Happy Anniversary!
By: Made in Akihabara
Rated: PG- mild language.
Warning: SHOUNEN-AI, NozomuXAkira, spoilers for those who haven't read all of the manga (volumes 1-6).
"N-Nozomu…" The half-vampire saw Mitsuru's face straining to keep its composure. "Do you…like Mahiru?" It was almost impossible to keep in his laugh- the tengu's face was flaming red, his eyes nervously sliding from Nozomu, to the door, to the floor, and back again.
"Depends on what you mean by like," he stated simply, smirking at the shorter boy. He closed his eyes, leaning back in his chair and grinning when he heard the green-haired boy growl. Torturing Mitsuru had to be his favorite game ever.
"Well…you know…like," Nozomu heard Mitsuru accentuate the last word, and even with his eyes closed he knew the tengu had to be sweating bullets by now. Giving up his game, he sighed heavily.
"No, I do not like her in that way," he chuckled, and saw Mitsuru's shoulders sag in relief, sighing. "Why?" The boy jumped slightly, gaping at Nozomu, lips making words that he never said.
"Well, you know…I kind of...she kind of…we…umn…" he trailed off, looking out the window, blushing.
"Yes, I know. Don't worry, I have no intention of making a move on your new girlfriend."
"Whatever," the tengu scoffed, marching out of the room in obviously fake anger.
Smiling to himself, he rose to his feet and closed the door behind Mitsuru, then walked back in and stretched out on his bed, staring at the ceiling.
Sure, he cared greatly for the Princess, but it was at most a brotherly kind of love- nothing at all romantic. The half-vampire knew that others thought opposite because of his endless flirting, but he did that with all the girls. After all, how could he fall for any girl when he'd adored the same person for somewhere around five years? Within a period of a day, one person had managed to get so far under his kin that the thought of being with anyone else made him sink into a deep depression. That person had been the first to ever show him true affection, trust and friendship.
Then again, Akira gave that to everyone. The werewolf was willing to be anyone and everyone's friend- more than willing, actually, he wanted to be their friend. And once he considered you a friend, he protected you with his life, never putting himself above you. That selfless attitude drew people to him. Center stage was where Akira belonged- whether it be singing, dancing, or putting on a show only he himself could've thought up. Nozomu loved to watch the boy prance around the nightclub at during their busiest times- serving drinks and food, making food, waving to usual customers and meeting new ones.
And so that's what he did- he watched. He worshipped the brunette's every movement from a distance, only letting his careful guard down briefly once and a while to give Akira a small pat on the head. That was the only way he could show how he felt in any way, because he was afraid. He wasn't just afraid to get rejected, he was afraid that if he made any kind of move, the werewolf would be so scared that he'd never come within a mile of Nozomu again. That'd be enough to kill him.
Nozomu had come to live with Oboro, Katsura and Misoka when he was fourteen years old. Because of his unique abilities as a vampire who could exist during the daytime, Oboro thought he'd be a good addition to the group he was putting together to search for the teardrops of the moon and the descendant of the princess. Nozomu was happy to move in, and hopefully make some new friends. When he arrived, though, he discovered that the only other person there was a boy named Misoka, who wasn't the most open and playful of people.
"Oboro?" he asked one day while helping him do the dishes after dinner. "In your letter, I thought you said there would be many demons my age here."
"This isn't some kind of human summer camp, Nozomu," Misoka grumbled from where he sat, drying a glass.
"I know that!" the blonde snapped. "But-"
"It's okay, Nozomu," Oboro chuckled. "I understand- kids your age like having others around." The boy nodded. "Well, don't worry. I received word today that a new recruit should be arriving sometime tomorrow."
"Really? Girl or boy? What kind of demon? How old? Tell me, tell me!"
Oboro chuckled again. "You'll see tomorrow." That night, Nozomu could barely sleep; he was so full of anticipation.
"Hey, Nozomu! Hurry up and get down here!" Bolting down the stairs, the blonde halted at the front door, next to Oboro and Misoka. In the doorway stood a tall woman in a suit, her hair tied up on her head. She wore a serious expression and carried a fat duffel bag. Nozomu felt his heart drop. Was this…the person who was going to stay with them?
