Author's Note: Updating a day early because I won't have time to update tomorrow since I'm going to be driving for like half the day tomorrow. I hope you guys like this chapter, and many thanks to everyone who has favorited this story and added it to their alert lists! And a very special thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, I'm very excited about this story, so I hope you all are too! Love ya!


"Travel brings power and love back into your life."

-Rumi


TAKAO KAZUNARI

The crisp winter air greeted him with a kiss as he walked out of his apartment. He let out a breath, watching the vapors swirl around his face. Quickly turning around, he pulled his door closed and locked it as he made his way down the staircase. His hands were tucked into the pockets of his gray coat and his shoes crunched on the freshly fallen snow. It would soon melt away once the sun got high enough, making the sidewalks and streets damp with slush.

The moment he got to the ground floor, he stopped and took a deep breath. It was Friday morning and he had spent the better half of the night grading his students' tests. Sometimes he wondered why he become a high school teacher, but then he reminded himself he liked the other half of his job. Takao Kazunari was twenty-seven years old and was an English teacher at Shutoku High School where he was also an assistant coach. Next school year he would become the head coach since the current head coach, his own coach when he was a student, Nakatani Masaaki was retiring from coaching.

Takao rounded a corner and spotted his favorite bakery at the end of the block. He smiled as the sweet smell of the pastries and freshly brewed coffee filled his nostrils. The grey-eyed man picked up the pace and stopped in front of the bakery to look in the window. His mouth watered at the sight of the display case next. All the loaves of bread and muffins looked absolutely delicious. Takao moved towards the door and pulled it open. As he walked inside, he was greeted with warmth and the savory smells of fresh baked bread and sweets.

"You're late," a man with dark hair, thick brows, and steel blue eyes stated firmly the moment Takao walked in.

"I'm not late, everyone else is just early today," Takao chuckled as he walked over to the small table his friend was sitting at. When he took a seat across from him he beamed seeing that his friend had already ordered his usual breakfast. "Thank you," the gray-eyed man said as he wrapped his hands around the paper coffee cup.

"You're just predictable," Kasamatsu Yukio, chortled as he took a quick sip of his own coffee before leaning back in his wooden chair.

"Predictable? If I was predictable you would have known I was going to be late, but since you didn't I think that successfully nullifies my predictability," Takao replied and batted his lashes before taking a small bite out of his banana nut loaf. The dark haired man scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Where's your lover?"

"Ran away and joined the circus," Kasamatsu joked, causing Takao to laugh lightly. "He had a shoot this morning." He brought his cup to his lips and sipped on the warm liquid. Kise Ryota was Kasamatsu's boyfriend of nearly seven years. It happened in the most unorthodox way, but everyone who knew them apart liked them even more together. Takao constantly teased the two about their tryst in Greece, where their romance officially sparked. Of course, it could be argued they had a thing for each other in high school.

Takao still remembered the day when he and Kasamatsu had gone out to a bar after his return. He was so flustered and tongue-tied it nearly took him half an hour just to explain he'd met Kise when he went on vacation to Greece with some friends. It took him about four shots of alcohol to finally blurt out they hooked up. Takao had fallen out of his chair from laughing so hard. Kasamatsu had turned so red and started yelling profanities at Takao, but that didn't make him stop laughing. After his laughing fit though, Takao placed his hand on Kasamatsu's shoulder and told him they were good for each other. In some ways, Takao took credit for the two getting together. If he hadn't told Kasamatsu they were good for each other, they probably would have never started dating.

"Say the circus one, sounds better," Takao commented after a few short seconds. He sipped on his coffee quietly and stared at the display case. The doors of the kitchen swung open and Takao looked to the tall man that walked out. "How's that cake coming, Murasakibara?"

The tall man carrying a tray of freshly baked Danishes looked over at the table. "For Maya-chin's wedding?" Murasakibara asked, his violet eyes going to the display case. His violet hair was tucked under a white chef's hat and his black apron had white powdered handprints on it. He began to lay the Danishes onto the white plates in the display case. "It'll be ready, Aka-chin told me it had to be perfect." His eyes went back to Takao, who raised a brow with intrigue.

