Beginnings and Endings

by EnglishRainbow

This is my first attempt at writing anything at all! I dedicate my story to my wonderful 'YouTube' friend Mistyreflections without whose help and encouragement I would never have finished it! Arigato Misty! Thanks also to Princess Serenity-chan and Akkadia whose wonderful stories inspired me to have a go! Disclaimer:- I do not own any of the students who attended Shidou Academy.

TAKUMI-KUN

Prologue

It's 3 years now since the five friends had left Shidou Academy. Hayama Takumi went to College, and left with the highest Grades for Business Studies. He was delighted when he was offered a job working for a small Advertising Company. He had only been working there for a couple of weeks and although it was quite interesting work, he wasn't sure if it was what he wanted to do forever. Takumi has a phobia that his boyfriend Gii called 'Human contact Phobia', which had been caused when Takumi's older brother had abused him as a boy. The only person who could help Takumi overcome his fears was Gii.

Saki Giichi (Gii) and his best friend Akaike Shouzo had attended University together, both studying for a Management Course. Gii has joined his father in the multi-national family business, and hoped to be always based in their Tokyo Office, because anywhere else that would take him away from the love of his life, Takumi, just wasn't acceptable. Shouzo, who had known Gii's family since he was a boy, had been offered a job by Gii's father in the Company. Once he had learned about the business sufficiently, Shouzo was delighted that he would be going to work in their American branch based in New York.

Another of their friends, Arata Misu, was still at University. He was studying to be a Doctor, and his course was a lot longer than the others. Because the course was very hard and he had to spend many hours studying, Misu didn't see much of the others, even his boyfriend Kanemitsu Shingyouji hardly ever saw him.

Shingyouji was a year younger than the others, so had left Shidou Academy a year later. He was very keen to be a Chef, and attended a 2 year cookery course at College. His Senpai noticed Shingyouji had a real flair for baking, cakes and pastries in particular, and encouraged him with his talent. When he got his Diploma and left College, he got a job in a small Restaurant and quickly established himself as a talented pastry Chef.

BEGINNINGS AND ENDINGS

CHAPTER 1

Takumi was gradually waking up, he felt warm and comfortable in his bed, and he knew the sun was shining because the side of his face was warm where the sun was peeping through the chink in the curtains. He slowly stretched his arms above his head and then looked at his alarm clock. "9 o'clock! Oh no, I'm going to be late for work!" But as soon as the thought entered his head, he suddenly remembered, with huge relief, today was Saturday! No work for two days! And now he was fully awake his heart gave a leap of joy when he remembered he was going to be seeing his beloved boyfriend, Gii today!

Takumi threw back the duvet and jumped out of bed, making his way to his tiny shower room to take a shower and wash his hair. Today was going to be wonderful; he couldn't wait to see Gii, to feel his warm arms encircling him, to smell his cologne, to feel his kisses. Takumi could feel his face burning at the thoughts going through his mind, and he smiled to himself. It was going to be a lovely warm day so he chose his clothes carefully, and picked a pink cotton shirt with short sleeves, jeans and trainers.

The bus journey from Takumi's apartment to Gii's place took about 10 minutes, and while Takumi sat on the bus he was thinking where he and Gii could go for the day, and decided that a visit to the Zoo would be good, as he hadn't been there for years. He arrived at the bus-stop near to Gii's apartment block and after alighting from the bus, he had to stop himself from breaking into a run. He was so looking forward to seeing his boyfriend, but he didn't want to arrive there all hot and sweaty!

Gii's apartment was on the 3rd floor of the building and Takumi took the stairs 2 at a time, his heart beating really fast, as he would see that handsome face any moment now! He arrived at the door, paused for a moment, trying hard to compose himself but, before he got chance to knock, the door suddenly opened, and there stood his beloved Gii, a big smile on his face.

"Ohayo Takumi, I was watching for you and saw you coming along the road!" Takumi smiled shyly. "Ohayo Gii, I'm so happy to see you!" Gii stood back to let the love of his life into the apartment, and gently closed the door.

Takumi had only taken 2 steps when he felt Gii's arms gently fold around him, and slowly he turned round to face his beloved. His breath caught in his throat as he gazed at his handsome boyfriend's face, and slowly Takumi put his arms around Gii's neck. As always, he could smell Gii's cologne and feel the warmth from his hands gently stroking his back. His heart was racing so much, he was sure Gii must be able to hear it. They looked into each others' eyes for a moment then Gii leaned towards the love of his life, and gently kissed his lips, savouring the moment, and pulling him closer in a warm embrace.

The kiss was long and tender, and left them both breathless when they reluctantly broke apart, smiling at each other. "I love you so much, Takumi, I hate it when we are both working and can't see each other so much." sighed Gii. "I hope it won't be long before you will be able to come and live here with me, and we will be a proper couple at last. No more sneaking around, trying to see each other whenever we can."

Takumi tightened his grip around his boyfriend. "That's what I want as well Gii, you are the most important person in the world to me, but we must be careful, and wait for the time to be right. Things are slowly getting better for gay people, but we know that there is still a lot of discrimination and prejudice." Takumi's voice started to break, and he leaned against his beloved's chest. Gii held him close, kissing his hair and whispering that everything would be alright.

"Right, now come on, I don't know about you, but I'm starving! Let's get some breakfast, shall we?" Gii was determined to break the sad mood they were in, and taking him by the hand, led Takumi into the kitchen. "What do you fancy? I've got cereals, croissants, fresh fruit, eggs, coffee, fruit juice ...?" Takumi smiled gratefully at Gii, realising what he was trying to do. "Ummm, I'm spoilt for choice, but I think I'd like some fruit juice, please, and maybe croissants then coffee?" "Sounds good to me, I'll have the same!" Gii chuckled.

While they ate their breakfast, Gii asked Takumi if he had had any ideas about where they could go for their trip today, and Takumi said he would love to go to the Zoo because he hadn't been for years. "Excellent idea, I haven't been for years either!" When Gii had left Shidou Academy, his father had bought him a small car when he passed his driving test, so they would be going to the Zoo in the car, which would save a lot of time.

The weather was warm and sunny, and the two young men had a wonderful day, looking at all the animals and revelling in the fact that they were able to be together, chatting, laughing, eating ice-cream and just enjoying themselves. On the way back home, they stopped off at a small cafe and had a nice meal, and then made their way to Gii's apartment.

As soon as they entered the living room, Gii smiled at Takumi and gently touching his face he said quietly, "Why don't you stay with me tonight my love? We don't have work tomorrow, do we, and I want to be able to hold you, and kiss you and make love to you. I've missed you so much Takumi, please say you will?"

Takumi smiled shyly back at his beloved, and nodded his head in agreement. "I would love that Gii, are you sure it will be alright? I have missed you so much as well, sometimes I wish we could both just run away together, and spend the rest of our lives being happy, but I know that's impossible of course!" He shrugged his shoulders and gave a small, sad smile. Gii put his arms around the love of his life's waist, and pulled him into a tight embrace, then kissed his forehead, and his cheeks, then found Takumi's eager lips and kissed him passionately, with Takumi responding with equal passion.

"WHAT ON EARTH'S GOING ON HERE?!" A man's loud, deep voice reverberated around the room, making both Gii and Takumi jump in fear, and spring apart from each other. As they looked around in shock, Gii could see his father standing just inside the apartment door, with a face like thunder glaring at them both.

"Fath..er.. we..." Gii began to stutter, he was so shocked to see his father there, but automatically stepped in front of the love of his life, to try and protect him from his father's wrath.

"DON'T YOU ANSWER ME BACK, YOU DISGRACEFUL YOUNG MAN, HOW DARE YOU BEHAVE IN SUCH A DISGUSTING MANNER! NO-ONE IN OUR FAMILY HAS EVER LET US DOWN LIKE THIS. I HATE TO THINK WHAT YOUR MOTHER IS GOING TO SAY!"

Gii quickly turned to Takumi and said quietly, "You'd better go home now, Takumi, I'll sort everything and I'll ring you later, try not to worry love, okay?" He could tell by the love of his life's shocked, white face that he was very frightened, and knew that his words wouldn't help too much, but he just wanted Takumi away from his father, before any more harsh words were flung at them.

Takumi nodded to Gii, and quietly asked him if he would be alright, Gii smiled lovingly and whispered. "I will, and always remember how much I love you." Takumi smiled back and whispered "Me too!" and after bowing respectfully to Mr. Saki, he left the apartment.

As soon as the apartment door closed, Gii turned to his father and said. "I'm sorry, father, that you have found out that I'm gay in this way, but I have known I was different from being very young..." Gii began to try and explain his feelings, but his father was in no mood to listen to anything Gii had to say, and interrupted his son.

"No son of mine would ever be gay. It must be just a stupid phase you are going through, you end it now with that boy, and we won't say any more about it. You'll meet a nice girl some day and do what normal people do, get married and have children, that's what we Sakis' do!"

Gii knew he was going to have a battle on his hands, but he had to try and make his father understand how deep his feelings for Takumi were, and had been since he was about 8 years old. "Father, I have loved Takumi since I first met him at the violin recital that he and Inoue Sachi were in years ago. We met again at Shidou Academy..."

He was again interrupted by his father. "That boy probably knew you were from a wealthy family, and decided to go after you..."

It was Gii's turn to interrupt now. "No he didn't father. I was the one who chased him. He didn't want to know me at first he was so quiet and shy; it was quite a while before he returned my feelings. Father, Takumi is the love of my life and I am his. Nothing you do or say will ever change that, please try and understand. I know you are very disappointed in me, but I'm still the same son I always was. The fact that I love a man will never change me." Gii's eyes filled with tears, and he turned away from his father, and went into his bedroom quietly closing the door behind him.

When Takumi left the apartment, he was in such a state of shock; he was unaware of how he had got down the stairs, or how he had managed to get himself to the bus stop across the busy road in front of the apartment building. As he stood waiting for his bus, he realised he was shaking, and felt cold, even though it was a warm evening still. His mind was in turmoil, and he felt sick with fear, praying his beloved Gii would be alright. Should he have stayed and supported him? Would he have been able to help? But Gii had told him to leave, and maybe his presence would have inflamed the situation. Mr. Saki was so angry, what on earth were they going to do now? Takumi started to cry, but quickly wiped away the tears, in case anyone saw him.

When he got back to his small apartment, he lay down on his bed, and finally allowed the tears to fall, burying his face into his pillow he sobbed as though his heart would break. It was quite a long time later when he realised that his mobile phone was ringing, and he quickly answered it, relief flooding through him when he heard his beloved Gii's voice on the other end! "Hi Takumi, did you get home alright, are you okay my love?"

The anxiety in Gii's voice made Takumi feel bad, and he wanted to reassure his boyfriend he was okay, so he tried to speak cheerfully. "Yes, I'm home safe and well, Gii, don't worry about me, are you alright? Was it awful with your Father? Were you able to make him understand about us?"

Gii was quiet for a moment, and then he said. "I'm going to come over to your place, Takumi, and then we can have a proper talk about everything, okay? I'll be there in about 20 minutes, my love, see you then."

"That's great Gii, see you soon!"

20 minutes later there was a tap on Takumi's door, and he hurried to open it, and Gii stepped inside. Takumi carefully closed the door, and locked it, and then turned around to see Gii standing with his arms wide open, a loving smile on his face, and Takumi willingly walked into his beloved's embrace. They just stood together with their arms entwined, happy to be together, to feel the other's warmth, to feel their hearts beating as one. After a while, Gii slowly moved his head so he could see Takumi's handsome face, and smiled at him, before gently kissing his lips.

The kiss lasted a long time, and when they finally broke away, they both smiled and were feeling much happier again, just being together meant everything to them. "Would you like something to drink, Gii?" Takumi asked, and led his beloved to the sofa.

"I'd love a coffee please." Gii replied, and sat down on the sofa with a tired sigh. "It's been a difficult evening, and we'd had such a lovely happy day, hadn't we?" Takumi busied himself making their coffee, and Gii leaned back, his eyes closed, trying to remember all that had occurred with his father.

Takumi brought their coffees over, and put them on the small table in front of them, then he sat down next to his beloved, looking at his tired, sad face. He gently put his arm around Gii's shoulders and pulled him towards himself, wanting to let his love know how much he meant to him. He spoke quietly to him. "Do you want to tell me about it, Gii, or would you rather leave it for now?"

Gii opened his eyes and smiled. "I'll tell you now Takumi, might as well get it over with. The first thing I want to say though is that I am actually glad it has happened. I would have preferred my father to have found out a different way than he did, but at least now he knows, that's a big hurdle over with, isn't it?" Gii then proceeded to tell Takumi all that had transpired between his father and himself. "And he isn't happy, as you can imagine." Gii could see the worry on his boyfriend's face and smiled to try and reassure him.

Takumi gave a small smile in response, but his stomach was churning again with fear. "Gii, what will your mother say? Will she be angry as well? Your father said she..."

Gii put his finger against Takumi's lips. "Don't worry about my mother, she has known for a long time that I was gay, probably even before I realised what my mixed up feelings were all about myself! She'll be okay, although she will have to be quietly diplomatic where my father is concerned. She knows how to handle him, even though it may take a while for her to work on him. I know one thing for sure, though, she will love you almost as much as I do, so don't worry. My father is going to be a problem for a while, so I will need to be careful and not antagonise him any more than I have already. Always remember how much I love you though, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. No matter what the next few weeks or months hold, always remember that!"

Takumi gave Gii one of his beautiful smiles, nodded his head in agreement, and leaned forward to kiss his beloved's soft lips, then said quietly, "Do you have to go home, Gii? Could you stay with me tonight?" He looked shyly at his handsome boyfriend, who smiled affectionately.

"How could I resist an offer like that? Of course I'll stay with you. Let's drink our coffees, then perhaps we could find something else to occupy ourselves with, what do you think?" He nudged Takumi and winked at him suggestively, causing the love of his life to blush to the roots of his hair, and his heart started to pound in his chest. "I expect you'll think of something Gii, you usually do!" he answered back, grinning.

The next morning the young couple said their goodbyes. They both felt happier again, their night together had been filled with such love, tenderness and a closeness that only a deep love such as theirs could fulfil. Gii knew things were going to be difficult for a long time to come, and although he had tried to be positive and cheerful for Takumi's sake, he also knew the love of his life was fully aware of the hardship they would need to endure.

"I'll ring you tomorrow evening, my love, and I'll keep you up to date with everything that's going on, okay? Stay positive, won't you, remember how much we mean to each other?" Gii hugged Takumi close, and felt his lover's arms holding him tightly also.

Takumi whispered. "I will Gii, you are my whole life, and I'll be here waiting for you to return, stay safe Gii." He knew he was going to lose control of his emotions at any moment, and Gii understood. He bade one more farewell, and left the apartment. Takumi watched him go, the threatened tears finally falling. He quietly closed the door, and slumped to the floor, crying until exhaustion finally overtook him.

The rest of that Sunday passed in a strange, blurred way for Takumi. He could think of nothing but Gii, wondering how he was, had his father confronted him again, when would they see each other next? It was early evening when his mobile phone rang, and he quickly picked it up, hoping to see Gii's name on the caller ID, but was surprised to see his friend Shingyouji's name there instead.

"Hi there Takumi, long time no see!" The cheerful voice of his friend spoke as he answered his phone. "Konnichiwa Shingyouji, it certainly has been a while since we spoke, hasn't it?" Takumi tried to sound happy, but his friend, who knew him so well, could tell something was wrong straight away.

"You don't sound too good Takumi, is anything wrong? How about we meet up, we could go for a drink if you like, or you can come here to my grandma's house if you would prefer, she was just asking me how you were getting along. We haven't seen you recently so what do you say? We have a lot of catching up to do, haven't we! Is Gii doing okay, you two still madly in love?" Takumi heard his friend chuckle, which made him smile.

He hesitated for a moment, but then said. "Yes, Gii is well, and yes, we are still madly in love! How about you and Misu? Do you get to see him much?"

Shingyouji was quiet for a moment. "I don't get chance to see him very often, Takumi, he always seems to be busy studying, which is understandable I know, but I miss him so much."

Takumi realised his friend was feeling down about it, so quickly said. "We'll be able to talk about everything when we meet won't we; it will be great to see you and your grandma again. When would be best for you, obviously we are both working now, but evenings are usually free for me, what about you?"

Shingyouji replied. "I work strange hours in the restaurant, but I'm usually off on Tuesday evenings, how about coming here this Tuesday? I can make us some dinner and we can have a good talk, and you can tell me what's going on in your life, and I'll fill you in on mine, okay?"

"That'll be great, Shingyouji, I'm looking forward to it. Bye for now".

It was a couple of hours later when Takumi's phone rang again, and this time it was his beloved Gii. "Hi Gii, are you okay? Have you seen your father again?"

"I'm fine my love, and I have seen my father. He's still furious with me as you can imagine, but my mother is trying her best to calm him down. The thing I need to tell you is that my parents are going back to America on Tuesday, and me and Shouzo are going with them. Apparently one of my father's assistants has been involved in a bad car accident, and will be unable to work for a while, so Shouzo and myself are to go and help out while he's off. As you know Shouzo is going to work there anyway, but I'll only be there for a week or two. Then I will be back in Japan, back with you my love, so please don't worry alright? We'll keep in contact, I'll email you, and speak every day, and I'm sure the time will fly by until we are together again. I love you so much, Takumi, never forget that!" Gii was trying to sound cheerful and positive for Takumi's sake, but secretly he was worried that the love of his life's 'human contact phobia' would return if he was away from him for too long.

Takumi was trying hard as well to be strong, but inside the pain of knowing his boyfriend was going to be thousands of miles away, probably not being allowed to return for a long time, was tearing him apart. He knew he had to be strong though, so replied. "That's okay, Gii, don't worry, your family business is very important, I know that. Just stay safe, and come back as soon as you can, I'll be here waiting for you." Takumi could feel his voice beginning to break, so quickly changed the subject. "Oh, I have some news as well. I had a call today from Shingyouji, we're meeting up on Tuesday evening. I'm going for a meal to his grandma's house, so that will be nice to catch up with him. I'll be able to tell him about you and Shouzo going to America."

"Ah, that's great news my love, give him and his grandma my best wishes, won't you, and we'll all have a get-together when I get back. I'll take us all out for a nice meal, would you like that?" Gii suddenly felt a lot happier, knowing that the love of his life would be seeing Shingyouji. If anyone could keep Takumi from slipping back into his phobia, it was him.

"That's a great idea Gii, I'll tell them when I see them on Tuesday." The tears were threatening again. "I'd better let you go now; you must have packing to do, give my regards to Shouzo for me. Tell him I hope the job goes well for him, but to make sure he stays in touch!"

Gii could hear the pain in his precious boyfriend's voice, and knew it was time to go. "I will, and I'll be thinking of you day and night. I love you so much, Takumi!" Gii heard his faint response, "Me too, Gii, me too." And with that the call ended.

Monday at work for Takumi dragged by, he kept thinking about his beloved Gii, but he knew he had to concentrate or he would get into trouble with his boss. He found the work quite interesting, and had learned a lot about the Advertising Industry already, but he would really like to work for himself, being his own boss, and working hard to build up a business. Those were his goals in life. But he realised he needed to be patient and learn what he could for now, and hopefully fulfil his ambitions at a later date. His wages were also necessary, of course, to pay the rent and bills.

Tuesday arrived, and Takumi's emotions were very mixed today, he kept thinking of Gii and Shouzo, flying off to America. His late night phone call with Gii and remembering all the loving things they had said to each other, kept him feeling positive. He was also looking forward to meeting up with his friend Shingyouji that evening, as they had so much to catch up on.

He hurried home from work, had a quick shower and changed his clothes, then made his way to Shingyouji's grandma's house, where he was warmly greeted by her at the door. He had bought her some flowers on his way home from work, and she was very touched that he had been so thoughtful. "Shingyouji is in the kitchen, Takumi, go through, I'm finding it very useful having a grandson who can cook, I can tell you. He makes some great meals!" She laughed, and went to find a vase to put the flowers in. Takumi went through to the kitchen, and there was his friend, busy with something that smelled delicious, gently simmering away on the stove, vegetable peelings on the worktop, cooking utensils everywhere.

Shingyouji looked up as his friend entered the kitchen, he gave him a big smile. "Hi Takumi, it's great to see you again! I won't be long, just got to clear up here. The dinner will be ready in about half an hour, is that okay?" Takumi grinned back, it was good seeing his friend looking so at home in the kitchen, he obviously had found something he really liked to do.

"That sounds great, Shingyouji, and it certainly smells good too, didn't realise how hungry I was till now!"

"Excellent, that's what we Chefs like to hear, a customer with a good appetite!" The two friends both laughed and it felt good.

The friends cleared up the kitchen together, chatting about their day, then grandma came back with the vase of flowers and she gave them pride of place on the side table. "Why don't you two boys go and sit in the garden for a while, have a chat? Would you like a drink, Takumi? We have some beer, or there are soft drinks as well." He said a beer would be great, and Shingyouji said he would have one as well. "Go outside then, I'll bring them out for you." The friends thanked her, and went to sit at the garden table.

"So, Takumi, how are things with you? When I rang on Sunday you didn't sound your usual cheery self I noticed, is everything okay?" Takumi still wondered how his friend could have picked up on his mood so readily, but he knew there was no point trying to evade the question, so he explained about Gii's father catching them at the apartment. "Oh no! What on earth were you doing?" said Shingyouji, causing Takumi to laugh out loud.

"Don't worry, it wasn't anything too dramatic, we were only kissing!" "Phew, thank goodness for that!" and the friends both laughed together. Grandma brought them their drinks and said. "I'm glad to hear you two laughing, my Shingyouji doesn't seem to laugh very often these days, but laughing is the best medicine, you know." The friends smiled, and after she had gone back into the house, they continued with their conversation.

