Jin's to here with your guitar," he said.
"I do if you're going to listen to this song," Ueda replied distractedly, as he fished for his pencil and music book in his bag.
Koki started bouncing in excitement. "Do I get to hear it? Is it done?"
"Yeah..." Ueda said, setting his book on Koki's table. "Do you think the nurses mind about my guitar?"
"Nah, they said it's fine - they can't hear it. You're only here for a few hours, anyway. It's not like everyone's asleep," Koki said, flipping through Ueda's book as the copper-haired man brought out the instrument.
"Good," he said, crossing his legs and settling the guitar upon them. "Can I have that?" Koki gave him back the book, and he flipped to the song he wanted.
The song was slow at first. Ueda focused only on the thin book in front of him, and the harsh feel of the strings underneath his fingers. He sung quietly, but loud enough to be heard above the strumming of the guitar. The chorus was more powerful; he raised his voice, his strumming became louder, rolling together and morphing into a wonderfully strong song.
He looked up at Koki once he was done. Koki smiled. "That sounds great, Ueda," he said, leaning forward to once again pick up the little book and flick through it. "Need help with the drum parts?"
Ueda nodded. "And the bass. Please."
"No problem," he said, and asked Ueda to play again. Ueda watched Koki out of the corner of his eye - he was tapping his hands against his thighs, trying to work out a beat for the song. Koki nodded his head once after Ueda finished, and jotted down some notes on Ueda's page. "Go again?"
They sat there for hours, with Koki hitting the table in front of him as makeshift drums. Koki was a lot of fun to be around, even if they were in a hospital - he would make him laugh, although it should have been the other way around.
Ueda went home with a smile on his face and a song done.
>>><<<
Ueda trekked back to the hospital a few days later, in a foul mood. He had shown Kato some of his songs, and he in turn had sent them off to Nakamaru. Ueda didn't know how all of that worked - something to do with computers and the mailing system - but Nakamaru had said that he wasn't happy with the songs. He had liked two out of five.
Ueda practically stormed into Koki's room, making the bald man jump. "Hey, you alright? You look like death."
Ueda scowled. "Nakamaru didn't like the songs."
"Eh? How? They were great!"
"I don't know," Ueda said, sitting down and putting his head in his hands. "I don't know what he wants."
"Neither do I. But it doesn't matter. Just keep writing the things you like, and there's bound to be something that he will," Koki said, stroking his head. "Don't worry that little head of yours about it."
"...okay," Ueda murmured, but he only turned his head to smile slightly at Koki before burying it again. Koki chuckled.
"What're we doing today? Besides sulking?"
"...sulking."
"Stop that," Koki said forcefully, pulling Ueda's arms away from his face. "I have an idea."
And that was how they now found themselves on the roof of the hospital, Koki dragging his drip behind him.
"What're we doing up here?" Ueda asked, looking around. It was a plain, concrete slab, with benches scattered around here and there. The view was wonderful - there were no clouds in the sky, it was just a vast blanket of deep azure blue, uninterrupted.
Koki looked at him from where he was standing, right at the edge of the roof. He rested his hands on the concrete railing, and just yelled. Ueda was quite taken aback. Once he had finished, he said, "That's what we're doing. We're yelling our troubles to the world. Because those guys down there don't give a damn about what we're feeling." Koki pointed down to where there were many people bustling around. Ueda nodded slowly. He really didn't want to do it, though.
"Won't people worry?"
"Let them. Come on, Ueda," he urged. Ueda shook his head. "Fine, we'll sing something, then. Something that'll make both of us worked up enough." Koki then chose the song - one of the ones they had been performing for a while.
Ueda moved away from Koki, to the other side of the roof, so that the other couldn't see him. If he thought that Koki wasn't watching him, maybe he could do it. Suddenly, he heard a tapping noise, and realised that Koki was hitting out the drum parts on the rail. Ueda's foot started to tap out the rhythm, too, before he could stop it. Then there was this voice; this sharp and unrefined but absolutely beautiful voice floating through the air to him, and Ueda had to turn to see if that really was Koki singing. It was.
Ueda, even though he was against it completely, found himself mumbling the words to the second verse alongside Koki. And once the chorus rolled around, his voice had gotten stronger slightly.
