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Goal: $119 (to renew for an entire year with Dreamhost) - So far: $25 Want to donate? Click here! gravitation summary Warning: This will contain spoilers for the entire series/ending.
Gravitation begins with the young Shindou Shuichi and Nakano Hiroshi making it through their last year of high school while playing in a twosome band with Hiro on guitar, and Shuichi on keyboard and vocals. They are unsigned and unimpressive, but Shuichi is not about to give up. Music to him is more important than school and girls. So, he keeps writing, keeps trying. One day while walking home from work, Shuichi is reading one of his lyrics and sneezes. The paper is blown from his hand and lands at the feet of a tall man in the distance. Freaked out, Shuichi stands in silence as the man reads the song... and them proceeds to tell him that he was the writing abilities of a child. And then walks away, leaving Shuichi still in a stunned state. He cannot get the guy off his mind, but he goes back to life as is. Shuichi even goes on a date! ... Er, with a woman who is wholly disinteresting. But, as luck would have it, he peeks out of the window and spots the man he met in the park driving a Mercedes. Leaping from his seat, Shuichi races out to the raining street to stop the car, almost getting hit. The car skids to a stop and the man comes out, ordering Shuichi to get in his car. Taking him to his home, the rather rude man gives him a towel and asks him what the hell is wrong with him. He denies meeting Shuichi in the park the other night, but soon admits it to criticize him another time. Shuichi is left once again devastated. Bugging over it, Shuichi later sits at home and Hiro comes over to 'play.' They're loud, rambunctious boys, and Shuichi's younger sister soon comes in to yell at them for disturbing her while she read. Hiro grabs the book and looks at the author, declaring him a hunk. Shuichi looks at it next and... wouldn't you know? The author, master Eiri Yuki is none other than the rude man that Shuichi met the night before. Cut to Eiri meeting with his editor Mizuki, giving her a bit of his newest novel. And as she leaves, Shuichi shows up. Amused, Eiri gives a few cheap insults. Shuichi tells him that he came to invite him to a concert of his coming up soon in which his band, Bad Luck, will be opening for a band called ASK. Insert more teasing by Eiri, and a Shuichi slowly losing his cool. Finally, Shuichi breaks down and yells to Eiri that he doesn't want him to come to the concert. Thus, we meet Seguchi Tohma, sitting in a meeting, deciding to go to see a new band named ASK. So, at the concert, both Eiri Yuki and Seguchi Tohma show up. Shuichi is a bit freaked, but plays on demand. Tohma and Eiri are both unimpressed, of course, and Shuichi ends up taking a dive onto his head trying to stop Tohma from walking away. He's desperate for a chance to get signed, after all. And who better than Seguchi Tohma, the ex-keyboardist of his favorite band (broken up by this time), Nittle Grasper? Still, even though he lost his chance with Tohma, he's happy that Eiri came to his concert. The next day, he goes to thank him. Poor Shuichi just so happened to walk in during an argument between Eiri and an attractive woman. The woman stomps away, hurt by Eiri's disregard of her feelings, and Shuichi tells him he was a bit mean to just blow her off. Eiri lets Shuichi inside, telling him that he knows Shuichi is in love with him and he's not gay. But... if he's not gay, why does he kiss him not seconds later? Poor Eiri, he's in the closet. After the kiss, Eiri kicks Shuichi out, but Shuichi is flying on cloud nine. That kid is quite a masochist. But life doesn't stop, even when you meet famous keyboardists and get kissed by famous authors. Shuichi goes to school, fails tests, and... gets kidnapped in the middle of class by the woman who he'd met outside of Eiri's house. She drags him to a jazz bar where Seguchi Tohma meets them. Shocked, Shuichi learns that this woman, Mika is Tohma's wife (but, he thought Mika was Eiri's girlfriend!). Mika tells Shuichi that if he can get her little brother Eiri (oooooh) to go home to see their father, she'll hook him up with Seguchi! Talk about luck. So, Shuichi tries, and only gets an angry Eiri out of the deal. He decides that he doesn't want to use Eiri to further his career, and doesn't want to help Mika force Eiri into anything... not even for a record contract. And so depressed that he lost both Eiri and the chance of having Tohma hear his demo, Shuichi gets bombed out drunk and falls into a fountain. As luck would have it, a woman takes him home to clean him up- Eiri's editor. It seems Eiri has gone missing. Where is Eiri? Why, in Kyoto, visiting his father.