"The result of Gii's father catching us, is that he has made Gii return with him to America, hopefully not for too long. But I suspect he will try and keep him there, hoping being apart from me will 'cure' him of being gay. It's sad, isn't it, that two people loving each other can cause so much trouble, we aren't hurting anyone are we? You know all about that as well, don't you Shingyouji, you loving Misu as you do? How are you coping not seeing him very often, it must be hard for you."

Shingyouji was quiet for a moment then said. "I haven't actually seen him for weeks, I ring him and send him texts, which he sometimes responds too, but he is always studying so hard, I feel as though I'm being a nuisance. If I could just see him once, it would make me feel much better. Deep down I know my love for him is much stronger than his for me, but you know how he is, don't you Takumi, sharing a room with him at Shidou Academy. He keeps his feelings to himself, and with me working strange hours at the restaurant it's almost impossible to have a relationship with him."

Takumi was saddened to see his friend looking so upset. "Hey, we both need cheering up now, don't we? Let's go and see if the meal is ready and perhaps we could organise a night out, let's see if Misu would be able to join us, what do you say?"

Shingyouji smiled at his friend. "That's a great idea Takumi, let's do that, maybe if you send the text this time he may make an effort and join us!" The friends went inside and joined grandma. The meal was as delicious as it smelled and the dessert was wonderful, flaky pastry, with strawberries and cream on top, one of Shingyouji's specialities.

Takumi sat at the table, full to the brim. "That was a wonderful meal, thank you so much! You ought to have your own little coffee shop, Shingyouji, selling lots of different kinds of coffees and teas, and your cakes and pastries would be a huge hit, if that dessert is anything to go by!" he smiled at his friend.

"Actually, that's an ambition of mine Takumi, I would love it. You'll have to be my business partner as well, you can do all the paper work, advertising, ordering stock, I'm hopeless with things like that. We would make a great team I reckon!"

The friends started laughing together, but grandma interrupted them. "That actually isn't a daft idea, Shingyouji, you two would be more than capable of doing that. You're young and ambitious, the world is your oyster you know. You should think seriously about it, I know you aren't in a financial position to do it just now, but one day you will be, you just wait and see!" The two friends smiled at each other and allowed Shingyouji's grandma to dream.

CHAPTER 2

The plane landed at JFK Airport, New York, and Gii's parents, Shouzo and Gii collected their belongings together and alighted. They had a long wait in the baggage area to retrieve their cases, but finally they were able to make their way to where Peters the firm's chauffer was waiting for them, and he guided them to the awaiting limousine. Everyone was very quiet after the initial greetings to Peters, mainly because they were all tired from the long flight, but Gii's father had ignored his son since their heated discussion about the American trip, and an uncomfortable atmosphere ensued.

As Gii had expected, his mother, Hana, hadn't been at all surprised when her husband had relayed to her what he had seen at Gii's apartment. She also knew she would have to tread very carefully in dealing with the situation. "Takeo, I know you are shocked by what you've discovered about our son, but he's still our precious son, he's kind and loving, and as you know very clever. He's going to be a great asset to our Company isn't he, surely it doesn't matter that he loves this young man, Takumi-kun?"

Her husband couldn't believe his ears, how could his wife not be as furious as he was about all this? "I am shocked by your attitude, Hana, apart from anything else..." he began to splutter. "You've always wanted grandchildren, haven't you? Well, you'll never have them now, will you!"

Hana smiled sadly. "I know, Takeo, but all I want in this life is for our son to be healthy and happy, and this young man does make him so happy. I will be content with that." Her husband shook his head in disbelief, these last few days had made no sense to him, none at all.

The family Company owned an apartment which was fairly close to their offices. It was used by visitors or when staff from other offices came for business in New York. Gii and Shouzo were to stay there, while Gii's parents would go to their own apartment a few blocks away from them. The two young men were very relieved to get into the apartment, so that they could relax, away from the terrible atmosphere they had been experiencing for the last few hours.

"Shouzo, I'm so sorry about all this, you shouldn't have had to get involved in my troubles. I have to confess it helped me a lot to have you there though, you are the one person who understands about me and Takumi, how much we love and need each other." Gii was sitting on the sofa, with his head in his hands, a picture of abject unhappiness. Shouzo found he had to take a deep breath before he could speak to his best friend, he felt so sad for Gii.

"Don't worry about me Gii, you and I have known each other for such a long time, we are more like brothers than just friends aren't we? I'll do anything I can to help you and Takumi, you know that, don't you?" He sat down beside his friend and put his arm around Gii's shoulders, in a brotherly gesture.

Gii looked up at Shouzo and nodded gratefully. "Thanks, I really appreciate that. Now, let's get ourselves unpacked, you can choose which bedroom you want and I'll put the kettle on for a coffee, we could do with it!"

The young men had a look around the apartment, working out where everything was, then sat drinking their coffees and chatted about what may be expected of them when they started work in the New York office, mixed feelings of excitement and trepidation filling them. Gii suddenly said. "Can you remember how many hours time difference there is between here and Tokyo Shouzo? I told Takumi I would ring him as soon as we got here, he'll be anxious to hear from me. He was meeting up with Shingyouji today, I'm so happy he's got a friend like him, he'll help to keep Takumi's spirits up until we can be together again."

"Shingyouji is a good friend to all of us. Shame Misu doesn't appreciate him as we do! I think the time difference is 13 hours Gii, Tokyo is 13 hours ahead of here in New York, that means its 8 in the morning there."

"Thanks Shouzo, I'll go and ring him now, I should catch him before he leaves for work, I'll just go in my bedroom to make the call." The big grin on Gii's face spoke volumes to his friend, the lovers would have private things to say to each other! Shouzo felt a small pang of envy, he hoped one day he would have a loving relationship with someone as well, except for him it would be with a girl.

The phone was ringing at the other end of the line, Gii's heart was pounding, then he heard the voice he had been longing to hear for what seemed a very long time. "Ohayo, Gii! I'm so glad you've phoned, you arrived okay? Did you have a good flight? Ah Gii, I miss you so much already!" Takumi's voice faltered, and Gii struggled to speak, so overcome with emotion as he was.

"Hi my love, yes we've arrived safely, Shouzo and I are in the Company apartment which is very nice, there's a great view from the window,"... why was he talking about views from windows he asked himself? All he wanted to do was tell the love of his life that he missed him as well, he ached to be able to hold him close, to kiss his warm lips, and he was talking about views!

Gii started to laugh, "Oh Takumi, who cares about views from the window! I am longing for you as well my love, we won't be apart for too long, I promise you. I'll fulfil my duty to my father and I'll work hard and do a good job, but I won't let him separate us. You and I belong together, Takumi, I'm not sure how long I can bear to be without you, holding you, feeling your body close to me, but we'll definitely make up for lost time when I get home, you can be sure of that!"

Takumi could feel himself blushing at Gii's words. "I hope so Gii, thoughts of your return will keep me going I know. I'll have to go in a minute love, I need to catch my bus to work..." Gii suddenly remembered Takumi had been going to see Shingyouji. "Sorry to interrupt Takumi, did your visit to see Shingyouji go well? Are he and his grandma okay?"

"Ah yes, I had a great time, they were both well. Shingyouji made a great meal and we had a good catch up. We're going to meet again soon so I'll keep you up to date. I really have to go now Gii or I'll be late for work. Take care of yourself and enjoy your experience at the office. Will you ring me again soon? I love you Gii."

"I love you too Takumi and I'll speak to you tomorrow, bye!" Gii reluctantly ended the call.

The next two weeks flew by for Gii and Shouzo, they were both kept very busy and had to learn so many different aspects of the work. The office staff were quiet to begin with, waiting to see how they shaped up, but the two young men soon proved they were prepared to work hard, and their polite respectful ways very quickly made them a lot of friends, especially amongst the young women!

At the end of a long day the friends were walking towards the bus stop to catch their bus back to the apartment, when Shouzo suggested they went into a bar and have a drink before going home. Gii agreed, so long as it was only one drink, he always rang Takumi in the evening and wasn't going to miss that for anything!

Shouzo smiled at his friend, understanding his feelings. "Don't worry Gii, just one I promise!" Gii patted Shouzo's shoulder and smiled back. "It'll be nice to have a drink after the busy day we've had."

They entered the bar and looked round for seats. Shouzo spotted two in a corner and said "You go and grab those two seats Gii, I'll get the drinks, you want a glass of beer?" Gii nodded in agreement and made his way to the seats. There were quite a few customers waiting to be served in front of Shouzo, then suddenly a young woman who had just been served turned around, not realising someone was standing right behind her! She bumped into Shouzo and some of the drink she was carrying spilt onto his trousers and shoes!

"Oh no, I am so sorry! I didn't see you there! Did you get very wet? Oh, how stupid of me!" The young woman was very upset, but Shouzo smiled at her and told her not to worry, it wasn't much, and it would soon dry. She looked up at him gratefully and he was startled to see how blue her eyes were, her face framed by blonde hair cut in a bob, she was so pretty, he felt his insides do a somersault as he looked down at her.

The young woman had started to talk again he realised. "Can I get you a drink as way of an apology?" Shouzo came back down to earth and stuttered "No..no.. tha..that won't be necessary, don't worry!" He was really annoyed with himself now, he could feel himself blushing, what on earth was happening to him? He wasn't used to these feelings!

Shouzo suddenly became aware that the barman was asking him for his order and managed to stammer. "Two glasses of beer please" and while he waited he looked around to see that the girl had disappeared! His heart sank but he paid for the drinks and carried them over to where Gii was waiting for him. He put the glasses down on the table, and started to look around for the girl, and was delighted to see she was sitting a couple of tables away from them, talking to another girl.

She saw Shouzo looking over and smiled at him, and to his great joy, she started to walk over to him. "Sorry again, I hope the drink doesn't stain! Oh, my name's Amy, by the way, my friend Becky and I have just finished work. We're both nurses at the local Hospital and we thought we'd have one drink before we go home."

Gii was sitting quietly all this time, observing his friend. He had witnessed the incident with the drink near the bar and couldn't stop himself smiling, he had never seen Shouzo behaving like this, ever! He looked as though he was really smitten with this girl! Gii stood up, bowed politely, and introduced himself. "It's nice to meet you, my name is Gii, and my friend here is called Shouzo. We've just finished work as well and decided to have a drink here. We haven't been in New York for long so don't know our way around the local area yet."

Gii was hoping he had given his friend time to get control of himself! Fortunately he had, and Shouzo asked Amy if she and Becky would like to join them at their table. "Sure, that would be great," and she went over to her friend and explained what had happened, and both girls came and sat at their table.

Becky was taller than Amy, with long auburn hair, tied back into a ponytail. "So, where are you guys from?" she asked. Shouzo told them they were from Japan, and explained they only arrived two weeks earlier. "You speak real good English, don't you?"

Gii explained that he had been born in America and had lived there for a few years, and Shouzo told them English lessons at school had been one of his favourite subjects, so had picked the language up fairly easily. Amy was sitting next to him, he was so aware of her closeness, he was finding it hard to breathe, but he was trying hard to appear casual but wasn't succeeding, much to Gii's amusement!

"How long are you guys in New York for?" Amy asked Shouzo. "Well, I'm hopefully here indefinitely, but Gii is only here for a short time, and then will return to Japan, back to the Company's Tokyo Office."

"Well, you're new here so if we can help you at all, if you need to know anything, please feel free to give me a call. I'll write my number down for you, okay?" She quickly did this and handed the piece of paper to Shouzo with a smile. He took it from her and returned her smile, feeling as though she had just handed him a cheque for a million dollars!

The four young people chatted for a little while, then Amy and Becky took their leave, both being tired from their long day at the Hospital. "I hope we'll be able to meet again sometime soon, it was great meeting you both!" Amy said, and both girls waved as they left.

Gii suddenly burst out laughing. "Shouzo, I think you really like Amy, don't you? I've never known you to be tongue-tied before!" Shouzo grinned back sheepishly. "I can't believe it, Gii, I've always thought the expression 'love at first sight' was ridiculous, but wow, I think I might have just changed my mind!" He joined his friend laughing.

Takumi hadn't been home from work very long, when his phone rang. His heart started to beat faster, hoping it was Gii, although he knew it wasn't the time for him to make his usual call. The caller ID said 'Shingyouji' and Takumi happily answered his friend. "Hi Shingyouji, nice to hear from you, everything alright?"

There was a pause, and Takumi thought he could hear his friend quietly crying. He became very worried then. "Shingyouji? What's the matter? Speak to me please...Shingyouji?"

Takumi heard his friend answer. "Oh, Takumi, something terrible has happened!" He started crying again. "I came home last night from working late at the Restaurant, my obaasan was sitting in her chair, I thought she had just fallen asleep watching TV. I went to the kitchen to make us both a cup of tea and when I took it in to her, she seemed to be too still for some reason. I felt for her pulse and there was none. I rang my father who came straight over. Oh Takumi, she died in her sleep! What am I going to do now?" The crying became heartbreaking, Takumi was so shocked, he wasn't sure for a moment what to do.

"Shingyouji, I'm so sorry, do you want me to come over? Are you still at the house?"

His friend told him that his mother had taken him back to her house, his parents had divorced several years before. "Do you want to come here to my apartment, or meet up somewhere? You tell me what you'd like to do Shingyouji, and we'll do it."

"I'd like to come to yours Takumi, please. I'll just see if my mother is able to bring me over in her car." There was a pause while Shingyouji asked his mother. "Yes that's okay, she'll bring me over to see you. It'll be about half an hour, is that okay with you?"

"Of course, I'll see you soon".

It was 25 minutes later when Takumi's doorbell rang, and he hurried to answer it. Shingyouji came into the room, his eyes filled with tears, and Takumi just put his arms around his friend and held him close. "I'm so sorry for your loss Shingyouji, your grandma was such a lovely lady. I'll miss her as well." His friend cried for quite a while but eventually he became calmer, and thanked Takumi for his kindness.

They both sat together on the sofa, and Takumi asked Shingyouji if he knew what was going to happen now. "My father is organising everything for the funeral which will be next week, on the Friday. We have to go to the Lawyer's Office after that, but I suppose my father eventually will sell obaasan's house and I'll have to look for a small apartment to rent, or something. My mother wants me to go and live with her, but she lives too far away from the Restaurant, I would spend all my time travelling back and forth."

"You could always come and stay here until you find somewhere else." Takumi told his friend. "It's very small I know, just one room with a tiny shower room, but this sofa is quite comfy for short spells, and it's not so far from your work, is it? It's just a thought anyway, you would be very welcome."

Shingyouji smiled gratefully at Takumi. "Thank you so much, it's great to know I have a friend like you!" The tears threatened to start again, and Takumi patted his shoulder and asked him if he would like a drink, and he got up to make some coffee.

"I think I should be able to get next Friday off work and come to the funeral Shingyouji. Do you want me to let Misu know about it?"

Shingyouji hesitated for a moment, not sure what he wanted to do. "Yes, you could let him know for me thanks. He met my grandma a couple of times, he should know about it I suppose. I don't expect he'll have time to come though." His voice became very down again, and as Takumi brought over their coffee, he tried to change the subject by telling Shingyouji about Gii and Shouzo, and their experiences in America.

"You must be really missing Gii, Takumi. How are you feeling in yourself? No sign of your phobia coming back?" Shingyouji was glad to be able to talk about something else, but suddenly felt guilty that he hadn't checked with his friend how he was coping without Gii.

Takumi smiled. "I'm amazed myself, Shingyouji, I haven't had any signs of it so far. Maybe I've grown out of it at last! I think it helps knowing that Gii will come home as soon as he can, and we talk everyday on the phone, we send emails to each other, we even use Skype occasionally, which is wonderful, being able to see his face..." Takumi started to visualise Gii's handsome face, and a wistful look came over him.

The friends chatted for a long time, then Shingyouji's mother came to pick him up and Takumi wished him well, and promised to see him at the funeral.

The next morning when Takumi had his usual phone call with Gii, he had to tell him about Shingyouji's poor grandma. Gii was very saddened to hear the news. "Please give my condolences to Shingyouji when you next speak to him Takumi, will you? He was very close to his grandma wasn't he."

"I'll tell him Gii, he'll appreciate your good wishes. The funeral is next Friday, I'm hoping to be able to have the day off work to go to it. Are you any nearer to being able to come home? I know I'm being selfish Gii, but I miss you so much, I just want to be able to hold you again, and feel your kisses...sorry, I'm just feeling a bit sad at the minute with all the things going on around me!" Takumi was regretting saying these things, because he knew Gii would come home the moment he was free, now he would think Takumi was being childish!

"You don't need to apologise my love, it does my heart good to hear you're missing me as much as I miss you. My father's Assistant is recovering well, he is resting at home now and hopefully should be back at work in a couple of weeks. Shouzo has taken to the work like a duck to water, so I won't have to stay for too much longer. Oh, and wait until I tell you this! Shouzo's in love! He's met an American girl called Amy and he reckons it was 'love at first sight'!"

"What?! I've never heard him ever mention girls before, that's amazing, I'm so happy for him! Is she nice Gii? He deserves to meet someone nice at last."

Gii was chuckling to himself. "She is nice, Takumi, she is quite small, with short blond hair and very blue eyes. She is a nurse at the local Hospital. They've been out a couple of times now, and he comes back all starry- eyed and smiling. I'm delighted for them both, they really seem to suit each other."

"Ah, that's such good news, that's cheered me up Gii. I'll have to go now love, almost time for me to go to work. Take care Gii, I love you."

"Bye Takumi, have a good day at work, and I'll speak to you soon. I love you too."

Friday, the day of the funeral, came around too quickly. Takumi had spoken to Misu about Shingyouji's grandma, and told him when the funeral would be. Misu wasn't sure if he would be able to make it, but promised to try his best to get there. Takumi had kept in touch with his friend Shingyouji each day, he seemed to be coping alright, his father was glad of his help in making all the arrangements.

Takumi arrived early at the Church to see if he could help in any way, but there was nothing else to be done and he and Shingyouji talked quietly together, whilst awaiting the arrival of family and friends of grandma. They were standing outside the Church and suddenly Takumi spotted a tall, dark haired young man striding up the path towards them. He touched Shingyouji's arm and pointed, and his friend looked up and saw Misu, dressed smartly in a dark suit, making his way towards them.

Takumi heard his friend gasp, and saw the tears in his eyes, next thing Shingyouji was hurrying forward and Misu put his arms around him in a warm hug. Shingyouji returned the hug and they stood for a few moments, lost in their own world.

Misu spoke quietly to Shingyouji, telling him how sorry he was for his loss, and apologising for not having much time any more for meeting up with him. Shingyouji told him not to worry, he understood how busy he was with his studies and that he was also busy with working strange hours at the Restaurant.

The young men had to finish their conversation then, as the funeral was about to begin. It was a very sad day but Shingyouji's grandma had been a much loved lady, and everyone spoke very fondly of her, and were glad to have known her.

Later on Takumi, Misu and Shingyouji were chatting outside the Church. Misu was unable to stay for the buffet that was being prepared for the funeral guests, but asked Shingyouji if he would walk with him out to the gate. Takumi said goodbye to Misu, and went inside the Hall where the food was being served.

It was a few minutes later when Shingyouji came back, Takumi looked anxiously at his friend who seemed very downhearted. It was impossible to talk then, and Takumi knew he would have to wait until much later to speak to Shingyouji. Finally, the guests started to leave and the two friends could take a break and talk.

Takumi spoke first. "I'm glad Misu managed to find time to come today Shingyouji. I bet you were pleased to see him again."

"I was Takumi, thanks for letting him know about the funeral." He paused for a moment. "It has also made me realise that Misu and I will never have a close relationship like you and Gii have, we are very different people, with different hopes and dreams. When I walked with him to the gate, I told him my thoughts and I think he was quite relieved that I had said it. He hopes we will be able to stay friends, and I hope so too." The tears started to fall then, and Takumi put his arm around Shingyouji's shoulder, he was feeling so sorry for his friend.

A week went by before Takumi met up with Shingyouji again. The two friends met at Takumi's apartment, they ordered pizzas and had drinks together, and when they had finished eating Takumi asked if everything had been alright when Shingyouji had gone with his father to the Lawyer's Office.

"Something unbelievable happened, Takumi." began Shingyouji. "The Lawyer read obaasan's Will to us, and she had left everything to my dad, except for her house, and she has left that to me! I was really shocked and my dad looked quite annoyed. But the Lawyer told us she had been adamant that I should have it, and my father had to accept it."

Shingyouji reached inside his jacket pocket and brought out an envelope. "My obaasan had left a letter with the Lawyer for me, you can read it if you like".

"Are you sure Shingyouji? Isn't it very personal?" Takumi queried.

"It's okay, you're my friend and I'm happy for you to read it, go ahead."

Takumi opened the envelope and took out the letter.

My Dearest grandson,

If you are reading this letter, it means I am no longer with you in body, but remember I will always be with you in spirit, watching over you and loving you.

You have always made me so proud, you have grown into such a fine young man, working so hard to try and fulfil your dreams. Please continue to do that, I know you will succeed.

I have left you my house, I hope you will use it to start yourself on the ladder, maybe you could sell it and buy the small coffee shop you've always talked about? Whatever you decide, I know it will be the right decision for you.

Look after yourself Shingyouji.

Your loving Grandma

Takumi had to wipe away a tear when he had finished reading it, and passed it back to his friend.

"That's wonderful Shingyouji, you must be so happy that your grandma thought of you like that, have you decided what to do yet?"

Shingyouji shook his head. "It's all been quite a shock really, I never imagined anything like this could happen. I've always wanted to have a coffee shop as you know, but it's suddenly very daunting to think that it could actually happen! I still think you and I would make a good team, doing it together Takumi. Will you have a think about it, and let me know what your thoughts are? I need your expertise in organising and book-keeping, advertising and all those things that I'm useless at. I'm happiest in the kitchen, making my cakes and pastries! Please think seriously about it, will you?"