"Well, now that we're here, I'll leave him to you," she said smiling. She turned around towards the car that was parked outside the club. "Akira! You can come in now!" A small head peeked out of the back seat window, curiously staring at the woman. "He's very…extroverted, so you'll have to excuse his behavior." The head grinned before pulling back in. The car door swung open and a small body stepped out.
Akira was a small boy, about five inches shorter than Nozomu, with short brown hair, and large, dark eyes. He wore a pair of short overalls, with a striped blue t-shirt underneath. In each of his ears were two large hoops. As he looked at the group his grin grew wider. "Hiiiiiiiiii!" He squealed as he took off towards them, stopping just before he ran into the tall woman.
"Akira," she said. "This is Oboro- the man you'll be staying with and helping for a while." The small boy grinned up at the older man.
"Nice to meet you, Akira," he said kindly, patting him on the head. Oboro turned to the boys behind him. "This is Misoka, and this is Nozomu." Misoka nodded towards him and Nozomu waved, smiling. Without warning, the child leapt up and hugged the older boy, grinning madly.
"You look like fun!" he laughed. Nozomu returned the hug awkwardly. "We're going to play and have lots of fun, right?"
"Yeah!" the half vampire replied ecstatically. Oboro and Akira's escort exchanged small smiles and bows before she returned to the car and took off.
Later that night, Nozomu sat up in bed, fidgeting with nervous energy. Finally, he had someone to play with! Oboro and Misoka were both very nice in their own way, but neither was willing to run around like young boys wanted to. All that day after the woman left, he and Akira ran around, playing tag and other games. When it came time to open up the club, the group discovered that even though he was only eleven, Akira was an amazing cook. The blonde could still remember how happy Akira looked when everyone praised his food. Things were really looking up…
There was a small noise from outside his door, and Nozomu jumped. No one was supposed to be up this late at night, and though Nozomu often stayed awake, no one ever came out of their rooms upstairs. Stepping out of bed, he quietly made his way to the bedroom door and peeked outside. Everything was dark, but he managed to make out a small, slumped over shape down at the end. Walking out carefully, he let his eyes adjust to the light.
"Akira?" he called quietly, seeing the familiar figure twitch and rise to his feet. Nozomu went to the other boy quickly, helping him up. "What's wrong?" Akira's face was wet with tears, his large eyes squinting in the dark. Large canine ears stuck out of his head (a habit Oboro had informed him of), and he was whimpering.
"I woke up…and everything was dark…and I was alone…and I called out…but no one heard me…so I came out here, but it was even darker!" Akira burst into slightly louder sobs, and Nozomu wrapped his arms around him. "B-Back at home, I shared a bed with one or m-more of my cousins…" the werewolf said, hiccupping.
"You should have told us you didn't like being alone, and we'd have done something to help," the half vampire sighed, petting the younger boy's hair. "We'll talk to Oboro in the morning and-"
"No!" the boy in his arms jumped slightly. "I don't want him to know. I don't want him to think of me as a burden." Nozomu gave a small smile.
"Okay, then, come with me," he said softly. "If you want, you can stay in my room with me." Akira looked up at him, eyes wide and shining with tears.
"Really? Y-You don't mind?"
"Nah," the blonde laughed quietly. Carefully leading the brunette back into his room, he sat in bed while Akira got settled. Within minutes, the werewolf was sound asleep, curled up in a tight ball next to Nozomu. The older boy smiled, wrapping his arms around the little one. "Don't worry, Akira, I'll always protect you."
Nozomu blinked, gazing up at his ceiling. Had it really been five years since then? Four years after Akira's arrival, they'd gotten Mitsuru, the temperamental tengu who hated humans. Akira immediately took the boy under his wing, trying to get the other to be happier and make friends. A year after that, they found the descendant of the princess, Shiraishi Mahiru. She was such a sweet girl, always looking out for what's best for everyone. In the end, she helped them gather all teardrops of the moon, and brought a small bit of peace to their world. As fate would have it, she also managed to melt the heart of their attitudinal friend Mitsuru and now they were a full-blown couple. Destiny sure was a strange thing.
That night, the club was full, customers crammed from wall to wall. While Akira cooked in the kitchen, Nozomu sang up onstage with Katsura, and Mitsuru, Mahiru and Misoka ran around, taking orders and carrying large trays of food. Though it was a night where he should've been giving it his all, Nozomu couldn't muster enough spirit to give a top-notch performance- his heart wasn't in it, and the audience could tell. Even his usual squealing fan-girls in the crowds seemed down and disappointed.