In Kyoto, Eiri gets a phone call from his editor. Without telling anyone what the call was about, he announces that his visit is over and he's going home. Back in Tokyo, poor Shuichi is sick from his fall in the fountain, and his mother won't let him play. Just sleep and get well. But, Shuichi has a visitor- a tall, handsome older man who looks a lot like the author Eiri Yuki! Waking up to the scent of the flowers Eiri brought, Shuichi is just ecstatic. Until... Eiri tries to have his way with Shuichi. Luckily, he stops on command and just holds Shuichi, letting the sick kid pass out from his fever. Go to Tohma and his manager Sakano, recording with ASK. Sakano is trying to get Tohma to listen to Bad Luck, to give them a chance. Tohma informs Sakano that he's fired. Shift again back to Shuichi, Hiro, and Maiko. They learn that Shuichi is in fact getting up close and personal with the famous romance writer Eiri Yuki. Maiko is jealous, and I think Hiro is a little impressed. Shuichi goes home with Hiro, and Hiro drops a bombshell... he's going to quit the band and focus on school to become a doctor. Shuichi is just horrified... music is his life! They end up getting into a fistfight over it the next day, and Shuichi runs to Eiri to tend to his wounds, which Eiri does with annoyed reluctance. They kiss again... and Eiri passes out cold. Hiro goes to visit his older brother Yuji, an aspiring actor. It sort of inspires him that even though Yuji keeps failing and meeting dead ends, he doesn't give up on his dream to be a famous actor. Here Hiro gave up, but his brother never did. He just doesn't understand that sort of dedication. Yuji just tells him that you got to do what makes you happy, or you'll be unhappy. That affects Hiro... who promptly fails his college entrance exams and announces his return to Bad Luck during his graduation speech. YEY! They tear it up with a live performance. After, a man and a woman (Mika!) are standing in the back clapping. The man is Sakano, who asks Shuichi if he wants to make a record. Shuichi is at first overjoyed, but then changes his mind when Sakano tells him that he just wants Shuichi to sing, no writing lyrics or keyboard. This is, of course, a punch to the pride. But, Hiro is able to talk some sense into him- they have to make a sacrifice, sure, but it's for what they've always wanted. Shuichi runs to Eiri, and the two of the sit down to watch Nittle Grasper together... and then have sex. For the first time. Awwwww... Shift in scene. Seguchi Tohma arriving from New York, with two people waiting to meet him: Sakano and a miss Ukai Noriko. Noriko is the other ex-keyboardists of Nittle Grasper. The two of them have not seen each other since Nittle Grasper's break up three years previously. As we soon find out, Noriko is to be the new keyboardist for Bad Luck. Talk about having good luck! She's a ball buster, but knows what she's doing. And it's at this point that two new characters are introduced: Ayaka and Tatsuha. Ayaka is a woman they meet while walking home, saving her from two men who are trying to hurt her. They guy her some food and then Hiro takes her home to see that she gets rest. Shuichi goes to Eiri's and finds himself face to face with a black haired and eyed man who looks just like Eiri. This is his little brother Tatsuha. The two of them share a love for Nittle Grasper, though Tatsuha's love for Nittle Grasper is just a sidestone of his love for Ryuichi Sakuma, the ex-lead singer. Because Shuichi looks rather like Ryuichi, poor Shuichi ends up molested and attacked. Eiri walks in and saves him before anything more than pinning can occur. The three of them sit down and eat cake, and Shuichi finds out Tatsuha is 16 and a monk (impressive). Tatsuha announces that he's there to track down a young woman, Ayaka Usami. Shuichi recognizes the name and takes Tatsuha to meet her the next day. He thinks he's doing a good thing. What he's really doing it finding Eiri's fiancée. Eiri's fiancée!? Yes, yes. That's right.