Takumi was very taken aback by Shingyouji's words, but had to agree it was very appealing, to be their own bosses, making a real go of something like that. He assured his friend he would seriously think about it, and contact him in a couple of days time.

The next time Takumi spoke to his beloved Gii, he told him about Shingyouji's inheritance, and what he hoped to do. "Gii, he wants me to join him in this venture as equal partners. I would do all the paperwork, accounts, advertising and so on, while Shingyouji concentrates on the cooking side of it. I would serve the customers while Shingyouji was in the kitchen, but he would join me as soon as he was finished."

"That's a great idea Takumi, I think you two could really make a go of something like that! You must give it a try, you're both young and more than capable. Do you want to do it Takumi? I'll help you in any way I can, I'll hopefully be back in Tokyo soon, and it would be great to see how you get on."

"I really want to do it Gii, but I'm not happy with Shingyouji putting all his inheritance into it, that seems unfair. I was wondering if I should go and see my parents, although I haven't seen them for a while. I thought that my father might lend me some money. I could put it into the business as well, then Shingyouji and I would really be equal partners."

Gii was very quick to answer. "No, don't do that Takumi, I can lend you the money you need..." Takumi interrupted Gii. "I can't let you do that Gii, that wouldn't be right. What if your father found out? That would cause a lot of trouble, he'll think that's all I'm interested in!"

Takumi could hear Gii laughing at the other end of the phone, but before he could say anything Gii replied. "Well, I know it's only my body you're after really, isn't it?!" Takumi wanted to be angry with his boyfriend, but couldn't help himself and joined in with the laughter.

"Oh Gii, be serious now, please! I can't borrow money from you, I don't know when I would be able to pay you back and it will be months before we start to make a profit. You'd have to wait years, and I'd want to give you Interest on the loan. No, it just wouldn't work, but thank you so much for offering, it means a lot to me that you have such faith in us."

Gii had stopped laughing, and spoke seriously to Takumi. "Look my love, I have money of my own that my grandfather left me, my father wouldn't even know anything about it. You and I will be together for the rest of our lives, it wouldn't matter to me when you paid it back. And as for paying me Interest...well, I could think of other ways to collect it, couldn't I?" He started to chuckle again, and Takumi realised what he meant.

"Saki Giichi! You have a one-track mind, don't you?" Takumi couldn't help smiling at the thought as well. "Gii, do you really think it would be alright then? I would feel much better borrowing money from you than my parents I have to admit."

"Then it's all settled Takumi my love, you let me know as soon as you want the money, and I'll transfer it to your account." Takumi spoke quietly now. "Arigato Gii, I know Shingyouji and I will make you proud of us. We'll work hard and who knows, one day we may own a chain of Coffee Shops!"

"Ah, one step at a time my love, one step at a time! Now, to get back to you only wanting my body..."

"Saki Giichi, not again!" and the two young men laughed together, and reaffirmed their love to each other.

The following Tuesday evening, Takumi and Shingyouji met at a small bar which served meals near where Takumi lived. They enjoyed their meals, and sat with a drink while they talked.

Shingyouji was very anxious to hear about Takumi's thoughts on the Coffee Shop idea, and his face looked very worried. Takumi spoke first.

"I have thought about it Shingyouji, and I would love to be in partnership with you!" The relief on his friend's face made Takumi smile broadly, and he continued. "I spoke to Gii about it and at first I was going to speak to my father about him lending me some money..." Shingyouji quickly interrupted his friend.

"You don't need money to put into it, Takumi. I'll use the money from the sale of my grandma's house to buy a shop. I just want my best friend to be with me in this venture, someone I trust implicitly and who will be as keen as me to make it a success!" Shingyouji's eyes were shining with unshed tears. "And I know my grandma will be as happy as I am, she was very fond of you Takumi."

Takumi leaned forward and patted his friend's arm, tears threatening them both again at the thought of Shingyouji's loss. The young men recovered their composure, and continued to chat.

"I know that's what you said Shingyouji, about the money from the sale of the house, but I would prefer to be an equal partner, and pay half of the costs. That way you won't have to put all your savings into it, you should be able to keep something to one side, just in case it doesn't take off, although with us both working hard we should make a success of it."

"Gii has offered to lend me the money, instead of asking my father. I wasn't too keen at first, but he is determined to do it, and of course I'll be paying him Interest..." Takumi could feel his cheeks burning at the thought of Gii's ideas for paying Interest, and a small smile appeared on his face.

"Oh, I expect Mr. Saki came up with some great ideas for collecting the payments, didn't he?" Shingyouji started to laugh, his friend's embarrassment there for all to see! Takumi quickly tried to change the subject.

"We need to talk about where to look for a place, it needs to be not too close to other Coffee Shops doesn't it? Somewhere where there will be plenty of passing trade, and perhaps something that's a bit different from other places..." Shingyouji interrupted again. "You could play your violin occasionally, Takumi. You play so well, a lot of people would enjoy listening to you while they drink their coffee and eat their cakes!"

"I'm not sure me playing my violin would interest that many people Shingyouji, but who knows, it could be an idea in the future, we'll have to see what sort of clientele we get coming in, eh?"

The two friends sat together for quite a while talking and making plans, writing ideas down, both full of hopes and dreams.

The two young men in New York were gradually settling into a routine. Shouzo's romance with Amy was blossoming, the couple were very much in love and spent as much time together as their jobs would allow. Amy enjoyed showing Shouzo around her beautiful city and one day, after an interesting visit to the Empire State Building, she suggested they go for a coffee. Once they were settled with their drinks, she put her hand onto Shouzo's hand and said. "I can tell you are a bit out of sorts today sweetheart. Is there something bothering you?"

Shouzo smiled at Amy and took hold of her hand. "I'm sorry Amy, I haven't been much company for you today, have I. It's just that I'm really worried about Gii at the minute. I've told you all about Takumi back in Tokyo haven't I, those two love each other so much. Gii is trying hard to put on a brave face about being separated from Takumi but it's breaking his heart to be so far away from him. I look at him sometimes and the pain in his face is very hard to bear."

Amy leaned forward and gently kissed Shouzo. "Is there no chance he can go home now? Surely the crisis is over with his father's Assistant almost well again, and you have taken over a lot of the work, haven't you?" The concern in Amy's eyes made Shouzo realise how much she cared for him, and he tried to lighten the mood a little.

"I expect he'll be able to go home soon, and knowing Gii, even if his father doesn't approve he'll go back to Takumi. Those two are inseparable, I'm looking forward to you meeting Takumi and seeing them together again."

Amy smiled at Shouzo. "I'm really looking forward to it as well, and to visit Japan and see where you lived. Hopefully we'll both get some vacation time together, maybe we could go then. I'll need to start saving for the airfare won't I!" The young couple made their way outside and arms around each other they continued with their sightseeing.

Takumi and Shingyouji were taking every chance they could get to look for suitable premises for their Coffee Shop. They were both still working and had to fit it around that. Shingyouji had put his grandma's house up for sale, and he was going to move in with Takumi when it was sold, until they could find somewhere to buy. It was quite a long process, going around Estate Agents, looking in Property magazines. The young men were beginning to wonder if they would ever find anything suitable.

The highlight of Takumi's day was when he spoke to Gii each morning, but he could tell that his boyfriend wasn't himself at present, even though Gii tried hard to be cheerful. "Is everything okay with you Gii? You seem a little down at the minute love. Are you well Gii? Is your father giving you a hard time?"

Gii was always conscious that Takumi's phobia could start again, so kept the conversation light-hearted. "I don't see my father that much Takumi, he hasn't said anything to me recently so don't worry. I'm missing you so much Takumi, it's making me a bit down at present, but don't worry about me, everything will be fine again once I get back home to you, and I can hold you in my arms again. I miss our closeness and just being together to be honest. My mother talks to me about you and she is really looking forward to meeting you."

"Ah Gii, I love you so much and can't wait to meet your mother as well. Please come home soon." Takumi's eyes started to fill with tears thinking of Gii being lonely, so he changed the subject. "Shingyouji and I have been very busy trying to find premises for our Coffee Shop, no luck just yet but his grandma's house looks as though it has been sold so that's a start! He's going to move in here with me until we find somewhere else. It's very small here as you know, good job we get on well together, we'll be falling over each other I expect!"

Gii started to laugh, picturing Takumi and Shingyouji in the tiny apartment together. "How is Shingyouji since he split up with Misu? Is he doing okay?"

"He seems to be alright Gii. He's so busy with his work, selling the house and trying to find a shop, I don't think he has much time to think about it really. I just hope he'll find someone soon who will love him as much as I know he'll love them. He deserves to be as happy as I am with you."

Gii's heart felt good hearing Takumi say that, talking to his precious boyfriend always made him feel better. "Don't forget to let me know immediately you want the money I'm lending you transferred to your account, okay? I am so proud of you Takumi, you are being strong and so sensible with all these things going on. I think my boyfriend has proved he is an adult now!"

Takumi started to laugh. "I think so too Gii, it's been a rocky road, but with your love and support and good friends as well, I'm feeling stronger. I just need you back home with me now, and everything will be perfect! I'll have to be saying bye now Gii, it's time to go for my bus and work is waiting. Ring me again soon Gii, please look after yourself. I love you with all my heart! Bye!"

"Bye Takumi, stay well, I love you too." With that the phone call ended.

A short while later Takumi was on the bus going to work, and the route took him passed the College he had attended. Opposite the College there was a row of shops, a sweet shop, where he had been a regular customer, a hairdressers, a hardware shop, a small supermarket and a Cafe. He was casually looking out of the window as he always did, and suddenly noticed that there was a For Sale sign outside the Cafe! When had that gone up, he thought, he hadn't seen it before had he? He started to feel very excited, he quickly wrote down the name and telephone number of the Estate Agent dealing with the sale. He would send Shingyouji a text to tell him what he had seen, and then ring the Agent as soon as he could! Takumi's stomach was churning with anticipation, could their luck have changed at last?

It seemed as though lunchtime was never going to arrive, but finally it did and Takumi could go outside and make his phone call. He saw that Shingyouji had replied to his text, he was very excited as well, and asking Takumi to let him know as soon as he had spoken to the Agent.

Takumi finished the phone call to the Estate Agent, and was very disappointed as he turned his phone off. The Agent explained that someone else had already put in an offer for the Cafe, but the Agent politely asked Takumi for his contact details, just in case the previous offer fell through. He was quite sure the sale would go through though.

Shingyouji was as disappointed as Takumi when his friend rang him with the bad news, but tried to put on a brave face. "Oh well, never mind Takumi, thanks for trying. We'll just have to keep on looking. Something will turn up soon, I'm sure." The two friends had a long chat later on that evening when they were both home from work, and they were both determined to stay positive and fulfil their dream of owning a Coffee Shop!

It was a Saturday morning, Takumi as usual didn't have to work and Shingyouji had a rare Saturday off from the Restaurant. The evening before they had decided they would spend the next day going out and about, looking for any likely premises for their Coffee Shop. They were both still so enthusiastic, and convinced that what they were looking for would be 'just around the corner'!

After a welcome lie-in for them both, they got themselves ready, had some breakfast and were just about to leave when Takumi's phone rang. The caller ID said 'Estate Agent'! Takumi looked at Shingyouji and quickly showed him the name displayed! He answered the phone. "Hello?"

"Can I speak to Mr. Hayama please?" a male voice asked.

"This is Mr. Hayama speaking".

"Ah good. You rang us last week Mr. Hayama regarding the sale of the Cafe? I explained to you then that someone else had made an offer for it?"

Takumi's heart was pounding as he listened to the Estate Agent talking, he looked at Shingyouji hardly daring to believe what he was hearing. He tried to speak calmly. "Yes, that's right. Has there been a development with the sale?"

The Agent began to explain that the previous offer had been unexpectedly withdrawn, and if Mr. Hayama was still interested in the property, he was welcome to go and view at his earliest convenience! Takumi quickly mouthed to Shingyouji – "That Cafe's still for sale!" – and trying to carry on talking calmly he said to the Agent. "Yes, my business partner and I are still interested in the property and we're free today to go and have a look, if that's suitable for you?"

"Yes that would be fine with me Mr. Hayama, would 11am at the Cafe be convenient for you?"

"That's ideal, thank you. We'll see you there then, at 11am." Takumi ended the call and just looked at his friend, speechless.

Shingyouji was the first to react, and flung his arms around his best friend with a loud whoop of joy! Takumi returned the hug and the two of them looked at each other, grinning widely.

"Oh Takumi, do you think we'll get it? We've waited so long, haven't we, surely we deserve some good luck at last!"

"I hate to be the one to say it, but we need to be careful and not get our hopes up too high just yet. It might be completely unsuitable when we go and look at it! But I remember going in there occasionally when I was at the College, and it always seemed nice and homely and quite busy. Let's be careful Shingyouji and not get too excited, but that's not going to be easy, is it!"

The two friends left the apartment in high spirits and made their way to the Cafe. They were very early, and tried to look through the windows of the Cafe but the blinds were all closed, so couldn't see inside. The outside was a bit shabby but nothing some fresh paint couldn't solve. They decided to look around the area and their first stop was to visit the sweetshop that Takumi had frequented in his College days.

On entering the shop, it looked exactly how Takumi remembered it. Jars of sweets all lined up on shelves, boxes of sugary treats stacked high, packets of all the different candy you could think of. Takumi sighed happily, and tried to decide what he would buy. Shingyouji grinned at his friend, he knew what a sweet-tooth Takumi had!

Just then an older lady came out from the room behind the shop. "Ohayo, is there something I can get for you young men?" As Takumi looked around, he realised it was the same lady who used to serve him. She recognised him as well.

"Good heavens, it's Takumi-kun isn't it? I haven't seen you for quite a while. You used to be one of my best customers!" The lady started to laugh, and Takumi and Shingyouji joined in.

"Ohayo, Ryoma-san, I've missed coming in here since I left College! I hope you have been keeping well?" Ryoma-san nodded cheerfully. "Yes I'm fine thank you. What brings you here today?"

"My friend Shingyouji and I have come to look at the Cafe next door. Do you know why it's up for sale?"

"Are you two thinking of buying it? You're very young aren't you? Mind you, you'll be full of energy at your age, that's probably in your favour! The gentleman who owns it has been very ill, so he's decided to sell it. Someone else put in an offer for it, but I believe they backed out so that's why it's for sale again."

The two friends chatted some more to Ryoma-san, and they both chose some sweets. After saying their farewells to her, Ryoma-san wished them well and hoped they would be successful in their ambition to own the Cafe. She liked the thought that the two young men would be her neighbours.

CHAPTER 3

The Estate Agent arrived promptly at 11am, and after greetings were exchanged, opened the Cafe door. It was dark inside because the blinds were closed, so the Agent opened them up and daylight flooded in. It was a fairly small area, with six tables dotted around the room. There was a counter to one side which had a glass front, suitable for displaying the cakes etc. The coffee and tea machines were behind the counter and a tall refrigerator for the cold drinks was to the right. Over to the left they could see into the kitchen.

Shingyouji made a bee-line for the kitchen, and was very impressed with the ovens, storage facilities and spent a long time exploring, checking everything out. He could feel himself getting very excited, but tried hard not to show it! The Agent showed Takumi the outside yard, more storage buildings and by the time they had seen everything outside, Shingyouji had finished his inspection of the kitchen.

The two friends were both trying hard to be non- committal in front of the Agent, but they could tell from looking at each other that it was ideal for them.

"If you have had enough time to look around down here, shall I take you upstairs now to see the apartment?" The Agent looked at them expectantly.

Takumi answered first. "Oh, we didn't realise it came with accommodation as well. Yes please, we are interested to see it." The Agent led the way, and Takumi and Shingyouji looked at each other in astonishment. They had no idea there was an apartment above!

The apartment consisted of a large living room, a small kitchen, two good sized bedrooms and a bathroom with a shower over the bath. Everywhere needed decorating and new flooring would be necessary, but generally it was in good order.

When they had finished their inspection the Agent spoke to them. "I hope you don't mind if I ask you, but you seem very young to be starting a business like this. Have you made enquiries regarding a Mortgage yet? I'm worried you may be disappointed if the Bank turns you down?"

Shingyouji spoke up. "We won't be needing a Mortgage. It will be a cash purchase if we do decide to buy the Cafe. My friend and I will have to talk about things now, but if it's alright with you we'll ring on Monday morning and give you our decision?"

The Agent shook both their hands. "Yes that's fine. We aren't open Sundays, and there's no-one else booked to view the premises. I look forward to hearing from you on Monday."

As the friends walked slowly away from the Cafe, they were both very quiet. Takumi broke the silence. "Well, what do you think Shingyouji? It needs quite a bit of decorating and a good scrub, doesn't it, but seems in reasonable condition. What did you think of the kitchen?"

When Shingyouji didn't answer for a while, Takumi looked at him anxiously. Then his friend slowly turned round and looked at him. A smile started to appear, getting wider and wider. "I loved it! Oh Takumi! We didn't even realise there was an apartment as well! We'll have somewhere to live, somewhere to work and no worrying about catching buses any more. We'll be right there! Do you love it as well Takumi, please say you do!"

Takumi started to laugh. "Of course I do! It's perfect for us. Mind you, it's going to be hard work, but I know we can do it, I just know it. I was thinking as well, we'll need some kind of transport, won't we? I expect we'll get bread and suchlike delivered each day, but we'll need to be able to go to the wholesalers for everything else?"

"Yes, you're right Takumi. A small van perhaps, do you think that would be best? I learned to drive last year, so that's your next task as well, passing your driving test!"

The friends talked non- stop all the way home and as soon as they got back to the apartment Takumi told his friend he would ring Gii to tell him the good news. "Aren't we 13 hours ahead of New York though Takumi? It's 12.30pm here so it will be 11.30pm yesterday there. Will he still be up, do you think?"

"He's up quite late Shingyouji, I don't think he'll mind and it's a day off work for him the next day, it'll be fine!" Nothing was going to stop Takumi from ringing his beloved Gii, he was so excited.

Shingyouji suddenly remembered they needed a few things from the shops, but of course his friend knew he was leaving him alone to make his phone call, and was very touched by the gesture.

Gii was sitting alone in the apartment in New York. Shouzo was out for the evening with his girlfriend Amy, their romance was going from strength to strength and Gii was very happy for his friend. It was times like this that he found most difficult though. He longed for Takumi desperately, just to see his handsome face, to hold him close and kiss his willing lips.

He was beginning to daydream about his reunion with the love of his life, when his phone ringing interrupted his reverie. He quickly looked at the caller ID and saw Takumi's name! "Hello Takumi! I was just thinking about you!" Gii started to laugh.

"What were you thinking Gii? I hope it was something nice!"

"Oh yes, it was definitely nice Takumi!" Gii was glad they weren't using Skype right at that moment, he could feel himself blushing and laughed even more.

"I have those thoughts all the time as well Gii. The sooner you get home here the better I think. You mean everything to me, Gii, you do know that don't you?"

"I know my love, it won't be long now and we'll be back together, and nothing is ever going to part us again, I promise...but I think we better change the subject now love before we both get upset, is that okay with you?"

"Of course Gii, and I did have another reason for ringing as well. Shingyouji and I have been to see the Cafe today that's near the College I went too. Gii, it's absolutely perfect for us! It's not too big, which is what we wanted, the whole place needs decorating and a good clean, but it's in good condition otherwise. Shingyouji is delighted with the kitchen, that all needs a good clean as well, but the equipment seems okay. There's an added bonus as well Gii! We hadn't realised that there was an apartment above as well. It's quite roomy... mind you, anywhere would be after the size of my current apartment! There's a large living room, two good sized bedrooms, a small kitchen and a good size bathroom. We're both so excited Gii, I don't think we'll get much sleep tonight!"

"Well done Takumi, I'm so happy for you two! It all sounds great, but make sure you get a Lawyer to deal with it all for you, they'll know all the ins and outs of buying property like that. I can give you a couple of names of reliable people. I'll go to my Bank on Monday as well and transfer the money I'm lending you into your account, it will be ready for you then when you need it."

Takumi was quiet for a moment. "Arigato Gii, I'm so grateful to you. You'll get it all back I promise. And before your mind starts wandering as to how I'm going to pay back the Interest, I might come up with a few good ideas myself!"

"Hayama Takumi! You've got a one-track mind!" Gii and Takumi both started to laugh. Takumi joked. "I wonder who I got that from then!" The lovers continued to chat, telling each other all their other news. Gii promised to ring the next day, and reluctantly they finished their call.

Shingyouji returned from the shop, and whilst eating lunch, they talked non-stop about all their plans, and they both agreed the first move, once the Cafe was officially theirs, of course, would be to clean and decorate the apartment. Then they could give up Takumi's small place and move into the new one. They decided it would be best to stay in their current jobs until the Cafe was almost ready to open, and they would get decorators in to do the painting while they were at work.

"We'll have to go to the Storage Warehouse where I put my grandma's furniture Takumi and decide what we can use in the apartment, and then the rest can be sold. There's probably enough there to furnish every room twice! We may not need to buy very much, which will leave us more money to use on the Cafe."

Takumi pondered for a while. "One thing concerns me a bit Shingyouji, I know we will both work very hard, but there may be times when we need a third person to help. We won't make any profit for a few months will we, I'm not sure how we would pay a wage to extra staff."

"Um, that's a good point Takumi. We'll have money left in the Bank but that might be necessary for emergencies. Mind you, if we need extra help, well that would be an emergency wouldn't it? I'm sure we'll manage Takumi don't worry." Shingyouji patted his friend's shoulder and Takumi smiled and nodded in agreement.