He was angry; he was upset; he was frustrated. Just what did this Nakamaru want him to do? His voice escalated. He didn't understand. He had written seven perfectly good songs, but only two of them were any good? Why was Nakamaru the one to decide this? Ueda wasn't singing anymore; he was shouting over the railing, no longer caring about who heard them or who saw them. He vaguely registered Koki's voice rising, too.
Ueda's voice was hoarse by the time they finished. His face was flushed, his chest was heaving, but there was a smile on his face. He turned around to face Koki, who was faring the same.
"Feel better?" Koki asked. Ueda nodded.
"Thankyou."
"No problem - can we get back to making music now?"
Ueda laughed.
>>><<<
When Ueda got home that afternoon, he wasn't expecting to hear an argument in Jin's house. Raised voices floated down the hallway as he walked in, until he reached the kitchen at the end of the house. He hid behind a wall, not wanting to interrupt.
"Why are you getting angry at me for?" That was Jin. He could tell his voice anywhere.
"You're the one kissing random girls in the middle of the street!" Ueda's eyes widened. Kamenashi.
"I was not!"
"My father saw you!"
"You really think that whatever he says about me is true?"
"Are you calling my father a liar?"
"Yes! For fucks sake, Kame, when has he ever said anything good about me?"
Kamenashi paused. "Are you telling the truth?"
"Of course - anyway, I'm not the one with the girlfriend."
"What?!" Kamenashi exploded. "Don't you dare bring her into this!"
"And this isn't about her how?"
"What?"
"You get a girlfriend and don't tell me--"
"We've been through this! You know - after you tried to kiss Ued--"
"Seriously? You're going there?"
"Yes! Jin, I don't know what's with you these days--"
"Because you're messing with my head!"
Ueda tried to hide himself as he ran to the backdoor, hugging his bag to his chest, but Kamenashi caught sight of him and he stopped dead as he called for him.
"Ueda? How long have you been there?" Kamenashi asked, looking slightly lost with his hands in his hair.
"Uh... not too long..."
Kamenashi nodded. "Sorry..."
Ueda shook his head violently. "No - no, I should be sorry. I didn't want to interrupt. You have nothing to be sorry about."
Kamenashi smiled sadly. "You're so sweet. Why couldn't we have found you sooner?"
Jin coughed behind Kamenashi, arms folded. "Go and put your stuff away, and then we'll have dinner." Ueda nodded, and left, but not before seeing Kamenashi give Jin a long look.
Ueda set his things down inside the shed, making sure they weren't going to be damaged in any way before moving to go back to the house. He hadn't meant to listen that far, and he was incredibly embarrassed about interrupting what seemed to be quite a serious fight.
He was halfway across Jin's backyard when he realised that Eri hadn't come to greet him. He stopped, eyebrows furrowing, and changed direction, searching for her.
"Eri?" he called, looking in her doghouse and only finding her blanket. "Where are you, girl?" Ueda kept searching, worry creeping in.
He finally found her five minutes later, lying amongst the trees at the back of the yard, covered by the leaves of the branches. He rushed over, calling her name, but she was unresponsive.
"Eri? Come on, girl, what're you doing?" Ueda said, kneeling next to her and stroking her shoulder. She opened her eyes and lifted her head, meeting Ueda's eyes for a moment before placing her head back on the floor. "Wha--" Ueda lifted his hand from Eri's back legs, coming away sticky.
His hand was red with blood.
"Oh my G-- Jin! Jin! I need your help! Now!"
>>><<<
Ueda and Jin, with Kamenashi's help, had gotten Ueda's precious dog over to the nearest vet as soon as they could. Ueda was so scared that his hands were shaking as he stroked Eri's head. Kamenashi cast him a worried glance, and put a hand around his shoulders.
As they arrived, the vets came out to meet them - Kamenashi had called ahead - and helped them to drag the heavy animal inside. Kamenashi stayed in the reception hall with Jin, whilst Ueda just followed wherever the vets were taking his pet.
They pulled her into a separate room, where the rest of the vets disappeared into another room off that one. One vet stayed behind, and Ueda stood back with his hands tangled in his hair as she crouched down next to the injured dog and checked her over.