Tatsuha and Shuichi take Ayaka to meet Eiri. Shuichi doesn't really want to, but he figures that she has more of a right to Eiri as his fiancée than he does. Still, he hopes that maybe Eiri will blow Ayaka off. Only, he doesn't. Eiri takes Ayaka inside and shuts the door on Tatsuha and Shuichi. Shuichi goes on about how he can never mean anything to Eiri because he's a guy, but Tatsuha smashes that philosophy down with his wisdom: gender doesn't matter. Shuichi has just as much of a right to Eiri as Ayaka. Meanwhile, Eiri is telling Ayaka the exact nature of he and Shuichi's homosexual love affair. She's aghast, but recognizes Shuichi as a rival in love. The stage is set. The prize: Eiri Yuki. The two (Eiri and Ayaka) go to Bad Luck's next performance as a couple. Shuichi sees this, and in a fit of emotion screams out, "Eiri is mine!" Screw up of the highest degree. But a man and a bunny come to his rescue! And the man is none other than ex- Nittle Grasper front man Ryuichi Sakuma who saves him by saying Eiri is his bunny and Shuichi had to do that on a bet they made. And then the two of them sing together! Shuichi gets to sing with his idol! Ayaka admits Shuichi got a point in there, but she's not giving up on Eiri yet. So, Shuichi decides that he wants to move in with Eiri... and Eiri let him... for a week. And then he goes off to record, happy in his new domestic bliss. After work, he even tries to make dinner... and ends up cutting himself. Eiri finished the meal and then patches up Shuichi's finger. They are about to retire when Tatsuha kicks the door in, yelling about how Shuichi did a duet with Ryuichi and didn't get him tickets. And then Mika bursts in yelling at Tatsuha to get home. They all get kicked out. It leaves Mika in charge of her little brother and Shuichi by default. So, she takes them with her to meet Tohma. And with Tohma... Ryuichi. Tatsuha is ecstatic to say the least. He fakes illness and gets Ryuichi to escort him away... to a place to rest. My, my. After quite a few blushes, could Ryuichi have been charmed by the young Uesugi? Without the teen and singer, the others continue their evening together with only one more hitch: a quick freak out by Tohma when he learns that Eiri and Shuichi are living together. Bad luck hits another bout of good luck! They are going to be on TV! YEY! But, it's a game show. Booo. Just before they get on, Bad Luck runs into the band ASK, and they get into a little fight. Undaunted, Bad Luck (minus Noriko) go onstage. They make an interesting offer, though: if they win, they get to play a song. The show producers agree and everyone watches as Hiro uses his big brain to beast through the rounds. And everyone is quite amazed, all except the members of the band ASK, who feel threatened by Bad Luck's sudden rise to fame. The producers of the Game Show don't want Bad Luck to win, though, because they don't want to let them play. Tohma, however, has a few words with them about that, and they quickly change their minds. And Bad Luck wins all thanks the last question... with the answer: Eiri Yuki. It's like fate! Tohma shoves instruments in their hands and walks off. ASK is livid. Bad Luck is rocking the place. But with bad comes good. Just at this time, Taki Aizawa (the lead singer) of ASK gets a tip off from a woman who used to sleep with Eiri. She informs him that Shuichi seems to be living with Eiri Yuki in a supposed gay relationship. My, my, won't that create a career bombing scandal? Shuichi already screwed up by screaming Eiri was his, and now connections are finally made. In another twist of fate, Eiri is also deciding that he and Shuichi need to call it quits before their gay relationship is discovered.