Later that day in New York, Amy came to visit Shouzo and Gii at their apartment. She was a friendly, bubbly sort of person and Gii was so happy that his friend had found love at last. He told them both about the Cafe Takumi and Shingyouji had found. Amy was really interested to hear all about it and as she watched Gii talking, she could see how his eyes were shining when he spoke of his beloved Takumi and a smile played around her mouth. "What are you smiling about Amy?" Shouzo patted her arm affectionately and smiled at her.

Amy started to laugh. "Sorry, but it's just lovely to see Gii's face light up when he talks about Takumi. You really love him don't you?" She put her head on one side as she looked at Gii, waiting for him to answer.

Gii nodded and smiled back at Amy. "He means everything to me Amy. These few weeks apart from him are the worst in my whole life and now with him about to start on a new phase in his life, I feel I should be there for him. I'm glad he's got our friend Shingyouji there but it's my job to help and support him."

Shouzo spoke then. "Takumi's phobia hasn't come back this time though Gii, has it. Maybe deep down he needed this to make him stronger and he and Shingyouji are going to need all their strength in the next few weeks to get their new venture off the ground."

There was a pause for a moment. "You could be right Shouzo. I hadn't thought of it like that. I'll be going home soon and back to the Tokyo office, so we'll both be busy. At least I'll be near him if he needs me and I'll be able to see him often." Gii's eyes began to fill with tears at the thought of seeing the love of his life again. "Sorry, I've been feeling really down just lately, my apologies." He gave a polite bow and went into his bedroom.

Amy was worried they had upset Gii but her boyfriend assured her they hadn't. "He's just missing Takumi Amy, but soon they'll be as one again I promise you." Shouzo pulled her towards him and gently kissed her and Amy put her arms around his neck and returned his kiss.

On Monday morning it was Shingyouji who was free to ring the Estate Agent to tell them they would like to purchase the Cafe, and part of him was expecting the Agent to tell him someone else had beaten them to the post and they had lost it! He knew Takumi would be waiting anxiously for his text and his stomach was churning as he waited for 9.00am to arrive which was when the Office would be open. Exactly at 9.00am he dialled the Estate Agent's number and spoke to the same Agent who had shown them around the Cafe.

The Agent was delighted to hear from Shingyouji, and told him that he would now contact the owner of the Cafe to see if he was willing to accept their offer and he would ring Shingyouji back as soon as he had any further news. After ending the call Shingyouji sent a text to Takumi telling him about the call and a quick thank you text came back from him. All they could do now was wait for the Agent's call. Shingyouji hoped it would be soon because he didn't know how long he could put up with his stomach churning!

It was Wednesday before they got the call they were anxiously waiting for, the owner of the Cafe was happy with their offer and the Agent told them they could go ahead with the Legal work! The two friends were overjoyed with the news and Takumi sent his beloved Gii a text to tell him the good news, knowing that he would be asleep and he didn't want to wake him by ringing. He would be able to tell Gii everything the next morning when they had their usual phone call.

The friends decided they would go out that evening for a celebratory drink to a local bar. As they were walking towards the bar they were talking earnestly, and they didn't see a young man who was hurrying towards them, until he suddenly stumbled a bit and knocked into them.

He quickly straightened up and started to apologise profusely. "Gomen, I hope I didn't hurt you?" He looked very worried but the friends assured him there was no harm done. The young man looked very dishevelled and was carrying a bag over his shoulder. He constantly looked around him, as though he thought someone was following him. "Are you okay as well? You're not hurt either?" Shingyouji was concerned for the young man. "No...no...I'm fine. Gomen!" With that he hurried away. The friends watched him walking away, but everything seemed alright and they continued on to the bar.

Thursday morning came and as always Takumi's phone rang. "Ohayo Gii! Are you okay?" Hearing Takumi's voice was the highlight of the day for Gii, guaranteed to make him feel good again. "I'm fine my love, and congratulations to you and Shingyouji! I got your text, you two must be over the moon! Have you contacted the Lawyer whose name I gave you? Make sure you do, won't you?"

Takumi chuckled. "Yes we have Gii, don't worry we're going to do everything properly I promise. I hope you'll be able to come home soon, we've got a paintbrush with your name on it waiting for you here! There's so much to do, but we are so excited! We're going to decorate the apartment first, get new flooring in there and we'll be furnishing it with some of Shingyouji's grandma's stuff that's in storage. Then we can move in there and we'll be on hand for getting the Cafe ready. I wish you were here now Gii, I want to share everything with you so much! We'll definitely have a lot of catching up to do won't we?"

Gii was picturing Takumi's face, he could see in his mind's eye how he would be smiling, and those beautiful brown eyes would be shining with happiness. "Oh yes, I'll be home soon my love and I'm looking forward to helping out, but the 'catching up' really interests me the most!" The two young men began to laugh together, happy in the knowledge that their love just continued to grow and grow.

Two weeks went by and the Lawyer Gii had recommended proved to be excellent. He knew exactly what he was doing and guided the two friends through the legal nightmare of buying a property. Finally the day arrived when they went to the Lawyer's office to sign the papers. The Cafe was now theirs! The keys were handed over to them and after thanking the Lawyer and shaking hands with him, they left to go and look at the Cafe once more.

Before they went into their Cafe, Takumi wanted to pop into the sweetshop and tell Ryoma-san that they had indeed bought the Cafe, and of course, there was no harm in buying a few treats while they were in there as well! Mrs. Ryoma was delighted with their news and wished Takumi and Shingyouji well in their new venture. As they were leaving she called after Takumi. "I'm especially pleased for myself as well Takumi-kun! My sales will go up again with you living next door to me!" The friends laughed with Mrs. Ryoma and went on their way into the Cafe.

As they walked around, Shingyouji said. "What shall we call the Cafe, Takumi? I've been trying to think of something clever, but I can't come up with anything. What about you?"

"I can't think of anything either. I think it should be a Coffee Shop rather than a Cafe, though. I suppose we could just call it 'The Coffee Shop'?"

Shingyouji nodded in agreement. "That's a great idea Takumi. Just something simple. 'The Coffee Shop' it is! We'll have to get a sign made to put up outside."

Takumi and Shingyouji concentrated on the apartment to begin with, deciding on light colours for the walls, and white for the woodwork. They hired a decorating firm to do the work for them because they were both still working. They were each expected to give a month's notice to their employers and after that was done, they both felt a little apprehensive realising they had burnt their boats, there was no going back now!

It didn't take very long for the apartment to be painted and then they ordered carpets for the two bedrooms, and wooden flooring for the living room. After a good clean and being painted the kitchen and bathroom were looking good, and they chose ceramic tiles for there. Grandma's furniture that they chose from Storage was delivered, and very soon the apartment was looking ready.

The two friends moved into the apartment shortly after, they each had their own bedroom which they had decorated. As well as a double bed and wardrobes Takumi had a desk and chair in his for his computer. He would be taking care of the business side of the Coffee Shop from there. Takumi was already starting to look into advertising their shop and planned to put adverts into local newspapers, create flyers to give out locally, maybe leaving some at the College, the ideas were buzzing around inside his head.

He would also be acting as a waiter in the shop as would Shingyouji once he had made the cakes and pastries. Because it was a Coffee Shop, they wouldn't be serving meals, just sandwiches and snacks. Shingyouji also had all sorts of ideas in his head, he spent a lot of time working out which of his cakes and pastries would be most popular, how many would he need to make? He was going to have to be up very early in the mornings he realised, he would need to have batches of cakes made ready for sale. At least once that was done, and sandwiches and snacks were prepared, he would be able to help with the serving with Takumi.

Gii was still in New York but had told his mother that he would be going home to Tokyo in the next week or so. His mother fully understood her son's feelings, she knew how much he was suffering from being separated from his boyfriend Takumi. "I quite understand Gii, you have worked so hard over these last few weeks, you have fulfilled your father's wishes and I won't let him stop you from going home."

Gii was very grateful to his mother for saying these things. "I haven't been feeling too well recently either, Okaasan. I don't know if I'm sickening for something, I'm so tired all the time and keep getting headaches."

His mother was immediately concerned for her son. "How long have you been feeling like this, Gii? You must go to see the Doctor if it goes on much longer son. Have you been eating well, are you sleeping okay?"

Gii was suddenly regretting telling his mother this, he was causing her worry and it was probably nothing serious. "It's only been a couple of days, don't be concerned Okaasan, it won't be anything more than a virus or something like that. Don't worry about me!"

"I can't help worrying Gii, you are my precious son, I want you to be well. Promise me you'll tell me if the symptoms continue, and we'll get you to the Doctor." Gii promised her he would, and she felt a bit happier.

Takumi and Shingyouji had both left their jobs now and the refurbishments of the Coffee Shop were nearing completion. Takumi had placed adverts in the local papers and some of the local shops were happy to put adverts in their windows for them. He had a pile of flyers ready to take to the College and he and Shingyouji were ready to go around the houses and apartment buildings in the area, letting people know that the Coffee Shop was re-opening shortly.

They chose an evening to do their delivering, and after a few hours they had no flyers left and they wearily made their way back home. It was beginning to get dark now and as they passed by an alleyway they thought they could hear muffled shouting and noises coming from the darkness. The friends looked at each other, and again they heard the shouting and strange noises.

"Do you think we should look and see what's happening Takumi? Someone might be in trouble." "Yes, come on Shingyouji there's two of us, we'll be okay if we stick together!" The two friends cautiously walked down the dark alleyway and ahead of them they could make out three shadowy figures. They appeared to be kicking something on the floor. Takumi and Shingyouji shouted out together. "Hey, what's going on?" and both began to run forward.

The three figures stopped what they were doing and looked around on hearing the voices. They started to move towards the two friends and Takumi could now see it was three men, who were approaching them in a menacing way. Before they realised what was happening, the three men had started punching and kicking out at Takumi and Shingyouji!

The two friends quickly regained their senses and began to fight back, remembering the karate moves they had learned at Shidou. Takumi managed to land a gyaku-zuki punch in one of the thugs faces, followed by a mawashi geri kick to another. Shingyouji was fighting back well, his choku-zuki punch found its target and made the thug he hit reel back in pain. One of the thugs suddenly shouted to the other two. "Come on, let's get out of here!" As the thugs ran passed Takumi and Shingyouji one of them dropped something he had been carrying, and Takumi grabbed it before the man could stop and pick it up.

The friends looked anxiously at each other. "Are you alright Shingyouji? You didn't get badly hurt did you?" His friend grinned at him. "I'm okay Takumi, I'll probably have a couple of bruises tomorrow though! Are you alright?" Takumi confirmed he was okay as well. "We'd better see what it was they were doing down there Shingyouji." They hurried down the alley and as they got nearer to where the thugs had been kicking something, they realised to their horror that it was a young man!

They bent down to him, afraid of what they might find, and Takumi gently shook the young man's shoulder and asked if he was alright. The man groaned in pain, much to the friends' relief. At least he was alive! "Do you think you could stand up if we help you?" asked Shingyouji. The young man gave a small nod of his head and as gently as they could Takumi and Shingyouji helped him to stand. He was obviously in great pain and finding it hard to stand. They could see even in the gloom of the alleyway that there was a lot of blood on his face.

"What were those men attacking you for? Were they trying to rob you?" asked Takumi. The young man nodded again and spoke quietly. "They stole my bag. There's very little in it but they seemed to think there was something of value." Takumi suddenly remembered the thing he had picked up when the thug had dropped it. "Is this what they were after?" and held up a canvass bag.

The young man's eyes widened in delight. " Arigato! I can't believe you got it back for me!" His voice started to break with emotion. Takumi smiled at him and told him he was glad he had his property back. "Now where do you live? We'll walk home with you to be sure you are safe. Do you think it would be best to go to the Hospital first, for a check up? You've taken a terrible beating."

The young man started to stutter "No...no...I'll be fine thanks. You two have done more than enough for me. I'll just get on my way..." Shingyouji interrupted him. "You've been badly hurt. We don't live very far from here, come back with us and we can get you cleaned up. My name's Shingyouji by the way, and this is my friend Takumi."

The young man spoke quietly. "My name's Toshi and I'm very glad to have met you two tonight. Alright, I'll come with you but I won't stay too long. Do you live far from here? I'm not sure how far I can walk at the moment." Takumi told him it wasn't far at all. Toshi was shorter than the two friends and painfully thin, they had no problem at all helping him back to their home.

Once back at the Coffee Shop they helped Toshi up to their apartment and into the living room. Takumi switched on the light and both he and Shingyouji gasped with horror when they saw how badly Toshi had been beaten. One of his eyes was so swollen he was unable to open it. The other one was almost as bad, and his mouth was cut and swollen with blood still dripping from the wound.

They sat him carefully on the sofa and Shingyouji hurried to the bathroom to get dressings and a bowl of warm water. There was blood all down the front of Toshi's tee-shirt and trousers and Takumi went to his room and found a clean shirt and a pair of trousers ready for when the bleeding stopped. As Shingyouji gently bathed Toshi's face, trying hard not to hurt him, he spoke quietly to him while he was doing it. "I'm sure we've met before somewhere. Do you recognise us at all?"

Toshi looked at Shingyouji and nodded. "I bumped into you a while ago in the street, I was worried someone was following me and didn't look where I was going!"

"That's it! I thought I had seen you before! Takumi and I were concerned for you then as well. Where do you live Toshi? Do you want us to contact your parents for you, they'll be worried about you won't they?"

Toshi didn't speak for a moment. "I have no-one who would be bothered where I was. My stepfather hated me and threw me out of the house and my mother made no attempt to stop him. My father died when I was small and it was just my mother and me for a long time. Then she married that man and everything changed. She used to be so kind to me, but not anymore." Toshi had to stop then, his emotions were getting the better of him and he was finding it difficult to speak.

Shingyouji knew it was time to stop asking questions for the moment and when he was satisfied he had cleaned Toshi's face as best he could, he cleared the mess away. "I'll put the kettle on for a drink shall I Takumi? Would you like a coffee now and something to eat Toshi? We've got some straws so you'll be able to have a drink. I'm trying to think what I can give you to eat that your sore mouth could cope with. Perhaps some warm soup would be okay, what do you think?"

There was no answer from Toshi. Takumi looked at him and could see he was trying hard not to cry, but the trauma he had been through was catching him up now, and he began to sob quietly. Shingyouji was immediately concerned, and sat next to him on the sofa and put his arm around Toshi's shoulder.

"Don't worry Toshi, you're safe here. Stay with us until you recover, and then you can decide what to do after that. We've got room here, you won't be in the way at all, will he Takumi?" Takumi shook his head. " Let's have a drink now shall we, and I'll warm some soup but you may have to drink that through a straw as well!" He heard Toshi laugh a little and Shingyouji got up to see to the soup while Takumi made them all a coffee.

They all felt revived after they had their drinks, and Toshi managed the soup as well but using a spoon. His mouth seemed to have stopped bleeding so Takumi suggested he change into the clean shirt. Toshi removed his own tee-shirt and Takumi had to stop himself from gasping again when he saw the bruises and red marks all over his arms, his back and front. There was hardly any un-bruised skin showing at all. "I think my legs are going to be just the same as this." said Toshi as he looked down at himself. "I'm beginning to really hurt now. I suppose it could have been worse..."

Shingyouji interrupted angrily. "Worse? How could anything be worse than this Toshi? Look what those cowards have done to you!"

"Well, they could have been carrying weapons I suppose." Takumi had to agree then, Toshi did have a point.

After sitting for a while chatting and telling Toshi about the Coffee Shop, the two friends could see that Toshi was looking exhausted and Takumi suggested they all try and get some sleep. Shingyouji went to find some bedding for Toshi and he made up a bed on the sofa for him. "Try and sleep now Toshi, you'll feel a bit better in the morning I'm sure. Give us a shout if you need anything in the night, okay?"

"Arigato Shingyouji, Takumi. I can never thank you enough for what you've done for me tonight. Arigato."

"We're just glad we could help Toshi. Sleep well. Oyasumi."

The next morning Takumi's phone rang as usual, and his heart leapt with joy as he heard his beloved Gii speaking to him. Before the phone had rung he had decided that he wouldn't tell Gii about what had happened the night before with Toshi, he knew he would only worry and there was nothing he could do being so far away. "Gii, it's so wonderful to hear your voice, how are you feeling at the moment love? You've been a bit under the weather, haven't you?"

As always Gii tried to shield Takumi from anything bad, but this was becoming difficult at present because he was feeling quite ill. "I'm not too bad Takumi, it's just one of these viruses that go around I think. I'll be fine in a couple of days don't worry!"

"Of course I'm worried Gii, I love you so much and I can't bear the thought that you're suffering. Why don't you stay home for a couple of days, and get yourself well again? Or even better, get on a plane and come home to me, I'll look after you Gii!"

"Oh my love, if only I could! Just being near you would cure me instantly. You've got enough to do at present though, with the Coffee Shop about to open. Are you and Shingyouji excited or nervous? A bit of both I would imagine."

Takumi realised Gii was trying to change the subject and had to go along with it, his beloved boyfriend wasn't going to allow him to worry any more than he could help. "Yes, we're both I think, it will be a couple of weeks before we get in our stride, but we are determined to make a real go of it and we'll work hard I promise."

"I know you will Takumi, and I'll be thinking of you both all the time. I'm very tired tonight my love, I'd better get some sleep now, I'll speak to you tomorrow. Always remember I love you more than anything else in this world Takumi. Bye for now."

"Bye Gii, take care of yourself please! I love you."

The opening day of the Coffee Shop was almost upon them, and Shingyouji and Takumi were very busy getting ready. Toshi was slowly beginning to feel better, and was enjoying helping Takumi get the Shop spotlessly clean ready for customers. They were both trying to stay out of Shingyouji's way, he was busy in the kitchen trying out his cake recipes, working out how best to tackle the ovens. At first he wasn't satisfied with how the cakes were turning out and he was getting very frustrated with himself, which was why the other two were steering clear of the kitchen! But after several attempts, he began to get the hang of the heat settings and timings, and Takumi and Toshi were enjoying being his chief tasters!

Toshi was comfortable now with speaking with Shingyouji and Takumi, and he had told them that he was 19 years old. Since he had been thrown out by his stepfather he had been living rough and his only possessions were the things in the canvass bag that Takumi had rescued. His wounds were now healing well and the friends could see that he was a handsome young man, with shiny black hair and a warm smile.

While Takumi and Toshi were busily cleaning and tidying, Toshi started to speak shyly to Takumi. "Um... do you need an extra pair of hands to help you here on a regular basis, Takumi? I know you have done so much for me but I'd love to be able to pay you back by working for you. You wouldn't need to pay me wages, if I could just have food and I'll try and find somewhere else to live..." He hadn't noticed Shingyouji had come out of the kitchen just then.

"You don't need to find somewhere else to live Toshi. Takumi and I have already spoken about this. We do need another pair of hands, you're quite right, but we don't have any money coming in just yet, obviously. We wouldn't be able to pay you in money, but there's plenty of food here and you are more than welcome to carry on staying with us for as long as you want!"

Toshi looked round at Shingyouji, and then back to Takumi who was nodding and smiling at him. He couldn't believe what he was hearing! These two young men who had already helped him so much were willing to let him stay on with them! He could feel the tears beginning to fall and he walked to Shingyouji and put his arms around him. It was a wonderful feeling when he felt Shingyouji returning the hug. He then went to Takumi and hugged him as well, and Takumi did the same. "I just don't know what to say. I'll do my best to be a good worker, you just tell me what you want me to do and I'll do it! Thank you so much." He couldn't stop the tears coursing down his face he was so overwhelmed with the two friends' kindness.

"Eventually we should start making some money, and of course as soon as we do you'll get a wage, but for now it'll have to be food and lodgings. We're very glad to have you here Toshi, very glad indeed." Takumi smiled at Shingyouji, agreeing with everything he had said. "Now come on, I've got some more cakes about ready, you two going to try them for me? Silly question, of course!"

CHAPTER 4

The day finally arrived when the Coffee Shop would open its doors. Shingyouji was up at 5am. needing to get the cakes and pastries ready. He had only been in the kitchen for a short while when Toshi suddenly appeared. "You don't need to be up so early Toshi you know. As long as you help Takumi with the Shop itself, that will be enough."

"I know Shingyouji, but I wondered if you would like a hand in here as well. I'm really interested to see you working and maybe I could help save you time by doing the running around for you?" Shingyouji looked thoughtfully at Toshi.

"Okay then, arigato Toshi. Later on you can help me making the sandwiches and such like. You can start by getting your apron on, you'll find one hanging up behind the door, get some of those plastic gloves and would you start by greasing the cake tins please!" Toshi smiled happily and hurried to carry out Shingyouji's instructions.

An hour later Takumi also appeared downstairs, and as he approached the kitchen he could hear Shingyouji and Toshi chatting and laughing together. He couldn't help smiling to himself. He was hoping that one day maybe these two friends of his would be more than just good friends. Only time would tell he mused, only time would tell.

Because of the 13 hour time difference between New York and Tokyo, Takumi had asked Gii if it would be possible for him to ring him at 7.30am Tokyo time, 6.30pm in New York. Gii agreed readily, he had already thought that with the opening of the Coffee Shop Takumi would have a lot to do in the mornings. The morning of opening day Takumi nipped up to the apartment at 7.30am to take Gii's phone call.

"Ohayo Gii, how are you feeling today? Are you any better love?" Takumi waited anxiously for Gii to speak.

Gii's voice was very quiet when he answered. "Hi Takumi, still not feeling much better I'm afraid. Okaasan wants me to see a Doctor today, he'll probably just tell me to spend a couple of days in bed but I think I'll go and get checked out later." Takumi was worried by the way Gii was speaking but also relieved that at last he was going to see the Doctor.