"Akashi? He told you? I didn't know he cared," Takao muttered as he took a small bite out of his banana bread.

"It's because Aka-chin's father is sick," Murasakibara informed the two and they both looked at him. He nodded his head slowly and closed the display case, looking to the two. "Mido-chin's father is looking after him, they hired him privately."

"When did that happen?" Kasamatsu asked as he stood up from the table.

Murasakibara looked like he was deep in thought before saying, "A couple of months ago."

"Has Akashi heard from him?" Takao asked as he stood up from the small table too. Murasakibara looked at Takao quizzically, but when they locked eyes he understood. It had been almost five long years since Midorima's disappearing act. Takao rarely talked about it and if he did he said very little about it.

"I don't think so," Murasakibara replied before walking back into the kitchen. He didn't like seeing Takao sad, or Midorima's sister sad either. Even though so much time had passed the wounds seemed to still be very deep.

"Hey," Kasamatsu said, nudging Takao with his elbow as they walked out of the bakery Murasakibara owned. "Are you okay?" he asked, concerned for his friend's well being. In high school, Kasamatsu and Takao hardly knew each other, but Takao always admired Kasamatsu's skills in basketball. Over time the two became friends and soon they hung out all the time and even played basketball together from time to time.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" Takao asked, forcing a smile.

Kasamatsu gave him a disbelieving look, which caused Takao to roll his eyes and sigh. "I know this past year has really been hard for you," the dark haired man explained with a small shrug. "You reconnected with his family and I know you, Kazu," Kasamatsu deadpanned.

"What do you know?" Takao inquired with a raised brow.

"I know that you're hoping he will come back," Kasamatsu replied and frowned slightly, when Takao looked away. "It's been five years, don't you think it's time to just let it go?"

"If it were Kise, would you let it go?" Takao inquired before taking a small sip of his coffee. Kasamatsu opened his mouth and quickly closed it. There was always that one person that would change everything. No matter how hard you tried to forget them, they never left your memory. They became apart of you and the love you had would be marked on your soul like a tattoo on skin. "I didn't think so, anyways I have to go. I'll see you at the wedding in a couple of days." With those words Takao, waved to his friend and made his way towards Shutoku High School.

The day Midorima Shintaro left Takao Kazunari's entire world shifted. They had been dating since their last year of high school and all through their college years. A week after graduation, Takao came home to their apartment and found it was empty. All of Midorima's things were gone and there was a single note on the bedside table. In Midorima's clean and crisp writing were the words: I'm sorry.

Takao called him over and over, each time it went straight to voicemail. He emailed him, he texted him, and went onto his social media only to find he closed all his accounts. After all this time, Takao still didn't know what had happened. He asked Midorima so many times in emails and voice messages. Every single day for a year, Takao sent Midorima a message either through a text or call. Not once did Midorima reply to him. Eventually, Takao stopped trying and tried to move on.

He hadn't succeeded.

In two days Midorima's little sister was getting married to a man who managed to pull Takao out of his sadness and grief. Three months after Midorima left, Takao didn't really know what to do with himself. He just went through the motions of life, but then he met Higarsahi Hiro. The man was of an adventurous soul, always taking pictures of everything. One day, Takao happened to be his victim as he was sitting in the park near his apartment, watching a basketball game being played by some kids.

Takao didn't realize Hiro had taken half a dozen pictures until he approached him. He asked him why he looked so sad and from there on they spent the next four hours talking. Hiro told him that Takao needed to get out and see the world. He said that Takao was thinking too small when he had a world of opportunity before him.

"It sucks when the person you love suddenly decides they don't love you anymore," Hiro told him seriously as they sat inside of a little coffee shop on the edge of the city. "It hurts even more when you don't know why, but that's when you have to realize there are like seven billion people out there. And before you can assume that this guy is the one you can't live without, you should really meet the other seven billion."