Shuichi doesn't understand why Eiri is breaking up with him, kicking him out, and telling him that he hates him. He's heartbroken, but there's nothing he can do. Getting on with his life, he goes to work and comes home as usual (I think he's staying with Hiro). While heading for the subway, he is spotting and recognized. Before he knows it, he's being chased by a group of people. Lucky for him, a man grabs him and pulls him to safety where they hide until the crowd disperses. At the same time, Eiri is meeting someone at a bar. This someone is Sakano, who informs him that he has great sway over Shuichi's talent. Shuichi is having a hard time without Eiri, but Eiri points out that Sakano will have a harder time trying to pass off a gay singer. In the next scene, we find out who the man who saved Shuichi was: Taki Aizawa. They get drunk, and have a good time laughing and getting to know each other. Taki even reveals that he knows Shuichi was with Eiri Yuki, the writer. And it's now that Taki's intentions are found out... he has Shuichi raped by two men while he takes pictures to use as blackmail. And Shuichi doesn't fight because he knows if he does, Taki will reveal his relationship with Eiri and potentially ruin Eiri's career. Afterwards, Shuichi goes to Hiro's for a little comfort and care, and sleep. Shuichi tells Hiro he's quitting Bad Luck, and cries. Taki is smug and proud of what he did, knowing that he now has Shuichi in the palm of his hand with two forms of blackmail: Eiri's love affair and the pictures of Shuichi. Hiro hears him bragging in one of the practice rooms of NG and heads to Eiri's. Hiro blames Eiri for it for letting Shuichi fall in love with him and then kicking him out. Eiri, however, demands that Hiro tell him where to find the man who hurt Shuichi. The next day, Shuichi wakes up and decides he has to tell everyone he's quitting the band. So, he gets them some parting gifts and gathers one of his sister’s school uniforms. When he gets to NG, he's making his resignation known when Hiro walks in and informs him that he's not quitting the band and Eiri is upstairs beating the crap out of ASK. Shuichi does a total 180 and decides to stay in Bad Luck, racing to Eiri... while putting on his schoolgirl uniform. And Eiri is indeed beating the crap out of ASK... well, Ma-kun. After laying him out, Eiri demands that Taki give him the roll of film he took of Shuichi, which Taki does. Taki also rants about he look in Eiri's eyes... the look of a killer. Shuichi reaches the room and bangs on the door, demanding Eiri come out, which he does... only to find Shuichi standing there dressed as a schoolgirl. Eiri tries to get out of there as fast as he can, but Shuichi catches up, demands to know why Eiri hates him, pukes, and then passes out. When he wakes up, he is at Eiri's. Eiri promises not to tell him that he hates him and kick him out anymore... because he's leaving. Shuichi can't believe this. So, the only way for him to cope is to decide to give up entirely on Eiri because, in reality, he knows nothing about Eiri. Eiri is a closed lip person and Mika says this is because the Eiri Shuichi sees is not Eiri at all. An imposter. Meanwhile, Eiri returns to Kyoto, acting as monk with his father. He has no intention of staying, but it's a nice get away. Switch to Ma-kun and Taki in the hospital. Ma-kun has a new connection, a person with info on Eiri Yuki. He tells Taki that supposedly Eiri killed someone in the past, so it's dangerous to keep seeking revenge. But, this doesn't deter Taki. Ma-kun's connection, unknown to Taki, is none other than Seguchi Tohma who informs Ma-kun that if Taki does anything to hurt Eiri, he'll kill him. Shuichi isn't taking his and Eiri's breakup too well, and he goes out and gets drunk with Hiro. Completely trashed afterwards, he ends up at Eiri's house... and Ayaka is outside. She informs Shuichi that Eiri has formally proposed, so she won. Enraged, Shuichi races inside of the Eiri's apartment to see it's empty. Eiri is gone. Again. A voice behind him startles him from his angst. It's Tatsuha telling Shuichi that this is his last chance. If he wants Eiri, he has to come with him to Kyoto and get him back. And, plot twist of all, Ayaka was the one who brought Tatsuha along to get Shuichi and take him to Kyoto where Eiri was. In the end, Ayaka just wants Eiri to be happy. She knows Shuichi can do that for him. So, he goes to Kyoto... dressed as a woman, pretending to be Ayaka. Only, he soon enough reveals that he's a man and Eiri's gay lover. Eiri's father is pissed, but Eiri calls off the wedding and decides to go home. With Shuichi. But not before finally telling Shuichi all about his past: he killed a man.
