1

First Glances

Usami Akihiko was annoyed. Why was he doing this again? Yes…Aikawa…that demon of a woman; always making him do things he didn't want to. He didn't want to judge a cooking contest, he didn't care. Yet, Aikawa had somehow convinced him to do it anyways.

Usami Akihiko was an author, a famous one. He didn't make a big deal out of it though. For him, writing was the only thing he was able to do without caring about what anyone else said; it was his own little world. Then again, he knew that his writing was…lonely? Was it the correct word? He would always make the book end happily, but he knew they were incomplete. The world didn't seem to realize, and Aikawa never asked him anything directly, he brought in money and that was all anyone cared about. Isaka-san, the man who discovered him, was too caught up in his own world to realize that Akihiko himself was losing interest. Sure, he loved to write, but where was his inspiration? He had never had a serious affair, no kids and a family he wasn't particularly attached to. Even if no one else saw it, he did. One day, probably not far away, the words were going to stop flowing.

Usami Akihiko was going to stop writing.

As the car came to halt, Akihiko sighed, shaking away his thoughts. He observed the hotel he was in, it was okay. It was nothing grand, like Teito, but it was simple. It was calm.

As soon as he entered, someone hurried towards him, escorting him to the venue; he didn't even catch the name. It was the same thing, he didn't care.

"Sensei, where were you?! I thought you weren't going to show up." Aikawa shrieked in her annoying voice (at least for him) as she approached him. Why did this woman always have to yell?

"It was a trouble finding this place. The instructions were vague." He said, glaring at her. Aikawa glared back, they both knew they had been detailed, with a map.

"Was it really that inconvenient?" An attendant asked, "I am so sorry on their behalf. It isn't everyday that someone so famous agrees to these contests…we should have doubled checked."

Akihiko smiled his fake smile at the woman, who blushed slightly, "There was no major problem, and I do get late from time to time, there's no need to worry."

Aikawa threw a look at the author, wondering how someone so rude could charm his way through almost everything. She'd been his editor for as long as she could remember. He was a good man, who could never express his feelings properly. She figured that was the reason he wrote but she worried about him. He was lonely, very lonely for a twenty nine year old independent man who was rich, good looking and was doing the only job be loved, who wouldn't want to be in his position? Then again, grass was always greener on the other side.

She knew he was having doubts about his writing, but she decided to give him some time before she talked to him.

"Here we are," the attendant said, "the contestants will be in shortly. All you have to do is taste the dishes when they are done. Obviously, there are professional chefs too, but then your grades will also be counted."

"That's it?" Akihiko enquired. That didn't seem so troublesome. He liked food.

"Um…we'd appreciate it if you made small talk with the participants while they are cooking…like in the TV Shows? It isn't a compulsion." Akihiko smiled at the girl again, wondering why she was so nervous. He figured a little talking won't harm him.

Akihiko entered the hall with a 'Welcome' banner hanging from the wall. It was a colorful hall – red, white and yellow. As soon as he entered, some reporters and journalists mobbed him. Why didn't anyone tell him that the competition was being featured? He was annoyed again, he didn't like the media. Smiling, faking and answering questions as shortly as he could, he evaded them. This was once when he really thanked Aikawa for being there. She helped evade them.

It was when he was in his seat, after greeting what he thought were at least sixteen people that he let go of his breath he didn't know he was holding. He sighed again, running a hand through his hair. He was really tired of it all.

A few minutes later, the contestants came in and were assigned tables. Someone mentioned some participant not being there yet; someone asked him if he would like to have a look around. Akihiko agreed. He walked around, smiling and talking with the contestants. Someone told him they really loved his work, he thanked them as he moved to another table, tasting a little and commenting on how well the dishes were.

"It isn't as boring as you thought it would be, right?" Aikawa said, grinning at the author. Akihiko threw her a look; he would burn in the pits of hell before admitting that Aikawa was correct.

Ignoring her, he was about to make his way back to his seat, when his cell phone rang. His breath hitched when he saw the name flash on the screen.

Haruhiko...

What the hell? What happened?

Usami stared at the screen before shoving the gadget back into his pocket, worried a little. Why was Haruhiko calling him? Did something happen? Was his father alright?

Questions flooded the author's mind; yet, he wasn't going to call his brother back. Certainly not after the previous conversation they had. He didn't want to explain why he avoided all contact all of a sudden. Didn't want to talk about why he had not even bothered rejecting his supposedly potential wives.

And that was a year ago.

