I Need You

By: Lena108

Summary: With his divorce underway, Tohma is kicked out of his house and has to stay with a friend, namely Ryuichi. During his visit there he slowly begins to realize things about himself that he had never known before.

Rating: PG-13

Genre: Romance

Warnings: Yaoi and het

Disclaimer: Gravitation is not mine. Note the word fanfic.

A/N: Okay, so I realize that it has been a bajillion years since I've updated this fic and I had fully intended to leave it just sitting to collect dust, but I had a sudden inspiration and desire to finish what I started so there we have it. I apologize to all of you who have been waiting very patiently for this update. So, in this chapter, Mika breaks the news to K, Ryuichi and Noriko have a heart to heart and Tohma finds a way to get even.

Please remember how I feel about you
I could never really live without you
So, come on back and see just what you mean to me
I need you

NG had been quiet for several days, especially due to the fact that Tohma had refused to let any recording artists in the studio, save for Bad Luck and Nittle Grasper, causing an eerie silence to fall over most the floors. Except for the recording studio. Suguru and Shuichi were at it again, shouting about something very unlikely work related. In any other instance, Tohma would have been deeply annoyed and possibly inclined to step in, but he was on the top floor, his fingers steepled, gazing at someone across his desk who was obviously not there to sign a contract.

"Can you do this for me?" Tohma asked. "There will certainly be a reward in it for you, and a hefty one at that."

"Of course I can," the man answered with a grin.

"Do not let me down," Tohma warned him. The man stood and nodded his head.

"Don't worry, Seguchi," he said. "I won't."

With that, he left. After a few moments, Tohma stood up and let out a sigh of relief. He wandered toward the large windows and glanced outside, waiting until he saw a tiny figure walk out of the building and disappear from view. At that moment, the door opened behind him. He didn't need to ask who it was.

"Have you done your part, Mika-san?" he asked. Mika placed a hand on her hip and frowned at him.

"Of course I have," she told him. "But it would be great if you could tell me exactly what this plan of yours is. You only told me what I'm supposed to do, but you haven't told me how it's going to get this Karen woman out of our hair."

"In due time…"

"Stop saying that," she told him. "I don't like being left in the dark, Tohma."

"I know you don't," he told her, turning around. "I just need you to trust me for a little bit more. I can tell you once it has been carried out. I just don't…"

"Want me to stop you," she finished for him. "I know how your mind works by now. If it's something you think I'll stop you over, it can't be good." She paused. "But I will trust you. If it will get things done, then so be it."

"I appreciate it, Mika-san." She smiled at him and the door opened behind her. A pink rabbit head slowly found its way into Tohma's line of sight. The rabbit almost seemed sad to see that there was already a visitor.

"Should we come back later, na no da?" it seemed to ask.

"No," Mika said, turning around. "I was just leaving. I have a little bit of unfinished business anyhow." She paused on her way out. "Goodbye, Kumagoro. Say hello to Sakuma-san for me."

"Mika-san!" Ryuichi said, jumping out from behind the door. "I'm right here with Kumagoro!"

"Oh, silly me," she said smiling. "It's nice to see you, Sakuma-san. Goodbye."

With that, Mika left the room and headed down the hallway to the elevator. Kumagoro and Ryuichi watched her go before Ryuichi finally turned his head back toward Tohma's desk to regard him with the innocent curiosity that he always managed to have. Tohma really admired that in him, especially in the music business, but that wasn't the issue at hand.

"Where is Mika-san going?" he inquired. Tohma offered him a smile.

"She has some unfinished business to take care of," he informed Ryuichi, hoping that she was going to visit the father of her child. She'd promised him that she would, he just hoped she wouldn't back out now.

"Oh! Okay!" he grinned at him, then his face fell as Tohma looked away from him to look up another phone number. "…is Tohma busy?"

"Er…" Tohma glanced up, halfway finished with dialing the phone. "A little bit…" Ryuichi's face fell and he seemed dangerously close to tears. Tohma hung up the phone and sighed. "I'm sorry Ryuichi, I really need to get this finished." Ryuichi began to sniffle and Tohma put a hand to his head. "I'll tell you what, we'll go out to dinner tonight. Just the two of us, is that all right? No interruptions. Just me and you."