Taking a quick break, the half vampire settled down into one of the stools at the bar. He sighed and waved at a few of the women who were looking at him, and they blushed pink and waved back. Every night, he did the same thing over and over. Sing, flirt with women, flirt with women while singing, wave to them while he was offstage…boring. His thoughts were interrupted by a loud crash from the kitchen.
"Damnit, Akira!" Mitsuru's sharp voice carried through the whole club. "If you're just gonna burn it, let me cook it!" A few seconds later the werewolf exited the kitchen, looking very much like a scorned puppy, and with a small, ashamed smile to the customers, he went into the house part of the building. Nozomu followed after him.
"Hey, you okay, Akira?" he called to the other boy. The brunette stopped for a moment.
"I'm fine," he replied, voice strained.
"It's not like you to burn food. You must be distracted." Akira shrugged. "What is it? You know you can tell me anything." The werewolf shook his head. "Oh, c'mon, I don't bite." He waited a moment- that was one of Akira's favorite jokes. No laughter came from the usually happy-go-lucky boy. Now the blonde knew something was wrong. Grabbing Akira by the arm, he led him over to the couch and sat him down. "Okay, spill it."
The werewolf looked up at him, and then back down at his shoes. "I told you already- nothing's wrong. I'm just not feeling too well. Maybe I ate something bad…"
"Liar." Akira jumped slightly. "I've known you long enough to tell the difference between a simple tummy ache and something serious. This is the latter."
"Maybe you just don't know me as well as you think you do," the younger pouted, folding his legs up and hugging them close to his chest. Nozomu wanted nothing more than to give the poor kid a hug, but knew it was inappropriate at this point.
"Whatever," he scoffed, turning around. "If you're going to pull a Mitsuru, I'll just head back to the club." He took a step, and stopped. This was too much for the half vampire to take. "It's Keiko, isn't it?" Just saying the name made the blonde feel sick. The seer for Dawn's Venus was one of his least favorite people- actually, she probably was the person he hated the most. In Nozomu's eyes, the girl had played Akira for a fool, and in the end, chose a jerk over him. Akira had cried for nearly an hour after that, but after all was said and done, swore he was over it. The blonde was probably the only one in the group who didn't believe him.
"No! It's not Keiko!" the brunette exclaimed, getting to his feet. Nozomu looked over his shoulder. Akira's expression had changed entirely- from moody to desperate. Was he really trying to hide it that badly?
"Well, it's not really any of my business anyway," he sighed, shoving his fists into his pockets and starting for the club door.
"No, really!" The werewolf insisted. "Okay, I was lying about how I was feeling, but I'm not lying about this. I've already told you a thousand times- I'm over Keiko!"
"Okay then, enlighten me," Nozomu said bitterly. "Why are you so upset?" He turned back around, frowning. Akira looked back down at the floor, shifting on his feet nervously.
"Well, umn…" He took a deep breath. "What would you do if someone you really cared about forgot a really important day- like…your birthday?" The half vampire sighed.
"Akira, I know for sure it's not your birthday so what day could we have possibly forgotten?" The boy's entire body stiffened, and his eyes narrowed.
"Well, obviously it wasn't that important to you, so just forget it!" he snapped, and ran upstairs. Nozomu slapped a hand over his mouth.
"Whoops…"
At least one hundred different calendars surrounded Nozomu on his bed as he tediously looked over each one, searching for some kind of clue as to what day he could've forgotten. Unfortunately, nothing was coming to mind. "God damnit," he cursed, lying down. More calendars crinkled underneath him, but it didn't matter. He'd managed to remember that every year, around this time, Akira always ended up having some kind of fit or tantrum, which lasted about a week, and then everything went back to normal. Man, they must've forgotten the holiday every year.
The half vampire glanced at the clock- eleven thirty. He would just have to go and apologize, and ask what he missed. Leaving his bedroom, Nozomu looked around the hallway, scratching his head. Usually Akira would be in bed at this time, but his door was open, the light still on. Looking inside, he found no werewolf.
"Akira?" he called down the stairs. "You still up?" He searched all downstairs, and still couldn't find him- or anyone else. Going to the fridge, he found a small note: "Nozomu and Akira- Katsura, Misoka and I have gone to the Moon Palace to check on the emperor and the teardrops. We won't be back until morning. P.S. Mitsuru and Mahiru have gone out on a date." Scribbled in at the end was the word "Finally". The blonde laughed.