He was never close to anyone his whole life, his brother had made sure of that, and it annoyed him to the point of throwing things…which is exactly what he wanted to do right now. It was when he was officially done with their bullshit when he had stopped picking up their calls. He didn't want to run a law firm, he wasn't interested. Writing was one thing in his life which he was at peace with, something he could cherish; he wasn't going to give it up.

Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair again. It made him look older. He wanted to run away from this place. Maybe he could fake sick? He was certain he had paled after that phone call, it could work. Sadly, Aikawa knew him too well.

"It was your brother, wasn't it?" She asked a little worried about him now. She yelled at him for almost everything, but never when it was about his family.

Akihiko glared at her again, why did she know him so well? "It could have been my father."

Aikawa narrowed her eyes, "Then we both know you would have picked it up."

"…" Damn this woman, Akihiko thought, what was her bloody problem?

She then immediately grabbed his arm, and dragged him to his seat, while both of them smiled at each other and everyone around them. "Don't you dare bail out on this one," Aikawa warned him, "this will earn you some good publicity."

If it was anyone else, Akihiko would have asked – Is that all you really care about? But because it was Aikawa, he didn't react. This was his first event in six months. All this time, the woman had been busy finding an event that was small enough to not cause him much trouble and at the same time make it fit the company standards. She was annoying, yes, but he wasn't going to accuse her of something he knew she didn't mean just because he was annoyed with himself and with life and everything it had to offer.

Nodding, Akihiko sat back in his chair, glad he had walked around before his brother called. He wanted to make an effort, but then there it was again – he didn't care.

He decided to walk around a little more, maybe that would clear his head? He stood up again, ready to leave, but stopped abruptly.

A boy, probably eighteen, was standing at the entrance. His hair and clothes were a mess, along with some blood on his left ankle. His breathing was shallow, and it was obvious that he had been running. There was a torn sling bag around his shoulder. The boy had brown hair and was gasping for air, his strikingly beautiful green eyes wide in anticipation and fear. The boy looked shaken up, like he was about to cry.

…and that was the first time Usami Akihiko saw Takahashi Misaki, his angel.

"Misaki, please calm down, everything will be alright." Takahiro said, as he reassured his little brother. Misaki on the other hand, merely nodded.

Takahiro shook his head, destiny surely was cruel. Misaki had been selected for a cooking contest, held by Atsushi Daichi, who was Misaki's idol. At nineteen, with already a promising internship in his hand, Misaki Takahashi was probably the most promising young chef out there, and Takahiro hadn't even started bragging. If he was to talk about Misaki's achievements so far, it would take a day. His brother was young and talented; he couldn't help but feel proud.

So today was the most important competition till date and with the cash price available, if Misaki won, he'd be a step closer to opening his own restaurant.

Even though Misaki wasn't usually late, he was ready way to early today. He didn't want to mess up!

And that's exactly when Takahiro's eight months pregnant wife had gone into labour, and had been rushed to the hospital. It was to be an immature birth.

Misaki and Takahiro waited impatiently, worried. It was only when it was announced that both Manami and baby boy were alright, relief had flooded them.

"He's so precious!" Misaki cooed as he looked at his nephew, his eyes sparkling. He was so cute!

Manami smiled, "That he is indeed, but aren't you forgetting something Misaki?"

Misaki frowned a little, "I…I didn't forget, but you're here and - "

"Nonsense!" Takahiro interrupted, "You are to leave at once, and you cannot miss this opportunity at all. And I'm here, aren't I? So you don't need to worry. You just go there and cook, Misaki!" Takahiro knew Misaki well, if anything, his little brother worried a lot. He was an over thinker.

Misaki nodded as he hugged his brother, took one last look at his nephew, thanked them for their good wishes and left.

That is when his day went to hell.

He knew if he hurried, he'd make it in time, so he started running. Bad mistake.

Misaki ran across the street, without checking if the light was green, hoping to catch the bus that was about to leave and was almost run over. He was thrown back, hurting his ankle. He felt sharp pain, indicating that he'd probably twisted it. But that wasn't what worried Misaki right now.

Oh fuck.

He was never going to make it on time.

Just as he was about to wake up, a lady, probably in her late twenties, approached Misaki. "Are you alright? That was a pretty bad fall." She offered him a hand.

Glad someone had stepped forward to help, he accepted her hand. "Thank you, and it's alright, just a scratch." Misaki said that with a smile. That's what he told himself, no matter how hard; always smile at the person who helps you.

The woman nodded and left, telling Misaki to take care.