"So what are you suggesting?" Takao asked curiously.

"In two weeks, I'm going to Africa. I'm going to take photographs of some of the animals on the savannah and some of the tribes out there, then I'll be going to see a leper colony in Ghana," Hiro explained and Takao's eyes widened. "Come with me."

"I could never," Takao said with a small laugh and shook his head. Hiro had tilted his head slightly and raised a brow at him. "Let's say I went with you, then what?" Takao inquired, wrapping his hands tightly around his coffee cup.

"Then we travel for an entire year," Hiro beamed, causing Takao to nearly choke on his drink. He couldn't believe that Hiro was being serious about all of this. They were strangers and he wanted to travel the world with him? It didn't seem safe or logical, not to mention Takao couldn't afford such a journey. "You don't have to come, but if you do want to come I'm catching the first plane to South Africa on the first." Hiro wrote his phone number down on a napkin along with the flight name and the time of it's departure. He handed it over to Takao, who stared at it in disbelief.

"You're serious about this?" Takao inquired, staring into Hiro's bright blue eyes. "We hardly know each other."

"What better way to get to know someone than traveling the world with them?" Hiro laughed as he stood up from his seat. He clapped Takao on the shoulder and gave it a firm squeeze. "Even if you don't come, I hope you feel better. I lost someone I loved too, and sometimes she's very hard to forget." With those words, the tawny haired slender man walked away, leaving Takao with a lot to think about.

Surprisingly, Takao bought a ticket and went with Hiro to Africa. It was the adventure of a lifetime they literally traveled the world. Hiro took pictures of it all, they ventured across the African savanna and climbed Mount Kilimanjaro. They then boarded a plane that brought them to China where they walked for several miles down the Great Wall of China. Takao then suggested they go see the Taj Mahal where they also rode elephants and swam with them. They climbed up the stone steps to the top of Machu Picchu in Peru. They reconnected with nature in the Galapagos Islands off the South American coast. They rode camels through the Egyptian desserts where they went to see the Pyramids of Giza. They visited the Grand Canyon in the United States and hopped onto a plane that brought them to Hawaii where they learned to surf and swam with dolphins. Sometimes Takao couldn't believe how much he had seen and done in such a short time.

For an entire year they travelled the world with no particular destination, they just went wherever the wind blew them. It had been an eye opening experience for Takao; he met so many people, and experienced so many things. He learned what it was like to be hungry, to be thirsty, to sleep on the hard earth, and he learned what it was like to love and be loved in return by complete strangers. They visited many poor areas in different countries, volunteering to help in anyway they could. He remembered building a school in a small African community, he remembered rescuing people from a flooded village, and he remembered trekking through dense forest in South America. It was the most amazing thing he had ever done and many times he thought about doing it all again.

Takao yawned when he reached Shutoku's main entrance. He sighed as he walked in, mentally preparing himself for another Thursday. School would be over in a month then would start up again in April, which would mark five years since Midorima left without a word and flew across the world to live in New York. Sometimes, Takao often wondered if he'd ever see that man again. He wondered even more so what he would do should they ever meet again.

When he was traveling, Hiro had suggested they go see Midorima. Takao declined though, saying that if he and Midorima were to ever see each other again it should be by happenstance. That was probably something Midorima would have said, but Takao didn't want to barge in on his life. He had to believe that Midorima left for a reason and when he was ready, if ever, he would talk to Takao again. The thing was though, Takao wasn't sure how much longer he'd be willing to wait. He was going to be thirty years old in three and a half years. It was time for him to have a family, but part of him wanted to hope that Midorima would come back.

The more he thought about it though; he wondered if that would really be for the best. The sad truth of it was that even if Takao met someone incredible and perfect by all standards it would never work out. The reason being was because Takao was infected by a man named Midorima Shintaro. He was quite certain that even if a hundred years went by it would still be Midorima Shintaro that would have his heart.