"I'm glad you are going at last Gii, he'll soon get you sorted I'm sure. I hate being so far away from you. Please do what the Doctor and your mother say won't you? We're opening the Coffee Shop today and I need you to be well and to come home safe to me. I love you Gii."

"Don't worry about me my love. You and Shingyouji enjoy your day, I'll be with you in spirit if not in person. I love you with all my heart Takumi. Speak soon. Bye." The phone call had left Takumi very worried for his precious boyfriend but tried to be positive and kept telling himself at least the Doctor would be able to find out what was ailing poor Gii.

Shingyouji and Takumi had decided to open the Coffee Shop at 8.30am and hoped to catch people on their way to work or College who wanted takeaway coffees and maybe they would buy cakes and sandwiches for their lunches. The three young men were very anxiously waiting for 8.30am and much to their surprise immediately Takumi turned the lock on the door, their very first customer hurried in!

It was a young girl who came in. She looked around with interest, turned to the young men and gave them a friendly smile. "Ohayo! I'm so glad you've opened the Coffee Shop again. I'm a student at the College over the road, and a group of us would love to be able to get our lunches from you. You do takeaways don't you? Please say you do!" She looked from one to the other, expectantly.

The young men came back down to earth. Takumi spoke first. "Ohayo. Yes we do takeaways. If it's for lunch, maybe you'd like to give us your order in the mornings, and then we can have it ready for you to pick up at lunchtime?"

"That would be perfect! Shall I tell you now what we'd like? I was praying you would do it so I have it all written down ready. I'll pay you now as well, that will make it even quicker at lunchtime!" The girl handed Takumi a list and the money. As she was waiting for her change, she noticed all the wonderful cakes displayed in the cabinet and her eyes widened. "Wow, they look delicious! We won't be able to afford cakes very often because as students we don't have much spare cash, but I'm sure we'll treat ourselves occasionally. Oh, could I have four coffees please to take away now as well? Nearly forgot them! I wouldn't have been very popular if I had!" She handed over more money to Takumi and Toshi, who had been getting the coffees ready for her, smiled as he passed her the filled containers neatly placed in a cardboard tray.

With that the girl hurried out again, pausing at the door and saying. "I'm Mika by the way! See you at about 12.15!" And with a cheery wave, she disappeared.

The three young men just looked at each other and burst out laughing. "Goodness me," said Shingyouji. " I feel as though a whirlwind just came in here, whirled around, and went out through the door again!"

Toshi couldn't stop grinning. "If all our customers are like that, we'll be worn out by 10am! But it's great to have had our first customer and our first order. Let's hope we have plenty more!" The other two nodded in agreement.

Mika was the first of many that morning, a lot of people coming in for a look around. They sold a lot of takeaway coffees, especially to the students, even some of their neighbours came in, curious to see what the new owners had done to the Coffee Shop. Everyone was very impressed with the display of cakes and pastries and a lot were bought 'to have with tea-breaks'.

The morning rush had eased off and Takumi suggested that they had a coffee themselves while they could. Shingyouji was delighted that so many of his cakes had sold. "So you should be Shingyouji." said Takumi. "You've worked so hard these past few days. I feel so proud of you, and I know your grandma will be as well." With that Takumi went to his friend and hugged him.

"Arigato Takumi, that means a lot to me. I loved my grandma so much I'm determined to do well. You've worked hard as well doing all the advertising and getting the accounts and ordering organised. It's a joint effort you know." The two friends chatted a bit and Takumi noticed that Toshi seemed quiet, then the door opened and three older ladies came in.

Shingyouji needed to start making the sandwiches in the kitchen so left Takumi and Toshi to take care of the customers. They were all looking around with interest and Takumi bowed politely to them and asked if they would like a table.

The taller lady answered. "Yes please, could we sit near the window? It's a nice day today, we'll enjoy sitting in the sun I think. Is that alright with you Akari and Nami?" The two ladies agreed. "That's fine Reika. It's nice and light at that table." Takumi showed them to the table and helped them to be seated. He handed them menus and told them he would come back in a little while for their order.

While Takumi was waiting, a man and woman came in. Toshi showed them to a table and the man asked for two latte coffees. Toshi hurried away to make the coffees. Meanwhile, the three ladies looked over to Takumi letting him know they were ready to order. "Could we have one cup of tea please, one cappuccino coffee and one latte coffee for me. We've spotted that beautiful array of cakes there, would you bring us three different ones please, we don't mind which you bring they all look lovely!" Takumi gave them a smile and a bow and went to make their drinks.

Toshi had served his customers who were talking quietly while they had their drinks, so he helped with the ladies drink order while Takumi chose three cakes which he arranged on a nice floral plate and collected side plates and cutlery. Both young men served and were smiling as the ladies began to pretend to argue about who would have which cake, and Takumi and Toshi left them to enjoy their refreshments.

The man and woman left after paying their bill and the three ladies sat chatting and laughing together. While it was quiet Takumi found himself studying Toshi who still seemed to be quiet. Takumi spoke to him. "Is everything okay Toshi? You seem quiet at the minute." Toshi looked up at Takumi with a small smile. "Everything's alright Takumi, I'm just a bit tired." Just then some more customers came in and Takumi had to leave his questions until later.

The taller lady came to the till to pay the bill and she complimented Takumi on the Coffee Shop and their Service. "We particularly enjoyed those cakes, have you bought them elsewhere or have they been made here?" Just at that moment Shingyouji came through from the kitchen.

Takumi waved to his friend to come over. "The cakes are made here in our kitchen, and this is the Chef who made them!" He explained to Shingyouji that the customer was complimenting him on his cakes and asking who had made them. Shingyouji bowed politely and smiled, thanking the customer for her kindness.

"We'll definitely be coming in again and we're looking forward to trying the other cakes as well. I hope you young men will be very successful with your business here, you're obviously working hard and I admire that in young people. May I ask you your names?"

Takumi introduced himself, Shingyouji and Toshi. "My name's Mrs. Hayashi, it's been a pleasure to meet you all. We'll see you again soon." All three ladies smiled and waved as they left the Coffee Shop.

Lunch-time started to get busy again and the young men noticed that the takeaway sandwiches and drinks were very popular. While it was busy, Takumi didn't have much time to dwell on what was happening with Gii, but as soon as it became quieter the worry started to churn his stomach. He would have to wait several hours before he would hear from Gii because of the time difference.

At about 12.15pm the door to the Coffee Shop opened again, and in breezed Mika. This time she wasn't alone but had three girlfriends with her. Takumi couldn't help smiling when he remembered Shingyouji's description of Mika being a 'whirlwind'. Takumi bowed politely to the girls and went to get the pre-ordered sandwiches which were ready for them. "Here's your order Mika I hope you'll enjoy your lunches."

Takumi gave them all a friendly smile and they were smiling shyly back at him. One of the girls had noticed Toshi further down serving another customer, and was nudging her friend and looking over at him. It suddenly dawned on Takumi that the girls were eyeing Toshi and himself up as possible boyfriend material, as teenagers do, and he had to turn away to hide his smile!

Mika spoke then. "Thanks for that, um...would it be okay if I asked your names? I hope that's not too cheeky!" Takumi smiled at them again and told them his name, introduced Toshi who had joined him at the till and he explained that the third person, who was the Chef, was called Shingyouji. "That's great thank you. If you ever need a hand at all in the Coffee Shop, I'd be more than willing to help out. I've done a bit of waitressing before and I can always do with some extra cash!" Two of the other girls were nodding in agreement and offered their services as well.

Takumi thanked them and told them he would keep them in mind if they were ever short staffed. The girls smiled and left the Shop chattering and giggling. Mika called back, "I'll be in tomorrow morning with our order Takumi-san!" and with that she hurried after her friends.

Gii had very little sleep that night. He tossed and turned, felt hot then cold and his head hurt badly. He got up to take some painkillers and then tried to go to sleep, but didn't have much luck. When morning came he got ready for work but could only manage a cup of coffee for breakfast. Shouzo was quite shocked by the way Gii looked and tried to persuade him to stay home, and he would call Gii's mother to tell her he was unwell.

Gii shook his head. "No it's okay Shouzo, I'll be alright once I get there, and Okaasan is making me see the Doctor today so don't worry. It's just a virus and will soon pass I'm sure." Shouzo wasn't convinced, but decided he would just keep an extra watchful eye on his friend today and if he had any doubts he would ring Mrs. Saki anyway.

It was mid-morning and Shouzo approached Gii's office to check up on him. Gii was sitting at his desk with his head in his hands and as Shouzo entered the room Gii attempted to stand up. Before Shouzo could do anything to stop him his friend fell to the floor narrowly missing banging his head on the desk! Shouzo froze for a second then leapt forward to try and help Gii. He quickly realised that Gii was unconscious and his breathing was very laboured. Shouzo hurried to the door and called to the nearest employee to ring for an ambulance.

The other employees looked up in alarm wondering what was happening. One of the employees, who was a First Aider, quickly came forward to see what she could do to help. She loosened Gii's collar to aid his breathing, checked his airways in case of any blockage then felt his pulse. She could feel the pulse was weak and Gii felt very hot. The First Aider put Gii into the recovery position and explained to Shouzo there was nothing else she could do at present, they would have to wait for the ambulance.

Many of the staff gathered round, anxious to know how Gii was and if there was anything they could do to help. Gii had become a very popular member of the staff and they felt helpless. Shouzo gently suggested they would be better going back to their desks so they could keep the area clear for the paramedics. A minute or so later, Mr. Saki hurried into Gii's office. One of the other employees had run to his office to tell him about Gii collapsing. Mr. Saki's face was white with shock. He couldn't believe what had happened to his son, although his wife had told him Gii was unwell, he and his son weren't on very good terms at present and he hadn't really listened to her properly. Mr. Saki looked at Shouzo. "Have you any idea what's wrong with him Shouzo? How long has he been ill?"

"It's been a few days Sir. I don't know what it is, he kept insisting it was just a virus. Your wife was going to take him to the Doctor today, maybe now he'll get a proper diagnosis at the Hospital." A short time later everyone was relieved to see the Paramedics hurrying towards Gii's Office and after carefully assessing their patient, they gently lifted Gii onto the stretcher, and began to wheel him away towards the waiting ambulance.

Mr. Saki asked Shouzo if he would be good enough to drive him to his apartment so that he could tell his wife what had happened, and if he would then take them to the Hospital he would very much appreciate it. Shouzo readily agreed, he was so worried about his best friend and wanted to be there at the Hospital with him.

Once at the Hospital, Gii was taken to the Emergency Room, where a Doctor and nurses were waiting for him. After numerous tests Gii was admitted to the Hospital and taken to the Intensive Care Unit, where the Doctors would try and establish what was making Gii so ill. His parents and Shouzo had now arrived and were waiting anxiously for any news.

The Doctor treating Gii came to explain that it would be a few hours before the test results came back and as their son was unconscious he suggested they might be better going home for a while. Gii's mother refused to leave and insisted on seeing her son. The Doctor reluctantly agreed, but asked that they didn't stay too long, rest was very important to his patient. Shouzo said he would stay in the Waiting area while they went to see Gii by themselves.

A nurse showed them into Gii's room and Mrs. Saki had to hold back a gasp when she first saw her precious son. His face was as white as the pillow he was lying on and his eyelids were very dark, making them look almost hollow. He had a saline drip attached to his arm and an oxygen mask over his nose and mouth.

Gii's mother went to her son's side and gently took hold of his hand. "Oh Gii, what's happened to you? Please son, you must get well soon, everyone's so worried about you! You need to be fit and well now, you're going home to Tokyo soon aren't you? Keep remembering that Gii and get your strength back. Please Gii!" The threatened tears now began to fall and her husband came forward and put his arm around her shoulders. He looked down at his son, regrets flooding into his mind as he realised all the time he had lost by being so angry with Gii. None of it seemed important any more, Gii being well again was all that mattered.

After a while Gii's parents realised there was nothing they could do at present and Mr. Saki asked Shouzo to first take Mrs. Saki home, and then to drive him back to the Office. He needed to sort everything out there so that things would run smoothly while he was away from his desk, because he and his wife needed to be at their son's bedside. Shouzo suggested to Mr. Saki that he should also go back to the apartment he and Gii shared, and pack some essentials for Gii's stay in the Hospital and Mrs. Saki gratefully accepted.

The afternoon trade in the Coffee Shop was mostly people coming in for a rest and enjoying coffee and cakes. It kept Takumi and Toshi busy serving and Shingyouji was able to rest a bit then, getting up at 5am was catching up with him. When there were breaks in serving Shingyouji was aware of Takumi occasionally looking very sad, and he tried to talk to him but every time he was about to do so another customer would come in, and the moment was lost.

It was 6.30pm and closing time, before the opportunity finally arrived to speak with Takumi. The three young men were sitting down together at last, having a coffee and chatting about their first day. They all felt it had been a good start and people seemed to have enjoyed their experience in the Coffee Shop. "Let's hope every day's the same, it certainly will be with the whirlwind coming in each morning with the sandwich order!" The friends laughed together picturing Mika hurrying through the door. Shingyouji spoke quietly then. "Takumi, I keep thinking you look sad, is something the matter? Has something happened?"

Takumi looked at his friend. This wasn't the first time Shingyouji had picked up on his feelings like this, he was amazed at how well he knew him! "I'm sorry Shingyouji. I didn't want to tell you earlier... It would have put a damper on our opening day." Takumi cast his eyes down, trying to find the right words to tell them about Gii. There was nothing he could do to make it better so he just had to be honest with Shingyouji. "For the last few days when I've been speaking to Gii on the phone, he's sounded quite ill. He always tries to pretend that there's nothing wrong, but I'm so aware of his feelings I just know it's something serious."

Takumi's voice started to break then. He had been trying so hard all day to be strong and put his worries about his beloved boyfriend to one side, and now that he could relax the worries and fears all started to crowd back into his head and the tears sprang into his eyes. Shingyouji was instantly on his feet and came around to where Takumi was sitting and put his arms around his friend. "Oh Takumi, you should have told me sooner, you must feel terrible holding that in all today! You're not just my business partner are you, you're also my best friend, and problems are always easier if you share them!"

While Shingyouji tried to comfort Takumi, Toshi watched the friends and wasn't sure how he could help. He had heard Takumi speak about Gii and knew that he was a friend of Shingyouji as well, but didn't know too much about their relationships. He spoke shyly then. "Is there anything I can do to help Takumi? I know I've never met Gii but he's obviously very important to you, and you've done so much for me, please tell me if I can help you now."

Takumi looked up and smiled at Toshi. "There's nothing anyone can do at present Toshi, but thanks for offering I really appreciate it. Gii was going to see the Doctor today, so hopefully when I speak to him in the morning, he'll be able to put my mind at rest. It's awful being so far away from him."

"I think we should get cleared up now and go up to the apartment so we can relax and watch some television or something don't you? We were all up so early this morning that I think an early night would be in order as well, hopefully it will be another busy day tomorrow. And that whirlwind called Mika will be back in the morning so we'll need all our strength then!" Shingyouji made them all laugh and they set about tidying everywhere ready for the next day.

Takumi was in his bedroom working on the computer a short while later when Toshi came to his door. "Come on in Toshi, you don't need to stand in the doorway!" Toshi grinned and handed Takumi some receipts from Shingyouji that needed entering on the spreadsheet and then filing. "I wanted to speak to you as well Toshi. Earlier on today you seemed to be a bit upset about something. Is it anything I can help with?"

Toshi looked down at his feet and seemed embarrassed. "Um..it's nothing really. It's just that you and Shingyouji get on so well together...um...and I know you are good friends...but I was wondering if you were more than just friends. But I realise that Gii is your boyfriend...Oh, I'm really making a fool of myself aren't I. I'll just have to come out and say it won't I!"

"Yes I think you will!" and Takumi couldn't help chuckling, he realised what was coming next. He got out of his chair and went to his bedside cabinet. He picked up a framed picture that stood next to his bed. It was a picture of himself with Gii that had been taken by Shouzo when they were at Shidou Academy. It shows them both in their blue school jackets and Gii sitting on a sofa with his arms along the back of it. Takumi was sitting up close to Gii with his head resting on his beloved's shoulder.

"Gii has been my boyfriend for several years now, I love him more than anyone else in the world Toshi. He feels exactly the same about me as well and we know we'll be with each other for the rest of our lives. Shingyouji means a lot to me as well, but only as a friend. We've been friends for a long time and have always been very comfortable with each other."

Takumi could see the relief on Toshi's face and smiled at him. "Go on then Toshi, what were you going to tell me?" Toshi looked down again. "Well, it's just that I really like Shingyouji, but I wasn't sure if he would be interested in me. Do you think I would stand a chance with him, Takumi?" Toshi looked anxiously at Takumi, waiting for his reply.

"Only Shingyouji knows that Toshi, but I do know he likes you very much. Just take each day as it comes, and if you two being together is right, then it will happen for you. I really hope it does, you both deserve to be happy!" Takumi gave Toshi a brotherly hug and Toshi went away feeling very happy and relieved.

It was very late when Shouzo finally got back to the apartment. He had spent all evening at the Hospital hoping to see Gii, and Shouzo's girlfriend Amy had been a great support. Because she was a nurse at the Hospital she was able to keep Shouzo informed about what the different procedures were for. When he had finally been allowed in, he was very distressed to see his best friend looking so ill. The tests had finally diagnosed Gii's illness as a very rare flu-type virus, but the Doctor was confident that the antibiotics they were intravenously giving Gii would soon start making him feel better and that he would make a full recovery. Gii's parents and Shouzo were so relieved when they heard the news, Gii's father vowed to repair their rift as soon as his son was fit and well.

Shouzo was getting ready for bed when he suddenly remembered that it was late evening when Gii made his phone calls to Takumi. What was he going to do? He knew Gii wouldn't want to have Takumi upset, but at the same time Shouzo knew he would have to tell Takumi the truth. He got his phone out of his pocket, hesitated for a few seconds, then dialled Takumi's number, feeling quite apprehensive about what he would say to his friend.

He could hear the phone ringing and it was answered very quickly. "Shouzo? Is something wrong? It's usually Gii I speak to, is he still ill Shouzo? I've been so worried about him..." Shouzo knew he had to try and calm Takumi. "Don't worry Takumi, although Gii is still ill, he is in the best place now in the Hospital..." Takumi's worried voice broke in. "In Hospital Shouzo? Oh no, he must be really bad to be there!"

Shouzo took a deep breath to try and be as calm as possible. "Takumi, let me explain everything that has happened, okay? I know you're very upset but listen to me will you?" Takumi realised he needed to calm down and apologised to Shouzo. "Don't worry Takumi, I understand. Gii became ill this morning at work and collapsed. He became unconscious and we sent for an ambulance and he was taken to Hospital. He underwent a lot of tests and they diagnosed a rare flu-like illness. The Doctor has put him on antibiotics and is confident they will make him better and he will make a complete recovery."

Takumi listened intently to Shouzo, relief flooding through him when he heard the last bit of his news. "Oh Shouzo, that's great news thank you! Sorry for being dramatic! It's terrible being so many miles away, it makes me feel useless to help Gii. At last he's getting the treatment he needs, I kept saying to him he should see a Doctor."

Shouzo was smiling now, glad he had been able to put his friend's mind at rest. "I'll have to go now Takumi, it's very late here in New York and it's been a long stressful day! I'll keep you up to date with how Gii is doing so try not to worry any more, okay? Bye for now Takumi." "Bye Shouzo, thanks again."

It was a much chirpier Takumi who went down to the Coffee Shop that morning. He very quickly told Shingyouji and Toshi the good news about Gii finally getting the treatment he needed, and they were delighted to hear it. While his two friends carried on in the kitchen with the cake making etc. Takumi got organised with the till and preparations behind the counter. He felt so happy and relieved he found himself whistling and humming while he was working. Shingyouji and Toshi couldn't help smiling when they heard him, what a difference a day makes!

The next three days in the Coffee Shop were busy, their whirlwind Mika came in each morning with the sandwich order and her cheerfulness gave their day a good start. The takeaway side of the business was really flourishing, and then in the afternoons it became a bit quieter, but still a busy time with customers sitting with drinks and cakes chatting with friends.

On the Friday afternoon, Takumi and Toshi were delighted to see Mrs. Hayashi and her two friends come in again. "Ohayo Hayashi-san!" greeted Takumi. "It's good to see you all again." "We've come to try some more of those delicious cakes Takumi-kun. Mind you, they aren't going to be doing our waistlines much good are they! Still, once in a while will be fine I'm sure!" The three ladies started to laugh, they weren't really bothered about their waistlines any more.

Shingyouji was taking a well earned rest and came out into the Coffee Shop to greet Hayashi-san and her friends. Takumi and Toshi were getting the ladies order prepared and Shingyouji was chatting politely with the ladies. They started to talk about having some sort of entertainment in the Coffee Shop in the afternoons, when it was quieter. Shingyouji was telling them about Takumi and how good he was at playing the violin. Just then the man in question came over to the ladies table with their coffees and tea, and Toshi followed behind with their cakes.

"Shingyouji-kun was just telling us how you are a very good violinist Takumi-kun. We'd love to hear you play something." Takumi quickly looked up at Shingyouji. "I haven't played for ages Shingyouji, the violin probably isn't even in tune anymore!" He looked at Hayashi-san apologetically, but she smiled at him.

"Why don't you go and check Takumi-kun? I know we would all like to hear you play, I'm sure your other customers wouldn't mind." Hayashi-san looked around at the other people sitting nearby and they all nodded in agreement. Takumi wasn't convinced it was a good idea, but he decided if he gave it a try, they would soon see that he was right and would give up on the idea!