"Akira!" he shouted, no longer worrying about waking anyone up.
"I'm in here, damnit," came a voice from the living room. Nozomu walked around the couch and found the other boy stretched out across it, head resting on his arms.
"Hey there," Nozomu greeted awkwardly. "What're you…doing?"
"Waiting."
"For what?" He felt sweat beading up on his forehead. Akira was living up to his name as a werewolf- Nozomu could hear the boy growling as he came closer.
"For this day to end," the brunette replied, pointing at the clock that hung directly across from him. It was now eleven forty-five.
"Well," Nozomu said casually, voice cracking with effort. "Since there are only fifteen minutes left, you think you could tell me what today was exactly?" The other put a hand over his eyes and laughed.
"You mean you seriously don't know?"
"I've been trying to figure it out all night…" he replied sheepishly. Akira sat up and sighed, looking Nozomu in the eye.
"Five years ago today was one of the happiest days of my life, and the only one who remembers it is me. That's just sad," he said, his voice holding no emotion whatsoever. "It was the day I met all of you guys- well, actually, just you, Oboro, Misoka and Katsura, but still." Nozomu froze, guilt filling every bit of his being.
"Oh god," he groaned, putting his head in his hands. "I knew it had been five years, I just didn't know it was today." Akira gave a dry laugh.
"I guess I was the only one who considered it all that important."
"No!" The half vampire jumped to his feet. "It was the best day of my life!" He stopped himself, his face going crimson. "I mean- it was important to all of us- Oboro, Katsura, Misoka, everyone!" He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to keep his cool.
"Really?" Akira's voice was strange- high-pitched and weepy, like a woman's. He almost wanted to laugh, but at the same time didn't trust his mouth to not blurt out every secret he'd been keeping from the werewolf. "Is that true?"
"O-of course," he said, finally opening his eyes and mouth. The brunette's face was covered with tears, his dog-ears lying flat against his head, his tail wagging sluggishly behind him. He had a dumb smile on his face, like a child who'd just been praised by their parent. "I'm sure if you asked any of them, they'd tell you how sorry they were about missing it. It is very important, but no one thinks to celebrate these kind of things." The werewolf shook his head.
"Not that! I meant what you said before that- about it being the best day of your life." Nozomu felt himself blushing again. "Is that true?"
"W-Well…ah…" Where was all that charisma he had when he was with those women! The second he was with the person he actually liked, he couldn't muster any confidence at all. "You're probably my best friend- like a brother to me- you were always there. All that stuff. Good friend." He stopped himself, realizing just how dumb all that babble must have sounded.
"Oh…" The werewolf looked disappointed, and sat up on the couch, rubbing his head.
"What do you want me to say?" There's a time when one must discard all shields and guards, and do whatever they can to help their loved ones. Nozomu knelt in front of Akira. "I can't help if I don't know what's hurting you."
"When Keiko chose to go to Hokuto, I felt as if my heart were being torn to shreds." Of course, it was Keiko. Nozomu wanted to rip up the couch at hearing Akira say her name again. "I thought I really loved her, but as I thought it over, I realized, 'Hey, I don't really even know her'. It was true. I didn't know a thing about her- except that she was hurting. I wanted to help her and be her friend, and I guess when everyone told me I couldn't be her friend, I decided that I wanted to be more. In the end though, you helped her more than I did. You got her the answer she'd been looking for. I guess that's what hurt the most- to know I'd failed in helping her. I thought I was better than Hokuto, and eventually, she'd forget about him, and be happy with me, but she was in true love, unlike me. It's just like you said when I was crying- I've grown up a little. Keiko leaving showed me that I was taking for granted what I really cherished."
The half vampire grabbed a tissue box and handed it to the boy, letting him blow his nose and wipe his eyes. "I have to admit," the blonde chuckled. "I was really jealous of Keiko." Akira looked up at him curiously. "You began acting more and more like Mitsuru, disobeying everyone, including me. I wasn't used to that."
"That's what I was saying! You've always been there for me, Nozomu, and the second a pretty girl came to me, crying, I started defying you and acting like you didn't matter."