Misaki sighed, he had missed his bus. What was he to do now? Should he take a taxi? He immediately checked his sling, checking if he had enough money to pay for a taxi, and his eyes widened in disbelief. He'd forgotten his wallet.

Fuck.

Misaki grimaced, for someone who didn't swear a lot, he'd cursed twice in two minutes. But that definitely wasn't the issue here. He was already late and apparently without his wallet. What was he to do? What if he didn't make it in time? What if they didn't allow him to cook? Would he be disqualified?

Calm down. Misaki told himself. There was no use going back and getting money, or even calling his brother, he was away from the hospital already. It'd cause his brother a lot of trouble, and he'd only waste a lot of time.

What was he going to do? If he went back, his brother would be disappointed. If he didn't, he'd be late and most probably disqualified. He didn't think he'd be able to bear that either.

Misaki was 19, and an orphan. Eleven years ago his parents had died in a car crash, leaving his brother and him behind. His brother, ten years his senior had taken care of Misaki since then. Misaki owed him everything.

Two years ago, his brother had gotten married, and he couldn't be happier. He now had a nee-san too and also a nephew. When he'd decided he wanted to become a chef, his brother had supported him in every way. They didn't have money for culinary school; Takahiro had barely managed to pay for his school and then Misaki's. Now with the baby here, things were bound to get more difficult.

All the money from Misaki's part time jobs and competitions he won was saved for his future, his restaurant. His dream. Takahiro never let him use that money, not even once. Misaki loved his brother, he did.

But, he wanted to stop.

He wanted to stop being a burden.

So he decided this was no time to give up. He was going to do this. He was going to run to the venue.

Do or die.

And that is exactly how Misaki had reached the venue, running like he had never before.

When he'd reached, he was escorted to the hall where the competition was held. His ankle was swollen now, bleeding. His sling was torn and he didn't even remember how it had happened. His hair was damp with sweat, but again that is not what worried Misaki.

Everyone else was already cooking, and the moment he entered people turned to look at him, scrutinizing him – the messy boy who was late, who probably shouldn't even be here.

Oh God, Misaki thought, overwhelmed, sudden tears threatening him. He wanted to go home and sleep. He didn't want to face all of these people.

No.

That wasn't an option.

He wouldn't quit.

Not now.

This was his dream, he wasn't giving up. Never. He had to do this.

Determined now, Misaki's eyes lit up, fire in them. He suddenly noticed some people walk towards him, they looked important.

Well, bring it on.

There was no way he was leaving without cooking.

All this while Akihiko stared – no, he told himself, he was observing.

After the boy had entered the hall, some staff members approached him. The boy seemed to be talking to the staff, explaining something. Now Akihiko couldn't care less, but what amused him was the boy's reaction. At first he looked like he was about to cry, but later – after what seemed to be a debate with himself – the look in his eyes had completely changed. It was determined, driven. Almost like he wasn't going to leave without proving something.

Interesting.

Now Akihiko shook his head, who cared how the boy looked or how his eyes changed? Interesting or not, he needed his walk before he blew up. He really needed to calm down. Whenever his family contacted him, they wrecked havoc – and Akihiko hated that. So just as he was about to leave the hall, a staff member along with judge no. 2 (he had numbered them as he couldn't remember the names) approached him.

Great, there goes my idea of a peaceful walk.

"Excuse me, Usami-san, but I need to have a word with you." The judge said.

Fake it. Don't let them see that you don't care, Akihiko thought as smiled his fake smile, "How can I help you?"

"Well, the missing contestant of this competition has arrived." the judge said as he pointed towards the boy standing not to far away, talking with another judge. "He has asked to cook. We don't have any problem with it, but all judges need to approve. He's late by quite some time anyways, so we need to decide quickly."

Akihiko's eyes widened slightly, but not enough for someone to easily notice. This competition was recommendation only. Popular chefs, restauranteurs etc. each nominated one contestant. Who the hell nominated this…teenager with torn belongings, messed up appearance and a poor sense of style?

However, the author wasn't going to voice his thoughts, he smiled his fake smile for what seemed the fifteenth time in the same evening. "You can go ahead and let him cook, I don't mind at all."

The judge smiled in return and nodded before thanking the star-author and leaving. Akihiko turned and looked at the boy again, whom judge no. 2 had approached immediately after talking to Akihiko.

The boy was now nodding to something the other judges were saying and immediately left after that, escorted by some staff member to his cooking station.

Akihiko stared some more. The boy had exactly half the time than others, he was clearly tired from wherever he was running from and had clearly injured his ankle. Yet, all Usami could say was that he was surprised, albeit mildly.

