A/N: I love Takagi!! Moving on… So how exactly did Miyoshi get into Mahiro's uncle's flat? Here's my take. Oh, and the story ideas Takagi comes up with have already been written and copyrighted by me, so… It'll seem a little dead to begin with, but that's to show the difference between his normal life, and his life filled with manga.
The clock beside him read 6:15. Takagi had been awake for the past hour and a half, mulling over ideas in his head. He had had this really interesting dream. In it, there was this specialist surgeon who had one job and one job only: to bleed citizens. He lived in a post-apocalyptic world in which a major chemical disaster had occurred. People did not become mutated in any way visible. Slicing open a certain vein in his patients leg, this surgeon could tell whether they were infected by the chemicals or not. Vicinity to the spill was irrelevant. People were infected seemingly at random. Coating his surgeon's scalpel in a special mixture, the blood of people infected turned green when it came in contact with the blade. Those with infected blood were ostracised, locked up in refugee camps, regardless of their previous rank or stature in society. It had only been a few months since the spill, but already those infected started to act strangely. They went through various stages of insanity, eventually killing themselves and those around them in horrific ways…..
Sitting up, Takagi decided it was useless trying to get any more sleep. Slipping out of bed, he pulled on a woollen shirt and sat down at his desk. Pulling a few sheaves of paper towards himself, he began to write down his idea for a story. Fourty-five minutes later it was done, plan wise. Glancing over to the side, he noticed his open school bag. Figuring he was up anyway, he decided to study a little bit to make up for the time he was suspended. He had to be careful not to let his school work slide. It was easy to get lost in the whole manga business, but he was smart, and he knew the more information he had the more stories he could create.
He was just about finished when the scent of breakfast wafted in. It was now 9 o'clock. Dashing off the last few answers, he made his way to the kitchen to where his mother stood over the rice maker. Taking his usual seat at the end of the table, he counted down the seconds 'til his brother showed up. He came in right on time, dressed in a bath robe he'd had since he was thirteen. The holes in both pocket made them useless for anything other than hiding his hands. Akito's brother came home every second weekend to see his family, and he was never late for a meal.
They ate the meal, chatting idly. As always Takagi's mum asked him about school. This was a routine for every meal time. Excusing himself, Takagi dumped his plates in the dishwasher and made his way to the bathroom to shower. Done with that, he wished his mum goodbye, grabbed his keys off the key rack, laced up his Converse, and made his way outside, pulling on his headphones as he did so.
Akito lived in a fairly poor area, one of the many rough spots in Tokyo, but it had its own kind of beauty. There was an over-grown field across from his estate, the weeds drawing steady criticism from passers-by, but Akito found a kind of beauty in its colourful plants and knee high grass. Many a day he had played being a commando in that field, down on his stomach, inching forward on his elbows. Good times.
Deciding to head into the main street to get some supplies before he headed to the apartment, he got the niggling suspicion he was being watched. Putting it down to his own paranoia (he had been coming up with some spooky stories lately), he brushed the thought aside and headed into a stationary store, the little bell over the door chiming as he entered. It chimed again shortly after he had closed it, causing him to glance behind him.
"Miyoshi!" What was she doing here? Dressed in a really short denim skirt that made her legs look really long.
"Takagi! I was trying to catch up with you." Takagi looked at her confused. He hadn't taken off his earphones yet. Reaching up, Miyoshi yanked them down, then smiled at him sweetly. "I said I was calling you from down the street, but you didn't hear me."
"Huh? Oh, sorry. What are you doing here?"
"My mum and I always have breakfast at this little restaurant down the street on Saturdays. We were just leaving when I saw you." Takagi looked around her.
"Where is your mother?"
"I said good bye to her already. You and me are hanging out today."
"What!? But I told you, all I care about right now is manga. I don't have time to be a boyfriend."
"I know, but it feels like fate, bumping into you like this. You write, and I'll watch, Ok?"
"Uh… I'm going to a studio of Mahiro's uncle to write a name with him. I don't think I can bring you there."
"Tell him I wouldn't give you a choice. Now, what did you come in here for?" Takagi looked down at the notepad he had in his hand.
"I just need to find some other stuff." He picked a few more pads and some ink cartridges for his fountain pen. Miyoshi was browsing around, looking at a collection of cards. Takagi left the shop quickly, hoping to lose her, but she was hot on his trail.
"Hey!" She whacked him over his head with her purse. "Don't do that again, or I'll put a collar on you."
"Alright, alright! Geez." He started up a quick pace, but she kept up with him easily. They didn't talk as they made their way to the apartment.