Shuichi wakes up to go to work, happy because now he has his Eiri back. Giving Eiri a little love nibble of goodbye, he happily races away just as Tohma shows up for a little bit of Eiri time. Eiri informs Tohma that he told Shuichi about his past. Tohma is shocked, but he recognizes the hurt in Eiri. Taki indeed hurt more than Shuichi with his threats because he forced Eiri to face his past. Tohma is out for blood now. Happy Shuichi arrives at NG only to be kidnapped by some strange American with a lot of guns, shoving a bunny at him, and calling him Ryuichi. The American man, K, is taking Shuichi to go play on stage... as Ryuichi, who has gone missing. And, well, someone needs to go on! Might as well be a Ryuichi look alike. Where is Ryuichi? Dressed up as a bunny at the zoo with Tatsuha. They get a phone call from Tohma, demanding that Tatsuha take Ryuichi to the studio before Shuichi can go on and mess up everything. Tatsuha hops on his bike and races out of there with Ryuichi. He at least has time to take off his costume. Ryuichi is still wearing his. Though, when they arrive to an already singing and impressing Shuichi, Ryuichi strips down to a leather vest (just a leather vest, mmmm), and goes on stage. Shuichi is more than relieved to see Ryuichi there, but all he gets in return is a glare and a 'beat it, kid.' Ouch. Shock. For him and the stewing with jealousy Aizawa Taki. Storming around in anger from what he'd witnessed on tv the night before, Taki grabs his jacket and a letter falls out... curious. Shuichi is at an all time low from being blown off by Ryuichi the night before. When he walks into the studio, he sees K standing there. The crazy guy who'd kidnapped and forced him on stage the day before! As (poor) luck would have it, he's Bad Luck's new manager. They're really living up to their moniker, aren't they? Shuichi and K argue about the new appointment when Ma-kun from ASK comes in and requests that he speak to Shuichi. Change of scene. Eiri and Taki. What's going on!? All that was in the letter was revealed. It was sent by an anonymous source with Eiri's address printed on it. Worse yet, it tells everything about what happened in New York. Taki now has something to blackmail Eiri with. Who would send such a thing to ruin Eiri? Taki definitely thinks that he has the upper hand. But undaunted, Eiri points out that perhaps the letter was a test and the person who sent it is really against Taki himself, not Eiri. Shuichi rushes in just in time, attempting to save Eiri. Even after all Taki has put Shuichi through, he doesn't break. He just informs Taki that's he's nothing. Enraged and desperate, Taki runs out back to his band. They drop a bomb: he's out of the band. He's lost everything, so he wants to take everyone down with him. Going to the nearest payphone, his intent is to call every newspaper and break the story of Eiri's past. Only, a voice cuts in from behind him... Seguchi Tohma. Switch to Eiri and Shuichi back at home. Eiri is distraught over all that Shuichi had been put through. See? Underneath the hard exterior, there really is a sweet guy... okay, an angst ridden asshole. He confesses something during this. Eiri claims that he put Shuichi through what he went through "back then." Another revelation. Another insight to the man. And, much to Shuichi's shock, Eiri begins to cry. As he cries, Eiri tells Shuichi he doesn't want to hurt anymore, doesn't want to kill anymore. And, as they hug, we move again to Tohma and Taki standing on the street together. Tohma just looks downright threatening as he tells Taki he just majorly screwed up. Again, we move back to Eiri and Shuichi. Even in the middle of their sadness, they have a small fight and Eiri ends up smiling. As Eiri smiles, somewhere in Tokyo, Tohma tells Taki he loves Eiri more than anyone in the world and pushes him infront of a moving car. So, all is well, right? Nooo. Noriko announces that she's leaving Bad Luck... to rejoin Nittle Grasper! Yes, Nittle Grasper is reuniting. Now, Bad Luck has one hell