There were exactly two things that amused him. First being that the boy hadn't even complained once about his bleeding ankle, which looked as if it hurt a lot and the second was the way in which he cooked. It was as if Akihiko was watching a performance. The boy – who had been a complete mess when he arrived – had transformed into a completely different person altogether. His station was clean, organised and his movements swift, but precise and accurate at the same time. He moved effortlessly across the station, as if in a stance.

But somehow it always came down to those eyes. Akihiko had seen them change their look three times in the past ten minutes. From near to tears to determined, and now they were filled with something that was unmistakable – passion.

In years, it was the first time Akihiko had seen such raw passion in someone's eyes for anything.

It was beautiful.

So Akihiko kept on staring, amused. It was almost as if –

OK. What am I doing?

He was going on and on about this boy, almost as if he was describing a character from one of his books. It was slightly – he wouldn't let himself think otherwise – irritating; and he would've have thought about it more if his phone hadn't disturbed him again. Akihiko hated that thing, and he now wondered why he even bought one in the first place.

He was about to thank some unknown power up there as it was only a text message, but not when he found out it whom it was from.

My dear brother,

As expected you didn't answer my call. I merely wanted to know if you had decided on a bride. I had sent you some more photos and files earlier.

Father wants you to come back home. You don't need to continue to write those books.

It'll be appreciated if you reply.

Haruhiko.

Fucking hell?

Akihiko wondered why his family didn't get a bloody hint. He didn't want to get married and stop writing. He didn't want to take over the business. He didn't want to reply.

And he most certainly did not want to go back to that house.

More than irritated now, the author shoved his phone back into his pocket again while he switched it off. If his mood degraded any further, he'd end up punching someone.

Ignoring his inner turmoil, said man checked his watch – and cursed. The thirty minutes were almost over.

His head automatically ended up on the boy earlier, curious to whether he had completed his cooking or not.

He wasn't surprised that he had, and was now merely up. He glanced at the others meanwhile, his eyes narrowing in disbelief as he found some were struggling to even finish cooking.

"ONE MINUTE LEFT" A staff member yelled. It made Akihiko's ear bleed.

"Usami san, would you please make way to the tasting table?" A fellow judge asked him.

He merely nodded.

Well, at least he got to taste good food.

In the end Takahashi Misaki had won, and Usami Akihiko just continued to stare.

If he thought that the boy was expressive before the competition ended, he had absolutely no idea how he was supposed to describe him now.

Well, at least he knew his name now.

Takahashi Misaki.

The brunette's face was lit up, a vibrant smile highlighting his features. He'd walked up to the stage, given his winning speech and Akihiko was sure that the boy was about to cry. The boy had created a better dish in half the time than the others, it was definitely commendable.

It was actually -

"What the fuck are you doing, Sensei?" Aikawa hissed as she approached him, and effectively cut off his cohesive line of thoughts. Still, if looks could kill, Usami Akihiko would be dead.

Said author threw her a dirty look, "What are you talking about? I have been perfectly civil to everyone here. What else do you want from me?"

His editor glared right back at him, "All you have done, Usami Sensei, is stare at the brunette who won the competition ever since he's set foot in this hall."

Akihiko's eyes widened visibly this time, but he regained composure easily, "I wasn't staring, Aikawa. I was merely observing him, he seemed interesting."

…And just like that, Usami Akihiko had dug his own grave.

He decided to curse himself later on.

"You were interested in something?" Aikawa asked, her eyes widening in shock.

Akihiko decided he wasn't going to let her get to him easily. "What problem do you have with that? Is it that difficult to believe that I find something interesting?"

Aikawa merely stared at him, he was not going to get away with that comment.

"Well, let's see. You don't submit your manuscripts on time, you don't do laundry till you have nothing left to wear, you don't want to hire a maid and don't let me do so either, sleep for hours together so that you don't have to face people, flee the country when you want to be left alone, have algae growing in your kitchen and have plants that I water everyday so that they don't die – oh! And let's not forget when your kitchen blew up because of your cooking and you waited two months to get it renovated." The woman finished with a sarcastic smile, though her eyes seemed to be raging with fury.

Akihiko thought he could bury Aikawa alive. "Your point?"

Aikawa, now fuming, almost yelled. "My point is, Lord Usami Sensei, THAT FORGIVE ME IF I FIND IT A LITTLE DIFFICULT TO BELIEVE THAT YOU ARE INTERESTED IN A RANDOM BOY YOU HAVEN'T EVEN TALKED TO IN A COOKING CONTEST!"