"Okay!" Ryuichi's expression lit up immediately at the promise of dinner. "I'll see you tonight, To-chan! Pick me up from our house at eight o'clock! Don't be laaaaate!" He grinned before disappearing around the corner. Tohma smiled slightly before returning to his previously serious expression, dialing another phone number.

"Seguchi Tohma," he told the woman on the other end. "Have I got a story for you."

The studio was very eerie with no other bands around. Shuichi had discovered that firsthand as he attempted to walk down the hallway to get a soda. The lack of any noise or life at all gave allowed a chill to run down his spine. What if there was a ghost in the NG building? What if it was hungry for SINGERS!? Maybe Yuki would save him! Shuichi became so lost in his thoughts as the vending machine waiting for him to make his selection. So engrossed in the conversation going on in his own head, Shuichi didn't notice as a figure approached him from behind. Despite the gentle touch, the pink haired singer screamed and spun around, ready to fight.

"I'M WARNING YOU, GHOST! I HAVE A BOYFRIEND!" he opened his eyes to see the extremely disturbed and mildly annoyed Mika. "Oh… erm… but you knew that…"

"It's nice to be reminded, Shindou-san," she said dryly. "Thank you."

"What are you doing here?" he asked. "Aren't you and Seguchi-san div… Oh! No! I'm sorry! I shouldn't have said anything!"

"Shindou-san, it's really all right," she said, feeling a headache coming on. Why him of all people? Fujisaki-san was so much easier to deal with. Even that guitarist with the mullet seemed more pleasant. Though, she may have preferred Shindou to that spastic producer they had. Sakano-san, was it? Oh well. "I'm here to see K-san. Is he around?"

"K-san?" he asked, ceasing with his apologies, looking rather surprised indeed. "I didn't know you knew him. Okay. I'll get him! Wait here!" With that, he was off, running down the hall, still without a soda in hand. Moments later Claude Winchester appeared from the doorway, confused. He spotted Mika, though, and he nodded his head toward her. As he approached, he hit a button on the machine and grinned.

"Soda?" he offered her.

"I'm fine, thanks," she told him with a small smile. He shrugged his head and took a swig of the soda he'd ordered on Shindou's money while Mika stood in silence. After a moment he lowered the can and tilted his head slightly.

"Was there something you wanted to talk about, Mika-san?" he asked, his expression suddenly serious. Mika sighed a little bit and looked away from him.

"Well, yes," she confirmed. "I just… would prefer to do it somewhere else, if you don't mind."

"Sounds good," he said, tossing the soda can away, landing it directly in the trash can. If she weren't so nervous, Mika would have complimented him on a nice shot. "Lunch is on me, then."

"Wonderful," she said, offering him a calm smile, quite deceiving to how she was actually feeling. She'd learned from Tohma, so she was a master at hiding her emotions.

"Sakano and Fujisaki can get the slackers to do their work for once," he grinned and offered her his arm. "Shall we?" She hesitated a moment before taking it.

"Lead the way," she implored him.

She let her fingers linger on the keyboard for just a moment as she paused to read over what she had just written. It seemed good enough, but the story still needed a little bit more spice. She'd done an excellent job of making things interesting thus far, so what she really needed was something brilliant. Something to make the story pop and send her popularity as a journalist through the roof. She was good at getting to the top too, and Seguchi Tohma would have to just watch as she used him to climb the ladder of success.

The door opened and her editor paused, waiting for her to acknowledge him. Karen frowned, mildly frustrated that someone had interrupted her work. Seguchi Mika really was an interesting woman to write about and she hadn't quite wanted to stop just yet. Still, this was likely something at least a little bit important.

"What is it?" she asked, turning around in her chair. "I hope this is important."

"Ah, yes, ma'am," he said, frowning deeply. He held up an envelope that seemed as though it were previously sealed. It was open now and the contents were sticking out—several pieces of paper with quite a bit of writing on them.

"What is that?" she demanded, rolling her eyes. What could possibly be more important than the story that would give her the break she needed?

"It's a story about Seguchi Mika," he said. Karen's eyes widened and she immediately snatched the envelope from his hands.

"What!?" she demanded. "Let me see…" The contents of the envelope appalled her.

"Nori-chan?"

Noriko glanced up from the magazine she was reading. No… the magazine Tohma had assigned her to read. She felt like she was back in school, only she'd never had to read the tabloids for homework. Still, this was a much needed interruption.