"What happened?" The vet asked.
Ueda shook his head. "I don't know. I just came home and found her like this."
The vet clucked her tongue, and ran her hands over the dog. After a while, she concluded that Eri had been run over by a car.
"How? She was in the backyard - I don-- I don't underst--"
"I don't know, but I've got to get her into surgery now."
>>><<<
"How? How could she have gotten out?" Kamenashi asked.
"And when?" Jin added.
"I d--don't know," Ueda said, pacing around the reception area, his hands still in his hair. His eyes started itching; he knew tears of frustration and worry were starting to form.
"Ue-- Tatsuya, honey," Kamenashi said, standing up to catch Ueda mid-pace, "You have to calm down, okay? Breathe." Ueda breathed in deeply. "Now, sit down and think everything through."
Ueda sat down on the plastic chairs, in between Jin and Kamenashi. "Di--did you guys see or hear anything?"
They shook their heads. "No - I think we were yelling so loudly we couldn't hear," Jin said. "I'm sorry, Ueda."
Ueda didn't say anything. All he could do was stare at the door through which they had taken Eri, tapping his foot on the floor until Kamenashi had to hold his knee down. "I just...want her back."
"How long have you had her?" Ueda knew Kamenashi was trying to get him to ignore the seemingly endless frustration building up, and he let him.
"Ten years."
Kamenashi smiled. "Have you had her since she was a puppy?"
Ueda nodded, eyes still on the door. "I found her when I was younger, and she followed me home. My family didn't want her, but she wouldn't leave. She became so annoying that my father just gave up and let her in." Ueda wiped the tears that were slowly making their way down his face. "She's my best friend. I tell her everything. How could I let this happen?"
"Hey, shush now. None of this was your fault," Kamenashi said, stroking Ueda's hair. Ueda sniffled.
The doors opened, then, and the three of them leapt up as the female vet came through. Ueda's eyes shone with hope as she neared.
"Her injuries were... too extensive. There was internal bleeding, and since she was getting old... I'm sorry, Ueda-san, but she didn't make it."
Suddenly Ueda was kneeling on the floor and Kamenashi was calling his name and he was breathing too fast, too fast. And then he couldn't breathe.
"Eri's...dead?"
"I'm terribly sorry..."
Ueda vaguely registered Jin moving away with the vet to the counter, but concentrated on not vomiting all over the linoleum floor. He couldn't believe it - his Eri was dead.
"Kamenashi?" Ueda asked through the tears, clawing at the others' shirt.
"What is it? What can I do? I'm so sorry--" Kamenashi had tears running down his face, too.
"Y-Yamashita."
"What?"
"Call Yamashita!" His cries were desperate, haunting. Kamenashi nodded and dug his phone out of his pocket, flipping it open and pressing buttons until he pressed it against his ear.
"Pi? I've--"
"Yamashita?" Ueda grabbed the phone from Kamenashi with a desperation that was heartwrenching. "I-- Er--I can't - I don't--"
"Slow down, Ueda, I can't understand you," came Yamashita's fuzzy answer.
"I need you."
"Give the phone to Kame."
Ueda gave the phone back, and looked about, lost and hugging himself. He shrugged Kamenashi's arms away as the other tried to hug him. There was only one person who could comfort him now.
It seemed like forever until Yamashita came. He ran through the doors, and collapsed on the floor next to Ueda, ignoring the others there and quickly bundling the smaller man into his arms. Ueda breathed out a sigh as he felt that familiar warmth, and then the tears multiplied.
"Shh...it's okay...I'm here..." Yamashita murmured, lips against Ueda's hair. His heart broke as he heard and felt the other's chest-wracking sobs, and wished that there was something else he could do. "I'm here."
Ueda moved closer, and Yamashita drew him in so that Ueda was sitting in his lap, arms tight against Yamashita's chest and his head buried in the crook of his neck. Yamashita's hands ran up and down his spine soothingly, as those sobs came silently. He unconsciously rocked back and forth, trying to comfort the other.
"Come on... shh... I'm here... breathe... everything's going to be alright..."
End of Chapter 12
A/N: Argh, this chapter. I killed Eri, I'm a terrible person. I hope these updates aren't too fast? (Also, no Ryo...sorry...)