of a competing force. Shuichi is really going to have to step it up if he expects to keep himself in the same league as his former favorite band. Luckily, K is in control and ready to whip them into shape. Of course, this doesn't stop Eiri from getting annoyed. K seems to think it's okay to wake Shuichi up in bed with a gun to the head. And, naturally, Eiri is none too fond of the commotion. But, the morning is not all bad because Eiri let out a small surprise: he told Shuichi he would wait for him to get off of work to have dinner. Little Shuichi is so charmed he almost stays home (a bullet to the head stops him). To make a good situation better, K has worked his connections out and got Bad Luck the headlining gig on Hit Stage! Er, until Noriko informs them that Nittle Grasper will be the ones performing on Hit Stage, not them. Bad Luck is merely the opening act. Aghast, the band learns that Nittle Grasper has worked its connections to shove Bad Luck from their spot. Did Tohma do it!? No, no, sweet little Ryuichi did! He had Bad Luck ousted. Shuichi immediately thinks tha Ryuichi is out to get him, but doesn't hear the explination that Ryuichi just wanted to sing with Shuichi again. Shuichi runs out and runs right into a young boy. Young is right, he can't be much older than 16. Recognizing Shuichi as the vocalist of Bad Luck, he asks Shuichi if Shuichi wants to walk to the studip together. Not knowing what the hell is going on, Shuichi asks him who he is. The young man introduces himself as Suguru Fujisaki and informs Shuichi that he's the new keyboardist for Bad Luck. Needing to vent, Shuichi gets his chance with Eiri. Eiri, for once, is actually comforting. He tells Shuichi to just trust Tohma. Cue hot sex. Cut to another scene with Suguru sitting next to Taki Aizawa's hospital bed. Interesting... very interesting. What does Suguru want from Taki? The letter that Taki had that revealed Eiri's past. Even with Eiri's assurance and hot sex, Shuichi is not willing to accept Suguru into the band. He spends so much time complaining that Eiri just brushes him off and Shuichi freaks out because he feels like he doesn't mean anything to Eiri. And Shuichi makes the ultimate blunder: accuses Eiri of lying about his past. Eiri freaks It makes working worse... yes, it doesn't take long for people to realize Shuichi's talent comes and goes based on Eiri. Suguru, little professional that he is, decides to have a little talk with Eiri. He brings the letter aquired from Taki to rip it up, destroying all evidence. Shuichi is freaking out that someone could be harassing and threatening Eiri again. Eiri isn't fooled by Suguru, though, and calls him out... Suguru is the young cousin of Seguchi Tohma himself. Shuichi didn't know that. Shuichi is stunned. Suguru leaves and Shuichi and Eiri are free for a little bonding. He takes the ripped up letter revealing his past, telling Shuichi that there's more he hasn't told him yet. Shuichi wants to know, but requests that it come out after the concert so that he can put Bad Luck first. As a good luck charm, Eiri gives Shuichi of him as a teenager... with a handsome young man. The man he killed. Everyone is freaking at work because it's now known that Suguru is the cousin of Tohma. Sakano is especially weepy, and very happy to have a little Seguchi in his band. Shuichi is also fired up! Despite the fact that they feel ousted by Nittle Grasper, Shuichi is ready to go. He even makes up with Ryuichi! Ryuichi is thrilled that he gets to sing with Shuichi again, and that just makes Shuichi's night even better. Shuichi decides that Ryuichi might be his hero, but he can still outshine him. Oooo, sounds like some fighting words to me. So, Bad Luck goes on and tears it up. They kick some serious butt. Nittle Grasper goes on next, and everyone is blown away by the sheer talent they possess. Shuichi goes on stage to sing with Ryuichi, a stellar moment. But, when he gets off... he realizes something: he can never outshine Sakuma Ryuichi. Poor Shuichi bursts into tears.