"Alright then, I'll go and get my violin but you have been warned!" Takumi smiled at the ladies and scowled at Shingyouji, but only in fun. Once he was in his bedroom he took the violin case out of his wardrobe where he had stored it. He sat on the end of his bed looking down at the case, it brought back such poignant memories of the day when Gii had first given him the violin, when they were in their second year of Shidou Academy. With Gii's loving encouragement Takumi had begun to play the instrument again and he found great pleasure when practicing in the greenhouse at school.

He carefully took the violin and bow out of the case, and began to play with trepidation, expecting the sound to be terrible. To his surprise it didn't sound as bad as he'd thought and with a bit of tuning it was sounding good. Takumi went back downstairs to the Coffee Shop and looked around to see where best to stand to play. He decided to go to the back of the Shop where there was a small area next to a low cupboard where they stored cloths and tableware.

"I really must apologise in advance for this! I haven't played for a very long time, it might sound terrible. Please don't blame me, it's Shingyouji's fault!" He smiled at his friend who was grinning back at him and he and Toshi sat at an empty table to listen.

The first few notes were a bit shaky, but soon Takumi's natural flair for playing took over and the most beautiful music began to flow from the violin. Takumi became lost in his music and his enjoyment showed on his face. Soon the tune finished and Takumi reluctantly lowered the bow. The tune he had chosen to play was the first he ever played to Gii, and the memories of his beloved flooded back. He felt tears pricking his eyes and tried hard not to show them. The customers started to clap, and Shingyouji walked over to congratulate him.

"Well done Takumi! I told you it would be good, didn't I? I think you should do that more often, especially in the afternoon like this." He and Takumi walked over to the three ladies and they were all smiling at him. Hayashi-san was the first to praise him. "You've got a real talent there Takumi-kun, it was excellent! You really should play regularly, it's such a waste of your talent to not keep it up. Please think about it, a lot of people would enjoy listening to you and if word gets around that you are going to play at certain times, I'm sure it would bring in customers wanting to hear you."

Hayashi-san's friends were nodding in agreement and one of them said. "I would definitely tell friends about it who I know like violin music, it would be such a novel thing to do!" Hayashi-san agreed wholeheartedly with her friend.

"I'll have to do some practicing before I try again, but I must admit I really enjoyed playing today. It brings back good memories of school and playing for a friend who encouraged me so much." Takumi knew he needed to stop now because the tears were threatening again so he hid his face while he put the violin and bow back in the case. "I'll go and put it away Shingyouji, I'll be back down in a minute to get on with some work!" He bowed politely to the three ladies and went upstairs.

Shouzo was very worried. Gii's illness was under control now, the antibiotics had done their job and his blood tests were improving daily, but there was still no sign of him coming out of his unconscious state. His breathing had improved as well and he no longer needed the oxygen, but his Doctor was completely baffled by Gii remaining unconscious.

When Amy had some free time she would go and meet Shouzo in the Hospital cafe and they would talk while having something to eat. She felt very sorry for her boyfriend, he was obviously so upset by his friend's illness and she tried hard to think of things they could try to help Gii. Shouzo would take in music that he knew Gii enjoyed, and play it for him. Or he would take a book in and read aloud, anything that would get a response from Gii. Nothing was working and Shouzo felt desperate.

Gii's parents were finding it very hard to see their son still lying motionless in the Hospital bed, and the strain was taking its toll on them. Shouzo insisted that they should go back to their apartment, and assured them he would stay by Gii's side. After they had reluctantly left, Gii's Doctor came to see him, and was pleased to see Shouzo there. "I wanted to talk to you about something Shouzo. You and Gii share an apartment don't you, so you must know Gii very well?" Shouzo nodded in agreement. "We've been best friends since we were very young, we're more like brothers than just friends."

"Good, I thought that was the case. Is there anything you can think of that would make Gii not want to wake up? Has there been any problems lately that have upset him do you know? I can't think of any other reason for him still to be unconscious, medically there's no reason for it. It's got me puzzled I don't mind admitting."

The Doctor's words suddenly hit home to Shouzo. Of course! Why on earth hadn't he thought of that before now! Takumi!

"I can't believe I've been so dense Doctor! Gii has a boyfriend back home in Tokyo who he loves very much. They've been separated now for quite a few weeks and they're both suffering because of it. Gii came to America because he felt it was his duty to his father and the Company, but he's desperate to go home. I wouldn't be surprised if that's behind all this! Do you think it could be that?"

The Doctor nodded in agreement. "I wouldn't be at all surprised! Gii's so unhappy his brain is trying not to deal with the pain he's feeling. Would this young man be able to come over here, do you think? It could well be the exact thing Gii needs to get him out of this state he's in."

Shouzo grinned at the Doctor. "I know Takumi will come here! I'll ring him straight away. He and a friend have recently started a business together, so he'll need to make arrangements for cover there, but I know he'll be on the first plane he can get a seat on!"

When Takumi received Shouzo's call, he was very upset to hear that Gii was still unconscious. "Oh Shouzo! I thought the antibiotics were going to make him well again! Poor Gii, he must be so ill." Takumi felt sick with fear for his beloved boyfriend, the thought of losing him was unbearable.

"Listen to me please Takumi! The Doctor thinks it might be because of your separation that Gii doesn't want to wake up. Can you come over here Takumi, as soon as you can? I know you're really busy with the Coffee Shop, but Gii needs you if he is to get well again."

"Of course Shouzo! Gii being well again is the only thing that matters. I'll go and speak to Shingyouji and go online to book a plane ticket. I'll call you when I know what time I'll be arriving okay? Please tell Gii I'm coming to see him soon Shouzo, and that I love him!" Shouzo was delighted to hear that Takumi would be in America soon. "I'll tell him you're coming to visit Takumi, but you can tell him yourself that you love him!"

Takumi's feelings were in turmoil. He was very worried about Gii and desperate to see him again, but also frightened by what he might find once he got there. Would his visit help? Would Gii know he was there and wake up? What if him being there didn't work. What then?

Shingyouji and Toshi were sitting together on the sofa watching a DVD when Takumi joined them. As always Shingyouji sensed something was wrong with his friend. He put the film on pause and looked at Takumi. "What's wrong Takumi? What's happened?"

Takumi sat opposite his two friends and started to tell them about his phone conversation with Shouzo. "The medication has done its job in curing the illness, but Gii isn't coming out of his unconscious state. Shouzo has told the Doctor about me, and he thinks it could help Gii if I'm there by his side. Shingyouji, I'm so sorry to leave you in the lurch..." Shingyouji interrupted Takumi.

"Don't you dare start apologising Takumi! Gii is far more important than anything else! You get yourself on that plane as soon as you can. We'll be fine here won't we Toshi? Remember Mika-kun and a couple of her friends were saying they would be glad to help out if we were short staffed? I'll ask them if they'll come in, everything will be fine, I promise you. Now go on, get that plane ticket booked! We've enough money in the Emergency Fund to pay for the ticket so that's no problem either. Go on! What are you waiting for?"

Takumi got up and went to his friend and they hugged each other. "Arigato Shingyouji, you are a wonderful friend, I'm so grateful to you." He then hugged Toshi and smiled at him. "And I'm relying on you to look after my friend for me, okay?" Takumi couldn't help smiling when he saw Toshi's cheeks turning pink, he knew he understood what he meant! Shingyouji was looking at them and wondering what was going on.

The plane ticket was booked for Sunday morning and Shingyouji drove Takumi to the airport, with Toshi coming along as well. Once he was booked on to the flight, Takumi suggested his friends should go back home, he knew it would be upsetting saying goodbye to them. Shingyouji hugged Takumi and said. "Give Gii my regards won't you, and tell him I'll make him the best cake he's ever tasted when he gets back!" Takumi tried to smile, but he couldn't answer he was feeling so sad.

Then Toshi hugged him and wished him a safe journey. It was time for Takumi to go through passport control and he turned and gave one last wave to his friends, then disappeared from their sight.

The flight was uneventful and it landed on time at JFK New York. Takumi collected his suitcase from the baggage area and made his way towards the exit, where Shouzo would be waiting for him. There were hundreds of people all milling around, waiting for friends and relatives to come through. Takumi felt a bit anxious that he wouldn't be able to find Shouzo in the crowd.

There was no reason to worry though, Shouzo had him spotted and was waving to him. Takumi felt very relieved to see his friend and could see a blonde haired young woman standing next to him who he assumed was Amy. Shouzo gave Takumi a brotherly hug and then turned to his girlfriend. "Takumi, this is my girlfriend Amy." Takumi smiled and bowed politely and the next thing Amy was hugging him and telling him how happy she was to meet him at last!

Takumi's English wasn't quite as good as Shouzo's, but with a little bit of help from his friend he and Amy were able to understand one another.

Shouzo took Takumi's suitcase from him and the three young people went to where the car was parked. "Shouzo, how's Gii today? I've been so worried about him I couldn't sleep last night. Is there still no sign of him coming round?" Amy was walking next to Takumi and suddenly she took hold of his hand.

"Takumi, I'm not sure if you know that I'm a nurse at the Hospital where Gii is?" Takumi nodded. "Yes I do, Gii told me all about you and Shouzo. Are you looking after him then?"

"No, because I know him I'm not allowed to be his nurse, but my friend is his assigned nurse. She tells me he is medically doing well, but has lost a lot of weight and is looking very pale. She thinks you coming to see him is what he needs. A couple of times she's thought she heard him saying your name, but so quietly she wasn't definite she heard it." Hearing this was heartbreaking for Takumi, all he wanted now was to be there, to see his beloved Gii for himself.

The three young people were in the car. "Takumi, do you want to go to the apartment first to freshen up, or shall I take you straight to the Hospital?" Shouzo knew what the answer would be.

"Could we go straight to see Gii please? I had a quick wash in the men's room at the airport, I just need to see Gii." The tears he had been trying to hold back now started to fall, and Amy tried her best to comfort him. "It'll be okay Takumi, you'll see!"

The Hospital corridors seemed to be endless to Takumi, but eventually they came to room 402 on the fourth floor and at the side of the door there was a small notice board saying 'Saki Giichi'. Suddenly the enormity of what was happening hit Takumi, he felt a moment of panic and he wasn't sure he could walk through that door. Amy understood how he was feeling. "It's okay Takumi. Just talk to him, let him know you're here. Tell him all about the Coffee Shop, Shingyouji, Toshi and anything that you can think of that you and Gii have done in the past. Trips to places, visits to the cinema...anything at all."

Takumi knew Amy was right and he nodded and smiled at her. He took a deep breath and walked into the room.

His eyes immediately went to the bed that was in the middle of the room. There were machines around the bed, a saline drip to Gii's right. But Takumi wasn't interested in any of those things, all he could see was Gii, the most beloved person in the whole world to him! He stood next to the bed looking down at Gii. It was true that he was very pale and to see him laying so still was strange, he was such an active, vibrant person normally.

Takumi looked around for a chair and brought it close to the bed. He took hold of Gii's left hand and gently kissed the back of it. He spoke very quietly. "Konnichiwa Gii. It's Takumi, I've come to visit you. Are you going to wake up for me Gii? You've got everyone worried about you." Takumi couldn't take his eyes off Gii's handsome face, he had missed him so much over the past few months. He stood up and gently stroked his boyfriend's hair, smoothing it away from his eyes then he kissed his forehead before laying his cheek against it. "Gii, I love you so much, please will you wake up for me? I'm longing for you to come back home to Tokyo, there's so much for me to tell you and things for you to see. Shingyouji misses you as well, and he's going to make you a great cake when you come home he says! You've got to wake up for that haven't you Gii?"

Just then Shouzo came into the room carrying some bottled water. He gave one to Takumi and put the other on the side table. "What are you thinking Takumi? I have to say that Gii is looking better than he was when he was first brought in here, but this unconscious state is still worrying. Just keep chatting to him Takumi, for all we know he may be able to hear us and it may be the key to unlocking his mind."

"I'll keep talking Shouzo, don't worry. Where are Gii's parents by the way? I expected to see them here."

"They've gone back to their apartment for a short while, they're exhausted Takumi, Gii's illness has taken its toll on them. Mrs. Saki is looking ill herself, she's so worried about her son." Takumi was sorry to hear this, he knew how fond Gii was of his Okaasan.

As they were talking a nurse came into the room. Shouzo introduced Takumi to her. She was Gii's assigned nurse and was called Rachel. "I'm so glad to meet you Takumi, it's great you were able to come and see Gii. I've heard him whispering your name a couple of times, deep down inside he wants to wake I know. I need to take his temperature and do his blood pressure now, I won't be a minute. I'll let the Doctor know you've arrived as well."

Shouzo told Takumi he was leaving for a while, he needed a rest as well, but assured his friend he would be back later. Takumi smiled and nodded. "Don't worry Shouzo, you get a rest, I'm fine here with Gii!"

Rachel finished her observations, checked the saline drip and asked Takumi if he wanted to help by washing Gii's face and hands, just to make him feel a bit fresher. Takumi agreed readily and Rachel got him a bowl of warm water, a towel and facecloth. He rinsed the facecloth in the water and gently wiped Gii's face, chatting all the time and telling Gii about the Coffee Shop and Shingyouji's wonderful cakes. After he had dried Gii's face he started on his hands, slowly wiping each one, still talking quietly and describing the whirlwind called Mika to him.

Takumi was so intent on washing Gii's hands and talking to him, he didn't realise Rachel had left and someone else had come into the room. After he had carefully dried Gii's hands he turned to take the bowl away and saw an older lady standing in the doorway. He bowed politely to her and poured the water into the sink then put the bowl on the side.

The lady spoke first. "You must be Takumi-kun? I'm Gii's mother, it's a great pleasure to meet you at last Takumi!" She was smiling at him and Takumi bowed again. "I'm pleased to meet you Mrs. Saki." Takumi could see where Gii got his looks from. His mother was tall and slim and her smile reminded Takumi so much of Gii.

Mrs. Saki moved to Gii's side and leaned forward to kiss his forehead. She then sat down and turned to Takumi and smiled. "Do you know Takumi-kun, I think my son is already looking a bit better! He has had a worried frown on his forehead for a couple of days now, but it's not there anymore. Maybe he realises you're here? Thank you so much for coming Takumi, I know you've only just opened your Coffee Shop. Gii was so proud when he was telling me all about it you know. Will your friends manage alright without you?"

"Yes it's fine, so please don't be concerned. We have some College students who come in regularly and have offered to help out if we are ever short-staffed. I was just telling Gii about one of them, we call her the whirlwind she is so full of life!" He brought a second chair near to Gii's bed and sat opposite Mrs. Saki. Takumi felt a bit awkward then, he wanted to hold Gii's hand, to touch his face but didn't feel that he should.

Mrs. Saki spoke. "My son has spoken to me about you a lot Takumi. He loves you with all his heart and soul, and I think you return those feelings, don't you?" Takumi looked down at his hands and nodded, afraid to let Gii's mother see his eyes brimming with tears.

He found the courage then to look up at Mrs. Saki. "Gii means everything to me. I don't know what I would do without him in my life Mrs. Saki." Takumi quickly wiped away the tears that were falling and tried to smile.

"Come here Takumi." Mrs. Saki beckoned to him and she stood up and moved to the end of Gii's bed, Takumi did likewise. When he was standing in front of her she leaned forward and put her arms around Takumi's shoulders in a warm embrace. After a few seconds she moved back, but didn't let go of him. "I'm also very glad that Gii has you in his life Takumi. You are a lovely young man and I can certainly see why my son loves you so much!"

Takumi was very touched by these words and smiled at Mrs. Saki. "Arigato Saki-san that means a lot to me."

"Now, I'm going to the refreshment bar downstairs to get some coffee, would you like one Takumi?" He hesitated for a moment before answering. "Yes please, I'd love one, but shall I go? You need a rest I'm sure."

"It's fine, I'll go Takumi, you won't know where anything is just yet. Do you want something to eat as well? Shall I just see what they've got?" Takumi nodded and said he didn't mind what he had. "I'll be back in a minute then."

After she had left Takumi returned to Gii's side and after taking hold of his hand he leaned down and gently kissed Gii's forehead, then both his cheeks and then placed a gentle kiss on his love's mouth. "I've been talking to your Okaasan Gii, what a nice person she is. She needs you to wake up as well Gii, everyone is anxious now. Please will you wake up for me?"

There was no sign from Gii that this was going to happen, but Takumi was never going to give up. He would stay at his boyfriend's side for as long as it took to get him back!

Mrs. Saki came back with the refreshments and after chatting some more to Takumi she left to go home, happy to leave her precious son with his devoted boyfriend.

Gii's nurse, Rachel, came again to do the observations on her patient. She could see Takumi was beginning to look very tired, the long day and jetlag were beginning to catch up with him. "We have some reclining chairs that are sometimes used by visitors who want to stay with a patient Takumi. Shall I get one for you? They're quite comfy I believe, you must be feeling tired after your journey today."

Takumi nodded gratefully, and Rachel disappeared to then come back pushing a brown chair for Takumi to be able to sit more comfortably. "Thanks Rachel, that's great. I don't know if I'll be able to sleep but I'll certainly try." They placed the chair to one side of Gii's bed and then Rachel hurried off to check up on another patient.

After working out how to recline the chair, Takumi tried to rest on it, but he couldn't see Gii properly from there because it was too low. He wasn't happy with that so he made a decision and after taking off his shoes, he quietly lay down on the bed next to Gii and gently slid his right arm around his shoulders. He then placed his left arm lightly across Gii's chest and rested his cheek against his hair. Takumi gave a contented sigh, so happy to be able to hold his beloved Gii once more.

CHAPTER 5

It was a few hours later when Gii's parents came back to the Hospital to see their son. As they entered the room they were greeted with the sight of Takumi laying asleep next to Gii, holding him close. Hana smiled then looked round at her husband, unsure how he would react to the picture in front of him. He smiled back at her and raised his eyes to the ceiling, in a gesture of "I give up!"

Gii's Okaasan tiptoed over to the bed, wanting to check on her son, and as she looked at him his eyes slowly opened, and a smile appeared on his face! He slowly raised a finger to his lips not wanting the sleeping Takumi disturbed, but the small movement had alerted his beloved. Takumi's eyes shot open and he realised Gii's mother was back. He started to try and gently move his arm from behind Gii and as he glanced at his lover he did a double take! Gii was looking at him and smiling!

"Ohayo Takumi!" Gii's voice was very quiet and sounded hoarse, but it was the best thing Takumi had heard in a very long time.

"Gii! Oh Gii! Thank goodness you've woken up at last!" Takumi quickly got off the bed, suddenly remembering Mrs. Saki. He looked around at her, smiling broadly, then noticed Gii's father was standing next to her. Takumi bowed politely, but to his own surprise he no longer felt intimidated by him.

Mrs. Saki gave Takumi a small hug, then went to Gii's bedside, tears of happiness springing to her eyes. Gii's father went to the other side of the bed, looking down at his son, smiling. "You've given us quite a scare young man! How are you feeling now?"

While they were talking Takumi went quietly towards the door, but Gii spotted him and spoke his name. Takumi looked at his love, smiled and said. "Don't worry Gii, I'm only going to let the staff know you've woken up, I won't be long okay?" Mrs. Saki looked round at him and thanked him for realising the Doctor would need to be informed.

Takumi found Rachel at the nurses' desk, she was delighted to hear the good news and rang through to Gii's Doctor to tell him about his patient. While he was outside Takumi rang Shouzo and told him the wonderful news as well. He was so relieved and happy, and promised to be in to see them as soon as he could. A quick text to Shingyouji to tell him as well, and Takumi had fulfilled his tasks.

Rachel hurried to Gii's room to check up on her patient. Gii's parents both moved away from the bed to let the nurse carry out her checks on Gii. This was the first time she had seen him awake and smiled cheerfully at him. "Welcome back Gii. You've been asleep all the time I've been nursing you, it's nice to finally be able to speak to you!" Gii smiled back, but his mother could see he was looking around, wondering where Takumi was.

Just then the Doctor came into the room, keen to see how Gii was feeling now he was awake. "Ah, glad to see you are recovering well at long last! How are you feeling?" The Doctor wanted to give Gii a thorough check-up and suggested to his parents they may like to go and have some refreshments while he carried out his checks. They both agreed and after assuring Gii they wouldn't be long, they left the room.

As they made their way to the Refreshment Bar, they came across Takumi sitting in a Waiting Area. He had his head in his hands, and was looking very forlorn. Mrs. Saki was full of concern for Takumi, she was already very fond of him and was worried about him.

"What's the matter Takumi? Are you okay?" She sat next to him and put her arm around his shoulder. "Gomen, Saki-san. I'm just so relieved about Gii beginning to feel better, I can't understand why I'm behaving like this! I should be really happy, but the thought that we almost lost him is overwhelming."

Mr. Saki spoke to Takumi for the first time. "It's probably just shock and strain from the worry of the last few weeks." He seemed uncomfortable for a moment. "I owe you an apology Takumi-kun. If I hadn't been so stubborn and overbearing none of this would have happened! I feel very bad about it all. My wife has been talking to me a lot, and although I still find it hard to grasp that my son is gay, I have seen for myself how much the two of you love each other. I won't try and keep you two apart any more, but I couldn't have done that anyway, I realise that now!"

Takumi stood up and walked to Mr. Saki, holding out his hand. Mr. Saki shook hands with him and they smiled. "Arigato Mr. Saki."

The next two days saw Gii improving a lot. He was having physiotherapy each morning to help him get his muscle strength back, and gradually he was able to eat a bit more food and sit in a chair beside his bed for short spells.

Now that Gii was on the mend, his parents didn't need to spend so much time at the Hospital, which gave Takumi and Gii plenty of time on their own. They both treasured these moments, and Takumi loved being able to help and support his boyfriend. They enjoyed sitting next to each other, making plans about their future together, Gii insisting that Takumi could now move in with him. "What do you think Shingyouji will think about that my love?" Gii asked.

