Hi guys!

I want to try and update more, but my dad took our laptop on his trip so here I am on the family computer on a school night.

Thank you for the reviews! I was really surprised!

And answering a reviewer's question: Yes, they will get older... you will see their older selves, in a different situation of course, since Mr. and Mrs. Takahashi didn't die.

I don't own Junjou Romantica, but I do own my OC...


Akihiko sat on the couch after Takahiro left; occasionally looking over at Misaki sitting next to him doing some homework.

This shouldn't be hard, Akihiko thought, Just until the parents come home.

"Um... Usami-san?"

"Hmm?"

Misaki figeted a bit with his pencil, "Why does Nii-chan call you Usagi-san?"

"Oh, that's... between friends; only he can call me that."

"Oh," Misaki was disappointed with the lack of response, "Okay."

"What?"

"I kind of wish I had a friend like that too. Nii-chan talks about you a lot."

Akihiko couldn't help but be a little excited. "Really?"

"Yeah. You're his best friend."

"Ahh... yes." Akihiko turned away slightly and frowned, holding back a tiny heartbreak. "We are... just the best of friends."

After a few seconds of not hearing a response from Misaki, he turned and froze, coming in direct contact with the greenest eyes he as ever seen. For a split second his heart raced, and he backed up slightly considering that he's sitting towards the end of the couch. "What is it?" What was that? he thought, referring to his split second racing heart.

"You're sad," the boy simply said, continuing to stare at Akihiko. Cocking his head to the side, he frowned. "Nii-chan isn't mean, so what's wrong?"

Akihiko looked away, "It has nothing to do with you."

Misaki quieted thoughtfully before replying to him, eyes brightening as he thought of something he considered brilliant. "Then... since it has nothing to do with me, you can tell me and I won't tell anyone! How's that? You can tell me anything, Usami-san!" He wanted to be of help for at least something.

"I have nothing to tell you."

"But you look like you want to say a lot of things! If you tell me, who doesn't really know anything about you, it'll be like talking to the wind you can vent to! Mommy talks to me sometimes when something annoys her, and I listen. Sometimes she doesn't even notice I'm there listening, but I don't tell anyone what she says."

"I see..." He paused for a moment, trying to think of ways to get out of this without making Misaki upset. He felt it unnecessary to vent his feelings to another person now when he could already do that with his writings, especially if it's his crush's younger brother.

"...You hate him, then?" Misaki asked, watching for his reaction. To his surprise, Akihiko whipped his head towards him so fast he could feel a slight breeze.

"I would never hate Takahiro!" Akihiko declared loudly, glaring at Misaki, who, frightened at first at the intensity, but then smiled a little bit.

"Then you like him, right?" Seeming like he hit the right target at Akihiko flinching as he said it, he continued. "You totally like him. Don't worry, I won't tell."


Akihiko sighed as he walked into the gates leading to the mansion, but smiled slightly; tomorrow he was to go over to Takahiro's again.

Thank you, Misaki, he thought, Because of you, I can see him even more often.

Flashback:

Misaki gripped onto Akihiko's shirt as his mother beckoned him to get his stuff ready so she could take him home. "Are you going to come back tomorrow?" he added, "It'll be lonely since everyone works now."

"Misaki..." said Mrs. Takahashi, feeling slightly guilty that her youngest would be home alone for the most time at this revelation.

Misaki then tugged on Akihiko's shirt once more. "Can't you stay and babysit me again?"

Before Mrs. Takahashi could say anything though, Akihiko smiled and looked at her. "I don't mind. I wouldn't want you guys to stress at work knowing Misaki is alone. I'll watch over him."

Unknown to Mrs. Takahashi, this little plan was concocted by the two, hoping that, at this, Akihiko would get to spend more time with Takahiro, who comes home earlier than them most the time.

And of course she said yes.

Flashback over.

"Eeekkkk!" Hearing the noise, Akihiko paused his thoughts and looked around his forest of a front yard. After walking for a few minutes, he found himself at the tree he used to and occassionally now sleep near when he was little.

At its base, he found a girl, maybe a little bit older than Misaki's age, on the ground wincing, obviously having fallen off a branch. "Tch... it hurts..."

She had dark hair, which seemed pretty long considering her side ponytail on the top left side of her head went down to her elbow; a flower clip on the hair tie keeping it all up. Not quite dark outside yet, he could see that she had blue eyes with some shining depth to it.

"Who are you?" he asked simply, wondering where the heck the girl came from.

"Oh," the girl looked up at him, surprised to see someone. "Hi. Umm..." she looked around awkwardly, having been found on a stranger's property, "Nice yard you have here. ...It has nice trees."

"I see."

"..."

"..." *stare*

"..." *blinks*

"..."

Awkward.

"Umm, I live near here now," the girl managed to say.

"From where?"

"Oh... Grandpa died in a car accident few days ago, so now Papa's going to run his dojo. We've been living back and forth from America and France, but now we're going to live here."

"...Car accident?"

"Yeah. It was raining that day apparently; the couple he crashed into survived though, thank goodness! They had two kids too... It would have been sad if they had died. I mean, Grandpa would always say he'd go out in a crash and bang, so..."

She put up her knees and wrapped her arms around them. "I miss him. But I'm happy for the other people- their kids need them; it's a weird feeling."

"Do... Do you know their name?"

She looked up at him curiously. "Their name? What was it..." she paused in thought, "Ta..Takahashi.. I think?"

"I..I see..."

Seeing the troubled look, she asked him. "Oh, do you know them? Are they alright?"

"They're alright... I'm just surprised..."

"Can you take me to meet them someday?"

"Why?"

"Cause, you know... I want to see the lives my Grandpa exchanged for his, if that even makes any sense. It's not like I'm angry at them or anything like that, I'm just curious. Besides, Grandpa's with Grandma now; he's always been complaining how he missed her stew and stuff like that."

"That's... nice?"

"I know right? Except it isn't my time yet and I know how to cook stew, so I'm good."

Hearing some rustling, Tanaka emerged. "Oh, Sumiko-sama! Your mother is looking for you. Akihiko-sama, welcome home."

"Oh yeah!" exclaimed the girl, who stood up and faced Akihiko, playfully bowing as if she was meeting a prince.

"I'm Hirakawa Sumiko, twelve years old, nice to meet you!" She smiled brightly, "I hope we can be good friends, Aki-chan!"


A life for a life or two, as some people say...

Sumiko - means clear child, pure child... something to that effect. The fun thing about naming OC's is finding what their name means.

She is twelve for a reason. At first I wanted her to be Misaki's age, but I was like... this.. and that...

I had wanted to put her in another story, but this fitted more. Guess who she goes with?

Did anyone spot any mistakes? Was I still sort of in-character? Please review!