Hit Stage really helped Bad Luck's career. They're hot stuff now. But, Shuichi can't bring himself to be as excited about it as he should. He's coming to terms with being a rival to Nittle Grasper, the band he grew up adoring. Even worse, he's doubting that with all his effort, he'll never be able to be even a fraction of the star that Ryuichi is. Again, Hiroshi has the task of shaking Shuichi out of it and tries to remind him that they're signed by NG and managed by Ryuichi's ex-manager. If no one had faith in them, they wouldn't be there. In typical Shuichi fashion, he does an about face and decides that Hiro is right and he should just keep trying his best. Meanwhile, K is with Yuki and he has a devious plan. K knows that Shuichi needs some major inspiration, especially after Hit Stage, and knows that the best way through to Shuichi would be through Yuki. So, he 'convinces' Eiri to promise to take Shuichi on a date if they sell a million records. With bullets flying, Eiri agrees and proceeds to inform a shocked Shuichi that if he sells a million copies, they'll go out on a date. Shuichi is fired up and ready now. K is proud of himself... while the rest of Bad Luck is confused by Shuichi's sudden passion for the art. Shuichi is sucking up every chance to be on tv because he knows that means he will get more attention and thus lead to more sales. The newest TV show? A cook off. Shuichi pleads with Eiri to teach him out to cook, and Eiri finally does crack and agrees to teach him, even though Shuichi proves useless in the kitchen and hurts himself more than he creates. While they cook, Shuichi finds out that Eiri won't be able to come and see him on the cooking show because he'll be in New York, and he won't tell him why. Undaunted, Shuichi continues his cooking, though it's much to the disgust of those who have to eat his horrible meals. Shuichi is as insistent as ever that he needs to win the cooking show, needs to sell a million records, and needs his date. Hiroshi, the good friend that he is, plans. Enter Uesugi Tatsuha. The plan? Dress Tatsuha up like his older brother, put him in the audience during the show, and use that to fire Shuichi up. What does Tatsuha get out of the deal? Ryuichi's cell phone number. Tatsuha agrees. The day of the show, Shuichi is ready to begin. When he sees 'Yuki' in the audience, he nearly loses it. He goes insane cooking, chanting "Mickey" as he thinks of a Disneyland date while he cooks. The judges are shocked, all but one: an old man smoking who makes strange comments the entire time. Tatsuha has enough of it and runs away, but he is stopped by a little girl and her mommy... who turns out to be Noriko, who is there because her husband is one of the judges... the old and crazy one, in fact. She promises Tatsuha Ryuichi's home number if he continues acting like Yuki and helps Shuichi out. Why? Because her dear husband seems to like Shuichi so much, so she wants to see him do well, and Shuichi is going to lose if things keep going the way they are. Only, it doesn't go as planned. It's chaos on the stage as Shuichi and Tatsuha (who everyone thinks is Yuki) dance around and cook. But, they get carried away and after a while Shuichi realizes that this is NOT Eiri, it's Tatsuha. To keep Shuichi from yelling it out, Tatsuha resorts to drastic measures... and the show ends in a gay kiss. Meanwhile, in New York, Eiri's reason for going is revealed: he and Tohma are visiting the grave of Kitazawa Yuki. They have a heart to heart about what happened with Kitazawa, and Yuki informs Tohma that he's sure Kitazawa hates him for killing him and that he's scared of being betrayed again. Tohma, ever the Yuki manager, reminds him that he has Shuichi now and the feelings they have for each other are the strongest of all and what he should be focusing on. Yuki decides to relax in the bath, dirty Tohma wants to get in with him. They end up sharing coffee together and then collapse off panel kissing. Back at the cooking show fiasco, everyone is a mess from the kiss. Bad Luck's scenes are going to be cut! But Noriko's husband, the crazy judge, comes backstage to tell them that he thought their cooking was great and to him they are the winners. This perks Shuichi up. Noriko is quick to shut him back down. The media will be all over the kiss, all over the new revelation that Shuichi and Yuki are a couple. Even though the kiss was from Tatsuha, they still unearthed with it a truth: Yuki and Shuichi are a gay couple. The press are going insane. With Yuki coming home from New York, Shuichi is desperate to stop it before he gets there. Shuichi tries to beg Eiri not to come home, but it's too late... he's already there. Shuichi thinks Yuki will make it better, but he makes it worse by coming out on TV. He admits to their relationship, to being gay, and even goes so far as to say that Shuichi thought HE was a girl at first! Shuichi can't believe it. They're outed. K and Sakano see good press material in this, but Hiroshi thinks its disgusting that Shuichi and Yuki's troubles should be used to sell records, forgetting the hand that he had in it, of course. He feels guilty, so he goes to see Shuichi to confess what he had done.
