Long time, no see, eh?
Sooo, I've noticed on and off that this story is getting some attention every once in a while and I've been meaning to come back and finish/fix this story for quite some time. I wrote this story back when I was first starting out as a writer, and every time I think about it I cringe a bit considering I could've done this story a bit more justice.
So, to any new readers, welcome! I don't recommend reading past this chapter as none of the others have been revised (but they will be soon), and I don't plan on keeping some plot points the same as well, characters may be changed and yada yada yada, just letting you know is all. I'm gonna try and kick this entire story out as soon as possible and get some DECENT content for it out. I apologize if you all get spammed with notifications (as I know quite a few are following this story. As well, I'm unsure if you get notifications for chapters that are changed/edited, so if you do, let me know ^^ if not…well then no one will see this anyway lol).
FOR OLD READERS: Nice to see you guys stuck around! ^^ I thank all of you who reviewed and loved this story. I genuinely appreciate it and I'm rewriting this thing and giving all of you a decent story verses what this once was: a poorly written mess of a story with Mary-Sue like characters and out of character/ unrealistic character….things. Luna was quite a character I wrote back, and while some traits will be staying (her attitude, her smarts and the like) others will change (a big thing being her name. I mean, what was I thinking, Luna? SERIOUSLY? For a Japanese girl? Yeah right.) Anyways, as stated earlier, some things will change, and others won't. However, this will still be the same basic story, though, this time it will (hopefully) have an ending. So, I hope you guys end up enjoying it more than before ^^
Now, that's enough ranting on my end, I know Author's notes are boring to read and just get in the way. I hope you all enjoy!
Misaki groaned as he rushed down the stairs, glancing over at the bear shaped clock near the kitchen. He barely finished buttoning up his shirt as his feet hit the ground and rushed toward the table to grab his bag. "I'm gonna be so late!" He muttered, grabbing his bag and stopping briefly to catch his reflection in the window. He messed with his hair a bit, hoping it would stay somewhat manageable as he walked through the snow and sleet outside. He ran over to his shoes, sliding to a stop against the hard wood.
"Stupid, perverted, harassing Usagi!" He cursed his lover, blaming him for missing his alarm. The young man had been kept up most of the night by the author, having been the first night free from work for the both of them. Usagi claimed he needed a "re-fill of Misaki" and refused to stop until both had basically collapsed from exhaustion. The teen continued muttering choice words until he found himself being pulled against said man.
"Morning Mi-sa-ki," The author mumbled sleepily in the burnets ear, nuzzling his neck and planting a soft kiss against it. Misaki blushed dark red, unwilling to admit he wanted nothing more than to just sit inside all day with the author on one of his few days off and ignore the frigid, snowy world outside. However, he struggled and pulled against Usagi's arms, making the author raise a brow, "What? Upset about something?"
"Stupid Usagi!" The boy yelled, trying to push the elder's arms off of him, "I'm gonna be late to class! Let me go already!"
"I can give you a ride," Usagi's hand traveled down his lover's body and toyed with the boy's zipper, "Besides, I need another refill of my Misaki."
"Let me go! I need to get to class!" The teen struggled harder, thankful when his landlord finally released him, sighing as he did. "Finally! Learn to keep it in your pants you pervert!" He scolded, grabbing his jacket and shrugging it on. "Besides, I don't think driving is such a good idea right now," His eyes wondered over to the window, looking at the thick grey clouds hovering out the city.
"I won't be leaving the apartment anyway," Usagi replied, walking over his smokes near the couch. "Be careful, the sidewalks are probably iced over. I don't want you rushing to class and end up in the hospital."
Misaki rolled his eyes, couldn't Usagi just leave him be? "Hai," He called over his shoulder slipping on his shoes and bag. He waved, a bit irritated as he noticed Usagi lit up a cigarette. He'd nagged the author about quitting plenty of times, but none of it ever seemed to work. Some habits were just really hard to break apparently.
He shivered as he stepped outside, pulling the hood of his jacket up to try and fight off the biting cold. Winter had taken quite a while to show up, but once it had it reared its big ugly head in full force. He slipped and slid a bit as he attempted to rush to the train station.
Later….
Misaki sighed as he walked slowly toward the train station, mentally debating what he should make for dinner. Hopefully he had the ingredients to make something warm and filling.
Life had become quite routine for the young man, and he was almost happy for it. Boring wasn't quite the word to describe it. In fact, it wasn't boring at all. He had to fight off Usagi almost every morning, rush to class to get there on time, deal with his lit teacher from hell and try to keep his lover from viewing any potential friend as a threat. And while it was true he hadn't deal with any crazy older Usami's in a while or any perverted manga authors who thought he was cute, he couldn't help but feeling he was in a bit of a rut. It wasn't like he wanted any more drama that ended with him in tears, but some excitement wouldn't be unwelcome either.
The burnet rolled the thought around in his head before suddenly realizing what he was asking for. He shook his head profusely, trying to rid himself of the thought. "No way," He mumbled to himself, "What am I thinking? Any excitement will just end badly."