"Yes, Ryu-chan?" she asked him with a smile. He always brightened up her day.

"Um…" he bit on Kumagoro's ear, mumbling something as he did so. Noriko lifted an eyebrow and set the magazine down with a soft sigh, masking her irritation well.

"Ryu-chan," she said sweetly. "Don't talk with your mouth full."

"Sorry, Nori-chan," he said, removing Kumagoro's ear from his mouth. "I said I want to talk to you. It's about Toh-kun." This caught her interest. Noriko was always one interested in the personal lives of her best friends. So, naturally, she pulled up a chair for him, letting him sit down before going on. "I'm worried about him. This Karen lady is really mean. I'm afraid she's going to hurt him."

"Don't you trust him?" she asked, frowning a little bit.

"I trust Tohma!" Ryuichi protested. "I don't trust the Karen lady. She's almost as scary as Tohma is sometimes. I don't know what she'll do to him! I don't want Tohma to get hurt, Nori-chan."

Noriko smiled slightly and reached out, placing her hand on Ryuichi's shoulder. In all honesty, she was worried about Tohma as well, but with Ryuichi voicing this concern, she felt it would be best to simply reassure him and keep her own worries to herself. Upsetting him further was never a good idea in any situation.

"He'll be fine," she told him, sounding very sure of herself, despite how she really felt. "Tohma's a clever boy. He can take care of himself."

"You… you think so? I don't want to lose him," Ryuichi said softly.

"Ryu-kun," Noriko said, crossing her arms. "You're stuck with him. You couldn't lose him if you tried." Ryuichi glanced up and grinned at her.

"Well, I'm not going to try, so Tohma will never go away!" Now that was the Ryuichi she knew and loved.

"Something on your mind?"

"What?" Mika glanced up from her cup of coffee to regard K with slight surprise. She hadn't realized that she'd almost forgotten that he was there, lost in her own thoughts. When he spoke, it drew her out of her own mind. She flushed slightly and smiled to mask the mild embarrassment that she felt. "Yes, actually. I'm not entirely sure how to say it."

"This something about…" he glanced around, as if expecting his wife to burst through the door at his next words. "…us?"

"You're two for two," she told him, confirming his statement. He nodded his head, waiting for her to continue. "This is difficult."

He did it again, glancing around and actually leaning forward on the table before speaking. Mika half expected him to die of fright when the door opened to let in another patron. She'd never seen him so jumpy and, quite honestly, wasn't expecting him to be as such. If anything, she'd expect him to proclaim his conquests out loud.

"…are you pregnant?" he asked her, causing her to be surprised again.

"I…" she sighed softly. "Yes, K. I am."

"We couldn't have done this in private?" he asked. She gave him a look and shook her head.

"No," she told him. "There's a reason I wanted to do it here." He nodded his head.

"All right, all right," he said, leaning back in his chair and kept his eye on her. "Mine, yeah?"

"Yeah," she confirmed again. "I wouldn't have told you if I wasn't absolutely sure about it."

"Okay," he said. "When's it due?" She perked up then, tilting her head, eyes going wide.

"You're… I mean…"

"Hey, it's my kid," he told her with a grin. "I'm not a big enough jerk to walk out on my kid. I mean, this'll be tough to break to Judy and all… with the whole child support and…"

"You don't have to pay me child support," she interrupted, shaking her head, frowning at him.

"Not you," he said, waving his hand dismissively. "Her."

"Her?" she demanded, shocked. He kept surprising her.

"Well, yeah. With the whole divorce and everything…"

"You didn't tell me you were getting a divorce," she almost snapped, though it was almost a relief. She wouldn't tell him that, though, but she was sure he could see it on her face.

"It's not like I'm leaving here anytime soon," he told her. "And she's refusing to come here, since she doesn't really like being in Japan. I'll go visit Michael and all, but for the most part, I'll be here." She hesitated, opening her mouth once before closing it again. "So… uh… want to do this right? I mean… um…"

"Dinner at eight sounds great," she told him with a smile. She was pleasantly surprised, and he seemed perfectly happy at the request of dinner. Taking things slow wasn't really an option, but dinner was a good start for now.