Takumi started to laugh. "I don't think it will be a problem Gii! I think with Toshi living there Shingyouji will be quite happy!"

Gii looked at Takumi. "What do you mean?" Takumi couldn't help grinning. "Well, I wouldn't be surprised if things have moved forward with those two while I've been away! Toshi has liked Shingyouji for ages, and I'm pretty sure the feeling is mutual. I hope so Gii, they suit each other so well."

"I'm looking forward to meeting Toshi then, my love. He sounds a decent young man. It's a shame it didn't work out with Misu, but I was never convinced those two would work out was I? If things are meant to be, everything will work out in the end." Gii leaned forward and kissed Takumi in a gentle, loving way. He looked into his beloved's eyes and spoke quietly. "I love you Takumi, I'm looking forward to spending the rest of my life with you. I'm especially going to enjoy collecting the Interest you owe me when I get home to Tokyo!" Gii burst out laughing on seeing Takumi's face flush.

"Gii! Don't put those thoughts in my mind please! You'll have to be patient a bit longer! Anyway, changing the subject quickly..." Takumi gave Gii one of his beautiful smiles. "The Doctor wants you to stay here for a couple more days, then a few days staying with your parents at their apartment, right? Now this is only a suggestion, but would it be okay with you if I went back home to Tokyo first? Please say no if you would rather I didn't, I just don't want to leave Shingyouji and Toshi for too much longer. It's only because we've just opened and I feel a bit guilty now that you are so much better, and they may need a hand again. But if you'd prefer me to stay, that's fine as well."

There was a quiet moment while Gii digested this news. He looked at Takumi's expectant face. "That's okay my love, of course you must go home. I'm much better, as you say, and it will only be a few days and I'll be flying home to you. See if you can get yourself on a flight soon, and I'll be with you as soon as I'm given the all clear from the Doctor."

Takumi threw his arms around Gii's neck and hugged him tight. "Arigato Gii! If you're really sure it's alright I'll see what flight I can get on. I may not be able to get a seat of course, but that would be okay as well. Gii, you make sure you carry on working hard on the physio won't you, and eating well? I'll be waiting for you at home, hurry back to me Gii. I love you so much." Takumi's voice started to break but Gii was determined to be positive and leaned back so he could look at his beloved.

"Knowing you are waiting for me will make me work hard, don't worry! And you make sure to tell Shingyouji to get baking that cake for me won't you? I'm looking forward to tasting it, and to see the Coffee Shop and everything you've been telling me about." Gii smiled and gently stroked Takumi's face before leaning forward to kiss him. It was a gentle kiss but gradually it intensified until Gii pulled away. "Um...I think we had better stop now my love, before we get carried away!" Takumi knew he was right, and they smiled at each other.

Later on when Takumi was back at the apartment, he went on line to try and book a flight to Tokyo. He had tried several Airlines where they were fully booked until the next week, then at last he managed to get a cancellation for the next day, leaving late afternoon. Now that he had made this move, Takumi wasn't sure that he could leave without Gii. Doubts started to crowd into his mind but he reminded himself it would only be for a few days, then the whole nightmare would be over and he and Gii could start their life together.

Takumi was able to spend the whole day with Gii before he was due to fly home to Tokyo. Shouzo was going to drive him to the Airport and Takumi was pleased when he met Gii's parents at the Hospital. They both fully understood Takumi's position, and assured him they would personally put Gii on the plane as soon as he was fit enough to travel!

Mrs. Saki hugged Takumi as she and her husband were leaving. "It has been wonderful to meet you, Takumi. I know we'll see you again soon, and good luck with the Coffee Shop. We know it will be a success!" Takumi was very touched by her words, and he smiled and thanked her.

Much to Takumi's surprise, Mr. Saki held out his hand to him. "I'm very glad to have met you as well, young man. Keep working hard won't you, and a safe journey home." He shook hands with Takumi then, and he and his wife said goodbye.

Takumi looked round at Gii, who was grinning at him. "I must say, my love, I never expected him to come round quite as readily as he has. I think you have made quite an impression on my Father! Now come over here, please, we haven't got very much longer together, let's make the most of it, eh?"

"Oh Gii, don't say it like that, I feel bad enough leaving you as it is! And please don't start any funny business now, it'll just make it even worse to leave you here!" Gii laughed out loud.

"Funny business? Me? I don't know where you get these ideas from Hayama Takumi! Now come here and kiss me, please!" Takumi did as he was told, and the lovers enjoyed their last couple of hours together, until it was time to go. Shouzo came at the time they had agreed, and Takumi was pleased to see that Amy was with him. "Take care my love, I'll be seeing you very soon. I'll ring you tomorrow, okay?" Gii spoke quietly to Takumi, and knew how upset he would be. "Bye Gii." This was all Takumi could manage, and with one last look at his beloved, he left the room.

Takumi was very quiet as they walked towards Shouzo's car, but Amy and her boyfriend fully understood how sad he was feeling to leave Gii. Once they were in the car Amy started to chat about how she was looking forward to visiting Japan and Takumi started to cheer up a little, joining in with her and making suggestions about nice places to see and so on. "I'm especially looking forward to seeing your Coffee Shop Takumi, and meeting Shingyouji and Toshi. I've heard so much about them these past few months!"

"You'll be most welcome Amy, they'll be happy to meet you, and Shingyouji will be pleased to see you again, Shouzo."

Just then they pulled into the Airport car park, and after a while they managed to find a parking space. Takumi was telling them he would be alright from there, that his friends could just drop him and leave, but they insisted on accompanying him to the Terminal. They had a long wait to book Takumi in, but at last his case was gone and he was able to sit with his friends for a few minutes. "Don't worry about Gii any more, will you Takumi, Amy and I will be keeping an eye on him and I'll keep you up to date about everything by text, okay?" Shouzo looked at his friend anxiously, but needn't have worried because Takumi knew Gii was nearly well now, and would be back home in Tokyo soon.

He smiled at Shouzo and Amy and hugged them both. "I'm not worried now, Shouzo, and I want to thank you both so much for being there for Gii and then looking after me as well. You are both very dear friends, and I can't wait until you come to Japan!" It was time to go through Passport Control now, and with a smile Takumi waved to his friends then walked through the gate.

Shingyouji and Toshi were delighted when Takumi had rung them to tell them that Gii was nearly well, and even more pleased when Takumi told them he would be coming back home. Because of the long 14 hour flight time from New York, and the 13 hour time difference, Takumi had explained to Shingyouji that it would be best if he got a taxi from the airport. It could be very confusing to work out exact arrival times, so Shingyouji reluctantly agreed to wait at the Coffee Shop for Takumi's homecoming.

A very tired and crumpled Takumi climbed out of the taxi outside the Coffee Shop. It was late evening and darkness had fallen, but as the taxi pulled away, and before Takumi had got his key to the shop out of his pocket, the door was quickly opened and Shingyouji joyfully threw his arms around his best friend! Then Toshi appeared as well and joined in welcoming their friend. Toshi gathered up Takumi's suitcase and the three friends went inside.

"Ah Takumi, we're so glad you're home again! We've really missed you! And it's great news about Gii as well. Did you have a good flight? You must be worn out with all that travelling. Let's go up to the apartment, do you want a coffee and something to eat?"

Once they were in the living room, Takumi looked around appreciatively. He had only been gone for a few days, but it felt a lot longer than that. "Just a coffee Shingyouji please, you get well fed on these long haul flights so I'm not at all hungry. Ah, it's so good to be back here!" He looked at his friends and smiled at them. "How have you two been while I was away? Any news for me at all?"

Shingyouji and Toshi looked at each other sheepishly, then Shingyouji put his arm around Toshi's shoulder and laughed. "I think you probably know the answer to that Takumi! Toshi and I have realised we have feelings for each other. It's early days yet but we enjoy being together. We're just going to take one day at a time aren't we Toshi, and see what happens."

Toshi nodded shyly, and smiled at Takumi. "I'm so happy when I'm with Shingyouji and we make a good team, we seem to be on the same wavelength about most things!"

"I'm so happy for you both, I really hope it works out for you, you deserve to be happy!" Takumi hugged his friends once more, then went to sort his suitcase out whilst Shingyouji made them all coffee. "Come and tell us all about Gii when you've done that Takumi, okay?"

"Will do, I'll just be a couple of minutes."

Once they were settled with their coffees, Takumi told them all about Gii's illness, meeting Mr. and Mrs. Saki, being with Shouzo and his lovely girlfriend Amy. "I didn't get much chance to see New York, but I only wanted to be with Gii. It was a wonderful feeling when I suddenly realised he had woken up! I had just woken myself, and when I glanced at him he was looking at me and smiling! I couldn't believe it! I know he'll be here in a few days, but it was very hard to leave him, I don't mind admitting it."

"You should have stayed longer, Takumi, we've been managing okay here. The students had exams this week, so they had free time between exams. Mika has worked four days for us, and her friend Chou did a couple as well. A lot of customers were asking where you were, Hayashi-san in particular was wondering. We just said your friend in America was ill and you had gone to visit him."

"It's nice to know I was missed! I'm looking forward to getting back to work but I'm not sure when, I hope the jet-lag isn't too bad. But at least tomorrow is Sunday so I should be fine for Monday morning." Takumi unsuccessfully tried to hide a tired yawn. "I think I'll have to get to bed now you two, I'm shattered! I'll see you in the morning, oyasumi!"

"Oyasumi, Takumi. Sleep well, I'm so glad you're back and everything is looking brighter!" Shingyouji smiled at his friend. "Arigato Shingyouji." Takumi gave them a wave and retired to his room.

After a great night's sleep and a lazy morning, Takumi felt a lot better and was looking forward to starting work again on the following morning. There was quite a lot of paperwork to catch up on and spent several hours sorting things out, and bringing books and accounts up to date. The Coffee Shop was looking neat and tidy and after checking behind the counter that the coffee machines were all ready, Takumi felt satisfied.

As he went back upstairs he walked in on Shingyouji and Toshi in an embrace, much to their great embarrassment and Takumi's amusement. "Gomen you two! I'll have to remember to knock in future won't I? I was going to speak to you anyway about future plans, shall we have a coffee and a chat? I'll put the kettle on."

As he was doing this and getting the coffee mugs ready, Shingyouji came into the kitchen. "I'm sorry Takumi, I feel really embarrassed! I should have thought about what I was doing." Takumi laughed out loud. "What on earth are you worrying about? You weren't doing anything wrong Shingyouji! I couldn't be happier that you and Toshi have found each other. You suit each other perfectly, please don't worry, okay?" He put his hand on his friend's shoulder and looked at him closely.

Shingyouji nodded and smiled. "Shall I get some cake to have with the coffees?" He looked expectantly at Takumi, already knowing what the answer would be. "Ooh, yes please, I have missed your cakes a lot! I told Gii you were going to make him a special cake when he finally comes home, he can't wait to try it." Takumi carried the coffee mugs through to the living room, and Shingyouji followed behind with the cake.

After enjoying his cake, Takumi began to tell his friends about his plans to move in with Gii at his apartment. "We've always planned to do that as you know, Shingyouji. Now that Gii's parents both know about our relationship there's nothing to stop us doing it. That will help you here as well won't it, you'll have the place to yourselves most of the time. I'll need to keep the computer and all the files etc. here if that's alright, it makes sense to keep everything on the premises."

Shingyouji and Toshi were very quiet. Shingyouji spoke first. "I know that's what you and Gii have always wanted Takumi, and I'm really happy for you. I just feel sad that another change is going to happen. It's been an amazing time us working together to achieve our dream of our own business. You're my best friend and it just won't be the same anymore."

Takumi was taken aback by Shingyouji's words, and wanted to reassure his friend. "But Shingyouji, all it means is that I won't be sleeping here anymore. I'll be here first thing in the morning to get organised, I'll be here all day until closing time. Then you and Toshi will have the place to yourself evenings and nights! No more worrying if I'm going to walk in on you again! And I'll be with Gii, where I so want to be. Our lives are all moving forward now Shingyouji, and that's the way it should be."

Shingyouji knew Takumi was right, and he felt a lot happier now. He had worried that his friend might have been feeling left out, but of course, being with Gii was what Takumi wanted more than anything in the world. "You're right Takumi, sorry I was being a bit dramatic!" The friends laughed together and carried on talking and making their plans.

His first day back at work flew by for Takumi, and it got off to a great start when he had a phone call from Gii. "Ohayo Gii! How are you feeling now? Are you still in Hospital?"

"No, I'm out now my love, I'm at my parents apartment. I feel so much better Takumi, tomorrow my mother is going to take me to the local park for some fresh air and to see how I get on with walking. That will be the test for me, seeing if I'm getting my strength back."

"That's great news Gii, I'm so happy to hear you are feeling well. Don't try to do too much though, will you? Do what your mother says, she has your best interests at heart, doesn't she?"

"Yes Dad, of course Dad, I'll do as my mother says Dad!" Gii couldn't help laughing, hearing his beloved lecturing him. "You may well laugh, Saki Giichi! But you'll be sorry if you make yourself unwell again, and you can't come home to me, won't you?" Takumi joined in with Gii laughing, it felt so good to be talking and laughing again with his wonderful boyfriend.

"I promise I'll take care, my love. Getting home to you is the only thing on my mind right now! I'll ring you again tomorrow Takumi, take care of yourself, I love you!"

"I love you too Gii, bye for now!"

In the Coffee Shop many of the regular customers welcomed Takumi back, and when Mika came breezing in first thing, Takumi thanked her for stepping in for him. "Any time Takumi-kun! I really enjoyed helping out, it was great fun! I'll have to dash, got a lecture in 10 minutes, see you at lunch-time!" Takumi couldn't help smiling, still a whirlwind then, he mused.

CHAPTER 6

On the Thursday of that week, the morning was very busy as usual, people buying coffees and sandwiches to take away, shoppers calling in for a coffee and a sit down, and very few could resist buying one of Shingyouji's tempting cakes as well. Takumi and Toshi were kept on their toes, serving and helping out with sandwich making.

After the lunch time rush had died down a bit, Takumi was delighted to see one of his favourite customers come in, Mrs. Hayashi. "Hayashi-san, I'm very pleased to see you!" Takumi bowed politely and showed her to her favourite table near the window.

"Ah, Takumi-kun! You're back safely then. I hope your friend is better now?" "Yes thank you, he's much better, he should be home soon when he's well enough to travel."

Hayashi-san nodded. "That's good news, I'm glad to hear it. Now, I'm waiting for some friends to join me, they'll be here soon so if I could order when they get here, is that alright?"

"Yes, of course it's no problem." Takumi smiled at her. "I've missed hearing you play the violin while you were away Takumi. It's fairly quiet now, would you be able to play something for me? You play so well, it always makes me feel better when I listen to you." Takumi hesitated for a moment, he always worried that not everyone enjoyed it as much as Hayashi-san, but looking round at the other customers, they seemed happy to listen as well.

"Alright Hayashi-san, I'll go and get my violin and play you something." Mrs. Hayashi smiled at him and thanked him.

Takumi took the violin out of his cupboard in his bedroom, and was hoping it would still be in tune. Luckily it was, and after trying it out for a couple of minutes, he went back downstairs. He went to the back of the room where he usually stood to play, and began to play one of his favourite pieces. As always when he was playing, he became so engrossed in the music that he was unaware of things around him.

As the final notes died away, Takumi lowered the bow and his violin. The customers began to clap, and Takumi looked across to Hayashi-san to see if she had enjoyed the music. He noticed then that the other three chairs at her table were now occupied. The sun was shining through the window, making it impossible to see the faces of Hayashi-san's friends, but Takumi knew who one of them was, even without being able to see his face! It was Gii! The person he loved more than anyone else in the world, Gii... was here!

Takumi quickly put his violin and bow in their case, and started towards Gii, who was already up from the table and moving towards him. They met halfway, stopped in front of each other, both smiling and crying at the same time. Then they were in each other's arms and hugging as though they would never let go.

They both became conscious of where they were, and reluctantly released each other, but both still smiling and looking at each other. Takumi realised then that Shingyouji and Toshi were standing side by side behind the counter, grinning broadly at them. "Did you two know Gii was coming home today?" Takumi accused them, but smiling happily.

"Yes, we did! Gii rang to let us know, but we were sworn to secrecy!" Shingyouji then came from behind the counter, and hugged Gii, so pleased to see his friend after such a long time.

"Welcome home Gii! It's great to see you, and looking so well! Let me introduce you to Toshi." Toshi came forward and bowed politely. Gii did likewise and then they shook hands. "I'm glad to meet you at last Toshi, I've heard so much about you from Takumi." He looked round at his beloved and smiled, not wanting to take his eyes off him. Shingyouji spoke to Gii. "Why don't you go and sit down Gii, we'll come and take your order now. Takumi, you go and sit down as well. I think you know the other people at the table!"

Takumi suddenly remembered that Gii hadn't been on his own, and looking over to the table realised it was Gii's parents who were sitting with Hayashi-san. He felt guilty then, and hurried over to greet them. After bowing politely he said, "Gomen Mr. and Mrs. Saki! I'm sorry for being rude..." Mrs. Saki interrupted him. "Don't worry Takumi-kun, it's so nice to see you and our son together again! Gii has been so desperate to get here, he has been like a bear with a sore head!"

Mr. Saki stood up then and shook Takumi's hand. "Nice to see you again Takumi-kun. That was beautiful violin playing we heard as we came in, you really do have a talent there. You should play a lot more you know." Mrs. Hayashi was nodding in agreement. "I'm always telling him that, Takeo, but he doesn't have much spare time unfortunately." Takumi looked at Hayashi-san, and wondered how she knew Gii's parents.

Mrs. Saki was smiling at Takumi. "Takumi-kun, I'd like to introduce you to my younger sister, Reika!" Takumi looked at the two women in astonishment. Hayashi-san then spoke. "I had no idea you were my nephew's boyfriend, Takumi-kun! My sister Hana rang me to tell me how worried she was about Gii's illness, and how she was hoping his boyfriend would be able to go over to America to see him. Then you suddenly disappeared "to visit your friend in America who was ill" so the next time I spoke to Hana I asked her the name of Gii's boyfriend. When she said Takumi, all the pieces of the jigsaw fell into place!"

As Takumi was taking all this in, Gii came over to the table with another chair, and he and Takumi sat down next to each other. "It's a small world, isn't it Takumi? My Aunt has been here watching over you all this time! She has been singing your praises to us ever since we got back to Tokyo. I just told her she didn't need to tell me anything about you, because I already know how wonderful you are!" Takumi blushed. "Gii, don't say things like that! It's embarrassing!" Everyone round the table laughed to see Takumi's discomfiture and Gii reached under the table for Takumi's hand and gently squeezed it.

Shingyouji and Toshi came over to the table with the drinks, then Shingyouji quickly disappeared into the kitchen, and came back with a beautiful three layered cake, with cream and strawberries in abundance. "There you are Gii, I promised I'd make a cake for you when you came home! I hope you'll all enjoy it!" He placed the confection in the middle of the table, and everyone was amazed to see such craftsmanship in front of them.

Hayashi-san spoke. "This young man makes the best cakes and pastries I've ever tasted, and I've tried quite a few in my time, I can tell you! I've been trying to encourage him to take his skill further, maybe make wedding cakes and speciality cakes and so forth. It's early days yet I know, they need to get the Coffee Shop established, but these young men work so hard, and with Toshi-kun as well, they deserve to be successful."

Gii's mother agreed with her sister. "I do worry though, Reika, they are only young aren't they? As well as working they should also be having some fun! Please try and build some leisure time into your schedule won't you? I know it's not that easy, but you must try!" The young men all nodded in agreement. Then Gii started to cut the cake and a happy silence descended on them as the delicious confection was savoured by them all.

Eventually it was time for Gii and his family to leave, but Gii needed to speak to Takumi in private for a while. Shingyouji quietly suggested they went upstairs to the apartment, so under pretence of 'showing Gii around' Takumi led the way upstairs. As soon as they closed the door behind them, they were in each others' arms, holding each other close, feeling the warmth of each others' bodies. Takumi could smell Gii's cologne, it always gave him such a wonderful feeling of being safe with this man who he loved, and who loved him in return.

Gii very reluctantly moved away slightly from his beloved. He spoke quietly to Takumi. "I want you so much Takumi, but I'm going to have to torture myself for a bit longer! I'm going to be staying at my own apartment tonight, and my parents are going to stay at my Aunts' house while they're here in Japan. Will you be able to come to mine later, Takumi? Please say you will! I don't know how much longer I can wait for us to be together completely!"

Takumi leaned forward and gently kissed Gii's lips, a groan of pleasure escaping from Gii. "I'll be there as soon as we've closed up tonight Gii. You just make sure you're ready and waiting for me, okay?" He grinned at his boyfriend, who was finding it very hard not to grab hold of him there and then! "Oh, I'll be ready, don't you worry! Don't you be late either!" The lovers laughed together, and made their way down to the Coffee Shop. After saying their goodbyes, Gii's family left to make their way home.

The afternoon went by quickly, and it was soon time to close the Coffee Shop. Usually the three friends would work together to clean and tidy the kitchen and Coffee Shop, but today Shingyouji and Toshi refused to let their friend help. "You get yourself upstairs Takumi! Have a shower and get yourself ready, tonight is special, isn't it? The love of your life is back home after being away for so long. You must be so excited!"

Takumi smiled and nodded. "I am Shingyouji, but for some reason I'm very nervous as well! My stomach is doing somersaults! I want everything to be just right for us, we've waited so long to be together again." Shingyouji hugged his friend. "Don't worry Takumi. Everything will be perfect, you'll see. Just being together is all that matters!"