He sighed once more and was a bit surprised by how clearly he could see his breath. He let out another breath and smiled, finding the action a bit amusing. He went over what he had to get done tonight and almost wished that Usagi had a bit of work to do tonight. At least then he'd have a chance to get some homework done after dinner and not be swept up in Usagi's avoidance tactics. He pulled out his phone, hoping he could ask Usagi if he wanted something specific to eat for dinner. However, something caught his attention in the alley beside him.
It wasn't very well lit, he could only really make out vague shapes of the trash cans in it. However, there was one thing, closer to the entrance than the rest which he could make out as a navy blue lump. It stuck out against the snow, even more so when he noticed it was shivering. An animal? Misaki felt concern raise in his chest, no animal would survive long out here in this weather. As he stepped forward to investigate, a small whimper came from the lump and the blanket moved just enough to reveal dark, brown hair.
Definitely not a dog.
Misaki cautiously stepped forward, wincing as his feet crushed the snow beneath him. Was it a person? He stood directly in front of the lump before slowly crouching down. He took a deep breath before reaching forward and almost yanking the blanket away. His jaw dropped at the sight.
It was a little girl.
Not any little girl though. The small child couldn't have been any older than 5 or 6. She was shivering, though, looked to be asleep since her eyes were closed. On her right cheek a large, dark purple bruise had formed, right under her eye, and Misaki could see another one peeking out from under the too large black sweater her had on. However, despite the freezing temperatures and frail to-thin condition, her face was bright red and she was breathing a bit harshly.
The boy reached forward and gently laid a hand on her forehead, checking for a temperature. Suddenly, the girls eyes snapped opened and she yelped, jumping back from Misaki and hitting the brick wall. "Woah woah," He said softly, raising his hands up to show her he meant no harm. "I was just checking your temperature. I wasn't trying to hurt you, I promise." He smiled softly, despite feeling his eyes burning from tears.
He continued to look over her as she stared up at him in fear. Her eyes were large and a similar lilac color to Usagi's. Though, they were fear full and darting around trying to find any source danger. Her hair was long, probably reaching her waist. It looked curly, though it was impossible to tell with the massive tangles and knots it was in. The sweater she was wearing seemed to barely be hanging on to her frame as it was slipping off her shoulders a bit, and while he couldn't be entirely sure, he thought she looked to be too skinny. Misaki slowly put his hands down, moving his eyes back to her face. "I'm Misaki." He said softly, offering a smile.
The girl didn't return it, though, she seemed a bit less agitated by his presence as she slowly lowered her own arms from a defensive position to just hugging herself for warmth. "Can you tell me your name?" Misaki asked. She remained silent and looked down, curling up in a little ball. "Um…okay, you don't have to answer that. How about how old you are?"
Her eyes flicked back up to his and she seemed to be debating saying anything before slowly holding up one hand. Misaki seemed a bit confused, just staring at her for a second before realizing what she was saying. "You're five?" A quick nod. "I'm 19." He offered back, hoping to coax her into talking. "Where's your mom and dad?"
The girl's eyes widened and she whimpered, curling into herself even more, making Misaki curse himself in his head. "It's okay, it's okay." He whispered softly, shuffling forward, "You don't have to say. Do you have a house I can take to you to?" He asked, knowing the answer already. A quick shake of the head confirmed his suspicions, making him sigh. He rolled around some more questions in his mind, "So…how long have you been out here?" A shrug, though, halfhearted at best. "When was the last time you ate?"
Another shrug.
Misaki bit his lip, weighing his options. He knew that he should probably get her to the authorities, they had to have dealt with this kind of situation before. They'd take her, try to find her parents and she'd be fine. But from the looks of it, the girl either didn't have parents, or any that Misaki would feel comfortable sending her home to. As well, if she didn't have any parents she'd just be thrown around from either foster home to foster home or in a group home.
That left him with one option. And he wasn't sure Usagi would like it.
He took a deep breath and smiled at the girl, "Do you have anywhere to go?" Another shake of the head, "Do you wanna come with me?" The girl's head snapped up and she looked at Misaki in a bit of shock. "It's going to be really cold tonight," He explained, "And you look really hungry. If I left you out here I would feel awful." He admitted, scratching the back of his neck. "I promise, we won't hurt you."
The girl looked at him, unsure and a bit conflicted. She seemed to want to say yes, but couldn't be sure if she could trust the young man. Misaki debated what he could say in his head to try and convince her it was safe. "Alright, I'll tell you what," He smiled, "If you decide you don't like it there, you're allowed to leave any time you want."
The girl bit her lip, looking at the ground for a second before nodding slowly. Misaki felt his shoulders sag in relief and he stood straight. The girl held out her arms, and Misaki slowly picked her up, trying not to hit any unseen bruises by jostling her around too much. He pulled her as close as he could though, hoping he could warm her up as she clung to his shirt.