The man had gotten on a train directly after leaving Tohma's office. Why he was doing all of this, he had no idea. The fact that he couldn't stand the man usually would have kept him from doing anything, but there was a deal involved. A deal most people wouldn't like, but if he'd come to him, Seguchi Tohma must have been desperate. He said he needed someone who wasn't noticeable. Who hadn't really ever been in the limelight. It was almost insulting the way he'd said it, but Ken didn't care. If it would get ASK back in the game, he was willing to try it. After all, he was accustomed to fixing what Taki fucked up.

Ma-kun and Taki had been in on the plan, but there was the fact that they stood out. Girls still came up to Taki and asked him when his next CD was coming out. Ma-kun often boasted that he had been in ASK, so people knew his name, plus he'd played for other bands sporadically. Ken, himself, faded into the background, letting the other two be the front men, while he played the silent genius in the back. He'd written everything, anyhow. Though, being almost entirely unnoticed had its advantages, quite obviously. Besides, Taki would have blown this too. He wasn't the brightest, to be sure.

After arriving in Hokkaido, Ken pulled his coat up, adjusting his sunglasses as he stared at the news building. Fake documents in hand, he pushed the door open and approached the front desk. If the company would hire him, just briefly, he would be able to read off the report and completely invalidate that Karen woman. Along with the story printed in the paper that morning, she would be out of a job because she would no longer be taken seriously. This was what Tohma wanted, though Ken supposed it was because she was only speaking the truth. Tohma was definitely a man who didn't want the truth leaked out about him. He seemed happier with exaggerated lies than what went on behind closed doors. Ken didn't blame him.

"Tohma!" Mika groaned as he pulled her to the couch in his office. "Could you please tell me what's going on?"

"Just a moment," he said, seeming happier than he had been in days. He grabbed the remote and turned the television on, switching directly to a news channel. "Watch."

Mika sighed and turned her head to see a reporter who looked very familiar. He would be far more recognizable, however, if he were still wearing the sunglasses. Instead, he was smiling as he spoke into the microphone, surprisingly well for a man she'd never heard speak in her life.

"And that concludes our update on the movements of Seguchi Tohma," he was saying into the camera. "For those of you paying attention in recent news, he has been slandered a great deal. We apologize for the misinformation you have all received and this station assures you that it will not happen again. Back to you, Kaori."

"Thank you very much, Osamu," the anchor said with a bright smile. "Investigation on the gross information reported on is ongoing. The source of such has been let go, though her whereabouts are also unknown. Now for the weather, we turn you over to…"

The television set shut down as Tohma hit the button on the remote. He set it down on the table, looking very proud of himself. Mika simply shook her head as she glanced back at the triumphant grin on his face.

"I have to admit, Tohma," she said. "Sometimes I don't know how you do it."

"You really should know by now," he said with a mischievous smirk. She gave him a look, though it was out of pure amusement. After a moment, he glanced at his watch, suddenly surprised at the time. "Uh oh. I promised Ryuichi I'd pick him up at eight!"

"Where are you two going?" she asked, lifting her eyebrows with a grin.

"A date," he said, not seeming at all ashamed.

"Oh, really?" she asked. "I suppose that makes two of us."

"Really?" he asked, his eyes lighting up. "So he took it well, I assume."

"More than well," she admitted. "I was pleasantly surprised."

"You know where you can find a babysitter, right?" he asked her.

"I'm not leaving my baby with Ryuichi," she told him.

"Well, actually, I was talking about Eiri," he admitted with a grin. "But I'd like to look after him. I could bring him into work with me and everything."

"You're not turning my baby into a workaholic," she told him, pointing an accusing finger in his direction. "I'll make sure of that. But if you want to come over and play with the baby, you're more than welcome to. I'm sure you won't be the only one, since Tatsuha's dying to be an uncle."

"Excellent," he said, grabbing his coat and opening the door for her. He paused for a moment as she started towards the elevator. "You don't suppose this will end up being a double date, do you?"

"Knowing Claude and Ryuichi?" she asked. "We can count on it."

END

Again, I'm a terrible slacker, but I really hoped you enjoyed this fic! It is finally finished! Thank you all for your encouragement through reviews, emails, PMs and even IMs. I love hearing feedback from people who enjoy my stories, so don't be afraid to drop me a line anytime! Thanks once again!

Love always,

Lily