Great, now she was yelling as well, Akihiko was sure that he wanted to bury her alive.

Regardless, he didn't have a reply to provide. They both knew she was going to win this argument, and he had decided way back that he'd burn in hell before admitting that his demon-editor was correct.

Aikawa smirked at his loss of words, but before she could open her mouth an unfamiliar voice cut her off.

"Usami-san!" said the bearer of the voice who was jogging up to pair.

Akihiko's eyebrow shot up, his eyes widening slightly. It was Takahashi Misaki.

The boy stood there in front of him, and Usami realised there was a slight limp in his leg but before anything could be said, the boy bent forward and caught both the author and his editor off guard.

"Ano, Usami-san, I'd like to thank you for letting me cook this evening. I don't know how to express my gratitude, but – arigatou gozaimasu!" Misaki said as he was bent down, thanking the author.

" Aa - It's alright Takahashi-kun, you need not thank me so much – and anyways I'm glad I let you cook, your dish was really the best out there." Akihiko replied, slightly uncomfortable due to not understanding how to reply.

But Takahashi didn't seem to face the same problem, as he flashed Akihiko a brilliant smile in return "I'm glad you liked it, Usami-san."

Badump

The older mad smiled, "It's been a pleasure, Takahashi-kun, and congratulations on your win. You deserved it."

Misaki's smile only grew wider at the compliment. "Thank you! It's always a pleasure to cook for someone who appreciates food."

Badump

Akihiko nodded in response, "I can understand. Demo, would you mind if I ask you something, Takahashi-kun?"

The boy blinked, a littlesurprised at the sudden request, "Hai." He answered.

"Is your ankle in pain, Takahashi-kun? You've been limping ever since you got here."

Misaki blushed slightly, his olive green eyes widening as he stared in disbelief at the author. "A-ano…you noticed?"

Badump

"Yes, it is a little difficult to miss with the slight blood and the obvious limp, isn't it?" Akihiko said, smirking now.

If only, the statement made Misaki redden even more, a nervous smile gracing his features.

Badump

"Um…I actually had a fall while reaching the venue. It did hurt a while ago, but now it's completely alright." Misaki offered the answer with a slight reassuring smile.

Badump

"I'm glad" Akihiko replied.

Misaki now smiled again, before bending down again, "Thank you for your concern."

Badump

"That's alright Takahashi-kun, I think you've thanked me enough for the evening." Akihiko told the young man as his lips curved up into a smile.

"Oh- I'm sorry…I didn't mean to…it's just…ahh! I guess I should get going, Usami-san. Thank you for all your concern, I really appreciate it."

Akihiko nodded in agreement as he wished the boy best of luck for his future, positive that if he said something else, the boy would only end up apologizing and thanking him all over again.

And just like that, with a final bow, Takahashi Misaki left after flashing a last smile in his direction.

Badump

Usami Akihiko then immediately turned to his editor, and asked her if they could leave.

She nodded, "Yes, we just have to do one interview and then we're done."

Akihiko nodded and checked his watch, it was quarter to eight.

He moved behind Aikawa who was leading the way, making his way through the elaborate and decorated hall and out into the hotel lobby, which was just as beautiful. There were plants that decorated either side and various portraits were hung between pillars.

A staff member had approached them immediately, and escorted them to the room where the interview was to be held, while giving out instructions.

Akihiko tried to listen, he really did, as he ignored his slightly quickened heart beat. Ignored the very blatantly obvious fact that his heart, his stupid stupid heart, had fluttered –

Fluttered every single time Takahashi Misaki had smiled at him, taking his breath away.

Aikawa had remained silent the entire time, not even bothering to introduce herself to Takahashi Misaki. She'd merely observed his conversation with Usami Akihiko.

The author was aloof, detached and uninterested in almost everything. Hell, he was even loosing interest in the way he wrote.

So yes, she was a little taken aback by his sudden interest in this young boy. She had also noticed the way he had talked to the younger boy, not forced or something. He had even asked him about his injured ankle.

It was very un-Usami like, but even that didn't that it shock her. Who knows what the man was thinking?

But as she made her way with her assigned author to the interview room, her mind was flooded with only one image she was struggling to get out of her mind –

- Usami Akihiko had smiled at Takahashi Misaki, a boy he'd just met, his most genuine smile, and had thus (she was confident) had disrupted the order of the universe.

So here it is! Please tell me how it was. Should I continue?! Review and let me know!