"It's to be expected when you grow up," he laughed. "Everyone goes through a rebellious stage. Especially with girls."
"But you've never done anything like that," Akira muttered. "You could have any girl you wanted, but you refuse all of them. You're a whole lot more mature than I am."
"That's because the one person I want, doesn't want me. It has nothing to do with maturity." The werewolf blinked at him.
"Who is it?" Nozomu shook his head. "Aw, c'mon!" The blonde laughed, but still shook his head. "Mahiru?" He burst out laughing.
"Two people have asked me that in the same day!"
"So, it's not her?"
"Nope, not her." Nozomu couldn't believe how amusing this was to him. He had to get a grip; if he wasn't careful, he might slip up and do something that would really scare poor Akira.
"Just tell me!" The other boy was bouncing up and down. "There are too many people for me to guess!" He glanced at the clock. "There are only two minutes left until it's tomorrow, so tell me! It'll be your anniversary gift to me." The werewolf gave him a cheesy grin. The minute hand moved on the clock. "Now you only have one more minute left! How else are you going to make up for forgetting?" Damn, why did he have to be so cute?
The half vampire sighed. "You're going to guilt me until I tell you, huh?" Akira nodded, ears upright and attentive. "Oh, fine." He rolled his eyes as the minute hand moved again. Grabbing the werewolf's arm, he pulled the boy towards him roughly, capturing the other's lips with his. The clock began chiming. Pulling back, Nozomu smirked. "Happy anniversary."
Akira's face conveyed pure shock, and was red from the tips of his ears to his nose. Both his ears and his hair stood on end, and he stared at his friend, completely dazed. It felt like they sat for an eternity before the blonde finally decided to break the silence. He laughed and stood back up.
"I'm gonna head to bed. Night." Well, at least now he knew what rejection felt like, not to mention Akira got what he wanted. Hopefully he didn't scare the kid too badly.
"Wait-!" The blonde felt arms wrap around him from behind. He stood perfectly still. "It's just…you, me…that was…you're…m-mine, got it?"
Nozomu laughed; this had to be a dream. Akira would never say something like that to him. He'd never want Nozomu to be his! "You already got your anniversary present, remember?" He pulled Akira's arms slightly, loosening his hold and allowing him to turn around. The werewolf's face was still a dark shade of pink, but his eyes were steady and determined. The half vampire smiled and patted him on the head.
"Then," the younger boy said shyly. "Can I be yours? I didn't get you a present." If this was a dream, Nozomu hoped he'd never, ever wake up. This time his own face heated up slightly instead of Akira's.
"If that's what you want, I'll be glad to accept your present," he said smoothly, wiping away the remaining tears that were on Akira's face. The slightly shorter boy smiled, and Nozomu kissed him again, this time much more gently and slightly longer. Nothing could possibly go wrong…
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU GUYS DOING!" A voice screeched. Akira turned bright red again, and Nozomu turned around casually, seeing Mitsuru and Mahiru standing in the front entranceway.
"'Yo!" He greeted cheerfully. The girl was frozen, face as red as Akira's, and the tengu looked as if he were having a heart attack. "Sorry, guys, I didn't know you'd be home so soon. How'd your date go?"
"H-h-h-h-h-h-" Mitsuru stuttered, face becoming redder, redder, then purple, then blue, before he fainted to the floor. Mahiru remained frozen to her spot, eyes glazed over, and face still red. Nozomu laughed at the pair before turning and giving Akira a peck on the forehead.
"Today's gonna be a damn good day."
A/N: You got to love Mitsuru and Mahiru, ne? I hope you all enjoyed the story. Review, please!
Oh yes, there are some things I need to say. I put a warning in both the summary and at the beginning of this story that his was shounen-ai, so please don't give a review full of whines about how I "made you favorite gay" or some such nonsense. Many have done so before, and it really doesn't make a difference to me, or any other shounen-ai authors. You're lucky I didn't pair Mitsuru with one of the guys, but making obviously straight guys gay just isn't my style, so be thankful. Also, I beg of you, please don't lecture me about how Akira and Keiko make a wonderful couple. This story should've shown exactly how I feel about this couple. They didn't end up together, so just get over it. I really wanted Nozomu to call her a dumb bitch, but that seemed quite out of character for him. I am a proud Keiko-Hater.
NOZOMUXAKIRA FOREVER! Much love to all of you!