"You're right Shingyouji. Arigato!" Takumi went upstairs then to get ready, and he packed a couple of things in an overnight bag ready for the next day. Takumi had gratefully accepted Shingyouji's offer of a lift to Gii's apartment, and once he was standing on the pavement outside the building he had to try hard to calm himself down!

As soon as he tapped on Gii's door, it was quickly opened by the man himself, who was smiling at Takumi. "Konnichiwa my love! Come on in." Takumi stepped inside, smiling back at Gii. Takumi hadn't been inside the apartment since that terrible evening when Gii's father had found them there together. It suddenly didn't matter anymore. He and Gii loved each other and after many months apart, here they were together at last!

"I've got a bottle of wine open Takumi, would you like a glass?" Gii asked. "Yes please, I'd love one." Takumi found that his nervousness had gone now and he accepted the glass from Gii gratefully. "This feels really strange Takumi! I've been so nervous all afternoon but now you're here I feel fine again!" Takumi laughed and told Gii he had been the same.

"Come and sit on the sofa with me my love." They put their glasses on the coffee table in front of them and sat down next to each other. They sat for a few moments just gazing at each other, then Gii put his warm hands on either side of Takumi's face. He leaned forward and gently kissed Takumi's lips. The kiss started to get more intense and Takumi put his arms around Gii's waist and pulled him closer. Gii started to kiss Takumi's face and neck, then back to his lips. They were both starting to get breathless now and Takumi's heart was beating so fast!

Gii suddenly broke off the kiss and spoke very quietly. "Shall we take our wine and go into the bedroom, my love? It would be more comfortable in there I think." Takumi nodded, looking at his love with those big brown eyes that could melt any heart. Gii groaned and leant forward to kiss his love again. Then he stood up and offered his hand to Takumi. They picked up their glasses and went into the bedroom.

The room was dimly lit with table lamps, and the king-size bed dominated the room. They put their glasses down on a small table and Gii held out his arms to Takumi who willingly walked into them. Gii encircled Takumi's waist with his arms and his lover put his arms around Gii's neck. Takumi began to kiss Gii ardently, all the months of being separated from each other making their need more urgent. Gii slowly moved towards the bed and gently lay Takumi down, then he lay down beside him.

They lay with their arms around each other, just looking into each others' eyes. Gii ran his fingers through Takumi's silky hair, then gently kissed him. Takumi began to slowly unfasten the buttons on Gii's shirt, causing him to catch his breath. "Takumi, we've waited for this moment for so long, I don't think I can wait much longer!"

It was a long time later, and Takumi was laying in the crook of Gii's arm. He was gently stroking Gii's face and gazing at him. Gii spoke. "Arigato Takumi, that was wonderful. It feels as though we've never been apart!" Takumi put his arms around Gii, holding him close and kissing him gently.

"Gii...I wanted to ask you something...just a moment." Takumi got out of the bed and went to his bag and brought something out. He came back to the bed and sat up with his back against the pillows.

Gii was looking at him with a puzzled expression and also sat up. "Gii, I love you so much, I don't ever want us to be separated again. So I was wondering...Saki Giichi... please will you marry me?" Takumi then held out a small black leather box and opened it to reveal a silver ring with a tiny diamond embedded in the middle.

Gii looked at the ring then back to Takumi's face. "Oh Takumi, of course I will! I can't believe you've done this!" Takumi took the ring from the box and put it on Gii's left hand ring finger. It fitted perfectly.

Takumi put his arms around Gii and gently pulled him forward. He kissed his forehead, then his cheeks and slowly kissed his lips. It was a very tender, loving moment, and Gii was very moved. When the lovers finally parted, they looked at each other, both smiling happily.

"You've made me the happiest man alive Takumi! I'm a bit annoyed though, because I was going to take you out next week to buy an engagement ring! You beat me to it my love!" They both started to laugh, and Gii went to get their wine glasses so they could toast each other.

"Gii, I'm so happy. We can go next week to get my ring if you want, but just knowing you've said yes, is all I needed to hear! I actually bought your ring on line, there isn't much time to go out shopping with running a business. I hope you don't mind where it came from!"

Gii put their wine glasses down on the bedside table, and turned to Takumi, pulling him into his arms. "It's the most beautiful ring I've ever seen my love. You chose it, you bought it for me, you placed it on my finger. I'm going to be yours for the rest of our lives Takumi, never ever forget that!" Takumi looked up at Gii, his eyes brimming with tears. "Arigato Gii!"

The lovers kissed deeply, passionately. Later on as they sat drinking their wine, Gii suddenly said. "Oh, I nearly forgot! Amy asked me to give you something just before I left America." He went to a drawer in his dressing-table and took out an envelope. He climbed back on the bed and gave it to Takumi.

As he opened the envelope, Takumi could see it was a card. As he opened the card a letter fell out. He looked at the card. "It's a wedding invitation! Amy and Shouzo are getting married! Ah, that's wonderful news! I wonder what's in the letter?" Takumi opened out the letter and Gii, with his chin resting comfortably on his boyfriend's shoulder, read it with interest.

Hi Takumi,

It was great to meet you when you came over to America to be with Gii. He spoke of you so often, I felt as though I already knew you when you arrived!

As you can see, Shouzo and I are getting married! We are both so happy and we hope you'll be able to join us on our special day. Gii has agreed to be Shouzo's Groomsman, and we were hoping you would be able to help us by being an Usher with my brother Peter? Please say you will, we both would like to see you again.

After the wedding we will be having two wonderful weeks for our honeymoon! Shouzo won't tell me where we are going for the first week, he wants it to be a surprise, but the second week we will be coming to Japan. Some of Shouzo's relatives will be unable to come to the actual wedding, so we were wondering if you and Shingyouji would allow us to use your Coffee Shop as a venue for an informal party, hopefully some of his relatives would be able to make it to that?

Please let us know if you and Shingyouji are agreeable to this, we'll pay you, of course, if you can do it.

We both hope you and Gii are happy to be together again, we look forward to hearing from you soon.

Best Regards,

Amy and Shouzo

Takumi looked round at Gii. "Ah, that's great isn't it Gii? You already knew about the wedding then?" Gii grinned at him.

"I did my love, but I'm embarrassed to say I was so excited and happy to be with you again, I forgot all about it! You'll be able to make the wedding, won't you? It's not for six months so you'll have time to organise cover for yourself at the Coffee Shop. What do you think Shingyouji will think about hosting a wedding party?"

"I think he'll be delighted to do it, Gii, it's for our friend isn't it, and I told him and Toshi all about Amy so they'll be pleased to meet her as well. I'll speak to him tomorrow and we'll sort something out."

Gii nodded. "Good. Now let's go and get showered shall we? I could do with something to eat, could you? Using all that energy has made me hungry!" Takumi nudged Gii and smiled happily, content to be with his love, at last.

Next morning Gii dropped Takumi off at the Coffee Shop, bright and early. Gii didn't stay, knowing his friends were busy getting ready to open first thing, but promised to call in later after he had visited the Office to see his work colleagues. He was hoping to start work again the following week. Shingyouji and Toshi were already busy in the kitchen, wonderful smells of baking filling the air.

Toshi noticed Takumi first. "Ohayo Takumi! We didn't expect you yet, we didn't think you'd be able to tear yourself away from Gii!" Shingyouji looked up, smiling broadly at his best friend. "Ohayo! You enjoyed your reunion then?"

Takumi just grinned at them both, he knew he would have to take some teasing from them. "Carry on you two, let's get all the clever remarks out of the way, shall we?" The three friends laughed together, then Takumi left the others to it, and went to sort out the till and the coffee machines.

Just before they were due to open the Coffee Shop, Takumi spoke to Shingyouji about Shouzo and Amy's wedding plans. "Wow, Shouzo's getting married! I can't believe it! I think that's a great idea to have a wedding party here as well. Maybe we could invite some of our old school friends along as well, Shouzo would enjoy seeing them again, I'm sure."

"That's a great idea Shingyouji, let's make a list soon, although the wedding's not for six months yet, we'll need to have a plan of action! You could try your hand at making a wedding cake as well, and we'll all muck in and make the refreshments. It should be a good day!"

It was the afternoon before Gii came, and he was very happy to help out in the Coffee Shop, clearing tables and serving customers. Shingyouji and Toshi were able to take a well earned rest while Takumi and Gii carried on. It was Shingyouji who spotted Gii's ring when he came back from his break. He and Gii were in the kitchen. "What's this Gii? You're wearing a ring on your left hand! Don't tell me, are you and Takumi engaged?" Shingyouji looked at Gii expectantly.

Gii grinned, and could feel himself blushing. Takumi came into the kitchen just then, overhearing what was said. "I proposed to Gii last night Shingyouji, and he accepted." Takumi put his arm around Gii's waist and hugged him.

"Congratulations you two! I'm so happy for you both, if ever two people belonged together it's you! Where's your ring Takumi?"

Gii answered. "I was going to propose to him next week, but he beat me to the post! I'm going to take him to buy a ring as soon as we can. It's just a shame that Japanese Law doesn't allow same-sex marriages yet, but we'll wait until it does change, won't we my love? Nothing can ever change the fact that we love each other, and we're content with that for now." Takumi nodded in agreement, hugging his fiancée tight. Toshi was equally as pleased when he heard the good news, and they all decided that a celebration was needed!

Takumi thought that was a great idea. "Let's wait until Saturday night, Gii, then we can all have a drink and we won't have work the next day." The friends all agreed, and were looking forward to a night out.

After the Coffee Shop was closed on the Saturday, and all the cleaning and tidying was done, Gii told his friends he had booked a table at a nice Restaurant and that he would take them all out for a meal. "I've booked a taxi to take us and bring us back, so we can all have a drink as well. If Takumi and I go home now and get ready, we'll come and pick you two up at 8.00pm. Is that okay with you?"

"That's great, arigato Gii, we'll see you at 8pm!" Shingyouji and Toshi went upstairs to the apartment to get ready.

The Restaurant was very smart, with beautiful decor and subdued lighting. The four friends were shown to a table in an alcove by a smartly dressed waiter. The table was set with a snowy white table cloth, a red candle was lit and placed in the middle with a small flower arrangement next to it. The silver cutlery was gleaming and the napkins were neatly arranged. The whole picture looked very inviting and the friends were very happy with Gii's choice!

The meal was excellent as well, the four young men enjoyed themselves, talking and eating, and drinking wine. Gii gave a toast to Takumi and Shingyouji, congratulating them on how hard they had both worked to fulfil their dream of owning and running the Coffee Shop. They both thanked him, and Takumi smiled, knowing it was Gii's generosity in lending him the money that had enabled him to be in partnership with Shingyouji.

Takumi then toasted Toshi, and thanked him for all his hard work, without pay until now. Toshi was very embarrassed. He stuttered as he spoke. "If it hadn't been for you and Shingyouji...well...I just don't know what would have happened to me. You probably saved my life that night when you rescued me from that alleyway! You fed me, gave me clothes and for the first time in a long while, I felt safe." He looked shyly at Shingyouji. "Then to fall in love with you, Shingyouji and even more wonderfully, you felt the same way!" He looked back at Takumi. "You have nothing to thank me for Takumi, honestly!"

Shingyouji smiled at his boyfriend and held his hand. "Takumi was telling me that we are making a profit at the Coffee Shop now, so starting from this week we'll be able to pay you a wage Toshi! Everything's starting to fall into place, let's hope it continues. I'd like to make a toast to all four of us. Long may we remain friends and health and happiness to us all. Who knows, maybe one day we'll be celebrating not just your engagement, but a legal marriage! Now that will be a great party! Kanpai!"

The four friends all smiled and toasted each other. "Kanpai!"

EPILOGUE

Six months later

The plane landed on the runway at Tokyo Airport with a bump. The engines were roaring and the brakes squealing. Gradually the plane slowed down and it taxied towards the Airport building, stopping neatly in the Bay.

Gii and Takumi alighted from the plane with the other passengers, and made their way to the baggage reclaim area. The long flights to and from New York had been tiring, but they had had such a wonderful time at Shouzo and Amy's wedding, the trip had been well worthwhile.

As they were making their way towards the exit, Takumi could see Shingyouji waving to them. He was pleased to see them, and after greetings had been exchanged the three young men made their way to where the van was parked.

"I've missed you two these past few days! How did the wedding go? I can't believe our Shouzo's a married man now! I hope you've got plenty of photos to show us. I was thinking, if you've got any, we could print some of them off, and put them up in the Coffee Shop when we have the party. What do you think?"

The friends climbed into the van. "That's a great idea Shingyouji. People will be able to have an idea of how beautiful the wedding was. I don't think I have ever seen Shouzo so happy, he smiled the entire day! And Amy looked stunning in her lovely wedding dress, Shouzo just couldn't take his eyes off her." Gii started to chuckle remembering how nervous Shouzo had been before the wedding.

Takumi joined in then. "Amy's parents had organised a Marquee in their back garden for the Reception, and the food was delicious. I found myself mentally making notes for us, maybe we could use a few of the ideas from there! Both Shouzo and Amy are really looking forward to coming to Japan." Takumi turned to Gii. "Did he ever tell you where he was taking Amy for the first week of their honeymoon, Gii?"

"Oh, yes he did. They're going to Hawaii. I went there when I was young, it's a beautiful place, and the people were very friendly as well. They're going to have a lazy week, sitting by the Hotel pool and walking along the beach at sunset. Then their week here is going to be a lot busier, Shouzo wants to show Amy around obviously, and they'll come to the party at the Coffee Shop on the Sunday."

They arrived at Gii's apartment, and after thanking Shingyouji for the lift, and promising to be at the Coffee Shop the next day, they made their way wearily up the stairs and home.

The next week flew by, as well as still running the Coffee Shop, Shingyouji, Takumi and Toshi were planning the party for Shouzo and Amy. Invitations had been sent to Shouzo's relatives and some of their friends from Shidou Academy. They had had a lot of acceptances, two people were unable to come, and one hoped to come. Shingyouji was looking over Takumi's shoulder at the list. "I bet I can guess who the "hopes to come" person is!"

Takumi looked up at his friend. "You're right, Shingyouji. Misu isn't sure if he can come, but will try his best. Are you okay with that? I had to invite him Shingyouji, it wouldn't have been right not to."

"It's fine Takumi, don't worry. I'm over Misu now. I love Toshi so much and I know he loves me as well. I don't think there will be a problem at all. Everyone is moving on with their lives aren't they?"

Takumi smiled at his friend. "Exactly my feelings as well... I bet you and Toshi are looking forward to your holiday next week, aren't you? You must be tired getting up so early in the morning."

"We can't wait Takumi! A break in the sun is just what we need. It's been a lot better since Mr. Saki gave us that Grant from his Company. Toshi has been able to go to College part-time to do the catering course, and we are now able to employ staff who will regularly work for us. This gives the three of us a bit of free time doesn't it? It's great knowing that Akio, who I used to work with at the Restaurant, can come and make the cakes first thing in the mornings, and I'm sure you and Gii will get on fine serving the customers. Don't forget you can call on Mika or Chou if you're struggling though!"

"We'll be fine, don't worry. It'll be great to stay here again as well. How are you getting on with designing the wedding cake? I've no doubt it will be as special as all your cakes are!"

Shingyouji started to grin. "I can't give away secrets, but it's going to be extra special, I can promise you!"

The day of Shouzo and Amy's wedding party arrived. Shingyouji and Toshi were already busy when Takumi and Gii joined them. The four friends busied themselves, cleaning and tidying the room, then moving tables and chairs around to have more space for the guests. There were going to be more people in the Coffee Shop than usual, so careful planning was needed. Eventually they were all satisfied with the way it looked. They set up a long table on one side, which would hold the refreshments, with a space in the middle for the wedding cake.

White tablecloths were placed on the tables, with blue and white helium balloons in the centre of each one. The wedding pictures had been enlarged and pinned up around the room, it was starting to look really good. The refreshments were next on the list, and to save time and work, a lot of the buffet items had been bought already made, all they needed to make now were the sandwiches.

After everything had been covered with plastic wrap and placed on the table, Shingyouji finally brought out the wedding cake. He placed it carefully in the centre of the refreshment table. When he was happy with its placement, he stood back. His three friends just stared in amazement.

The cake was three tiers high, with white icing covering the sponge cake. Each tier had blue flowers delicately made from icing, and the sides of the cake had white icing intricately woven to look like lace. On the top was a tiny silver bowl, with real blue flowers in it.

Nobody spoke for a moment, then it was Toshi who reacted first and put his arms around Shingyouji and hugged him. "That's wonderful Shingyouji! No wonder you were so late coming to bed some evenings! It must have taken hours to do!" Takumi was next to hug his friend. "Well done Shingyouji, that's got to be your best cake ever!"

Shingyouji blushed and started to laugh. Then Gii put his arm around him. "You've a real talent for cake making Shingyouji. I think Shouzo and Amy will be delighted with that. I love the blue colour theme we've got here as well! It's the same blue as the colour of our Shidou jackets, isn't it!" They all started to laugh and when Gii suggested they get some lunch before the guests arrived, they all agreed in unison.

Shouzo and Amy were due to arrive at 2.00pm, and the guests were invited to come at 2.30pm. The four friends were all ready, each of them looking very smart in their suits when the newlyweds came into the Coffee Shop. After greetings and introductions were completed, Shouzo and Amy were shown around, they went upstairs to the apartment, then down into the kitchen. When they saw the wedding cake that Shingyouji had made for them, they were speechless for a moment. "That's amazing Shingyouji, I can't believe you've made that yourself! Arigato! It must have taken you hours!"

"I enjoyed making it Shouzo, it was something I hadn't tried before so it was a good exercise for me." The friends all chatted together, and it wasn't long before the guests started to arrive.

The Coffee Shop was gradually filling up, Shouzo was really enjoying introducing his beautiful new bride to his relatives, and her friendly personality soon made everyone feel at ease. The first of the Shidou Academy friends to come was Sagara-senpai, he had been in the year above at school. The school friends were all delighted to meet again after so long. Then Izumi Takabayashi and Katakura Toshihisa arrived together, Takumi was pleased to see that they were still close friends.

When most of the guests had arrived Takumi and Shingyouji started to serve drinks to everyone. Gii had bought champagne so they could toast the Bride and Groom. "Welcome everyone to Shouzo and Amy's wedding party. I'm sure you'll all want to wish them great happiness as they start their married life together. I've known Shouzo since we were very young and I know what a good man he is. I also got to know Amy quite well while I was in America, and I'm sure they are going to spend many happy years together. My only regret is that Shouzo is going to be living in America so we won't be able to see so much of each other, but I'm sure with all the technology about, we'll be keeping in touch. Please raise your glasses to the Bride and Groom! Kanpai!"

All the guests raised their glasses and wished Shouzo and Amy every happiness. Shingyouji then told everyone to help themselves to the refreshments, and as they moved towards the table, the door to the Coffee Shop opened and Misu walked in. The moment that Shingyouji was secretly dreading, had arrived.

Misu had been Shingyouji's first love, and it had hurt a lot to separate from him. As Misu stood in the doorway, looking around, his eyes met Shingyouji's. They stared at each other for a moment, then Shingyouji smiled. His smile was one of pleasure at seeing a friend again, but also of relief, because there was no leap of joy in his heart any more. He really was over his infatuation with Misu!

Shingyouji walked towards Misu and extended his hand to shake hands with his friend. "Welcome, Misu. It's great to see you again!"

"Likewise, Shingyouji. You're looking well! I'm sorry I'm late, I was on call at the Hospital and got held up! Same old story, I'm afraid!" Misu smiled apologetically. Just then Shouzo spotted Misu and brought Amy over to meet him.

All the friends then came over to greet him, and Shingyouji quietly moved away, wanting to find his beloved Toshi. He couldn't see him in the Shop, and went into the kitchen. Toshi was there, collecting more plates for the table. Shingyouji moved towards him and Toshi looked around. Without speaking, Shingyouji took the plates from his boyfriend and put them on the side. He put his arms around him, and held him in a warm embrace. Toshi was surprised, but happily hugged him back.

"Misu has just arrived Toshi. It's been months since I saw him last, and I have to admit I wasn't looking forward to it! But now I realise that what I thought was love, was just an infatuation. What I feel for you is love, you mean everything to me!"

Toshi smiled happily, also secretly relieved. He had been a bit anxious about how Shingyouji would feel seeing his first love again. Toshi leaned forward and kissed his precious boyfriend tenderly. "Everything will be alright now, Shingyouji. We've got our holiday to look forward to soon, as well. We'll really be able to celebrate then, won't we?"

With a last hug, they collected up the plates, and took them into the Coffee Shop. Shingyouji wanted to introduce Toshi to Misu and looked around for him. He saw him standing near the refreshment table, talking earnestly to Sagara-Senpai. A few years ago Sagara-Senpai had really liked Misu, but at that time it didn't work for them. Watching them together, Misu actually seemed to be blushing a bit! Sagara was looking intently at Misu. Could this be a relationship in the making? Shingyouji decided to leave them alone for the moment, introductions could wait until later!

Eventually the guests started to disperse one by one. Everyone commented on what a nice party it had been, and Shingyouji got many compliments about his wedding cake. One of Shouzo's relatives had asked him if he could make one for her daughter's wedding later on in the year.

Soon the only people left were the Bride and Groom, Gii, Takumi, Shingyouji, Toshi, Misu and Sagara.

They all sat around chatting and drinking wine. Out of politeness to Amy, they spoke in English as much as they could. "It's been a lovely afternoon, thank you for all your hard work!" Amy looked at the four party planners with a smile. Gii was sitting next to his beloved Takumi with his arm draped around his shoulder. "It was our pleasure Amy. We enjoyed doing it for you and Shouzo. I just hope that one day you'll be able to come to our wedding!" He looked affectionately at Takumi. "I hope for that as well, Gii. But for now, let's just drink one last toast to all of us here." The friends all raised their glasses and wished each other good health and happiness.