Yuki is being moody, Shuichi is freaking because all of Japan knows he is gay, and Hiro feels bad for what he did. Even worse, Hiro wants to quit Bad Luck (yes, again). He's also in love with Usami Ayaka, the ex-future wife of Yuki. Eiri has problems of his own, though they are less problems as they are annoying turns of fate. His readers seem to be wholly approving of his gay lifestyle because, as it turns out, most of them thought it was gay anyway! Shuichi comes home (dressed as a battery) and they cuddle and kiss and then more that we don't get to see. Afterwards they have a heart to heart about what Hiro is currently putting Shuichi through, complete with the confession of his interest in Ayaka. Sakano is angsting about Hiroshi quitting the band. Unknown to him, Tohma is sitting and watching him go through his woes. Sakano dives into an apology, so ashamed of himself for letting the 'secret' about Eiri and Shuichi out, but Tohma assures him that he's proud of him and the way things worked out. Why? Because it was just the push that Bad Luck needed. Their sales are going through the roof. Bad Luck has to go on with out without Hiro. Shuichi is against the idea, but he is outvoted. Hiro is none too happy himself, but he has his older brother Yuuji there to have a heart to heart with about Ayaka. There is angst all around. But, Yuki and Yuuji have a scheme to get Hiro back in the band, Bad Luck together, and stop Shuichi's wining. They get Ayaka to promise Hiroshi that if Bad Luck sells a million copies, she would go on a date with him. With that, Hiroshi is back in Bad Luck, and now with a purpose. He and Shuichi share a real kinship, don't they? After, Yuki goes to the doctor and it seems his meds aren't working as they should be. To medicate himself his own personal way, he goes home, gets Tohma, and the two of them get drunk together. Shuichi is gone for the time being, on a radio show that Tohma streams through the speakers for Yuki to listen to. It's a sort of call in show and most people are very curious about Yuki and Shuichi's relationship. But, the show has a special guest! Ryuichi! There to present an award to Shuichi for selling a million copies. That means that Shuichi gets his date! He's too happy, and Yuki is shocked. At the same time, Yuki starts to feel sick. He stumbles to the bathroom, but before he gets there he pukes all over Tohma. They're both shocked to see that it's blood. Everyone rushes to the hospital. By the time Shuichi gets there, he arrives just in time to hear a conversation between Yuki, Mika, and Tohma with him as the topic. He hears Yuki agreeing that Shuichi is just trouble for him, and trouble that he maybe needs to get away from and go to New York to write. Shuichi is again distraught because he doesn't want Yuki to run away to New York without him. K is also distraught, but that's because a Yuki and Shuichi break up would be the end of their press ride. Tohma is very stern that the relationship is over, though, and Yuki is not to be used as a publicity means ever again. Not one to give up, Shuichi sneaks into the hospital to watch Yuki sleep, only Yuki isn't asleep and they have a heart to heart. According to Yuki, he was just bored with Shuichi's good behavior and wanted him to be possessive, crazy, and selfish, and he reminds him that they have a date now that Shuichi has sold a million records. Because of the press, Shuichi decides that they need costumes to go out on their date. His? Naked with body paint. Yuki's? A dress and wig with bows in it. Eiri doesn't seem to mind. In fact, he says it feels nice. He insists that this is Shuichi's day and Shuichi can have it any way he wants, even if it's with him in a dress. They are convinced to change costumes: Shuichi to a dog, Eiri the non-Japanese speaking owner. They don't fool anyone. In their rush to escape, NG is blown up and they get stuck in a traffic jam. There is going to be no Disneyland for the two of them today. As compensation, Eiri takes him to the river and brings out his Kitazawa picture. It's then that he confesses to Shuichi that Kitazawa was the one he killed, along with two men. The whole story comes out about the attempted rape and shooting. Shuichi can't believe what he's hearing, he's blown away, but he's still happy that Eiri is opening up to him. He's runs away to think and get some drinks, leaving a crying Yuki behind.
  
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Volume 1