The characters presented in this chapter are from the story "Junjou Romantica" and are owned by Shungiku Nakamura. In addition, these characters will be Out-of-Character.
Even on a bright and sunny day, the large room was filled with relentless rain that fell from many people's eyes. While many of the souls familiar with Akihiko were crying, Misaki was sitting silently with a blank expression in her eyes. She looked at her brother who had his soaked eyes covered with one hand as he tried to weep quieter. Her eyes scanned the room and spotted a crowd of depressed fans as well as several individuals she encountered before: Usami Haruhiko; Akihiko's older brother, Usami Kaoruko and Shiiba Mizuki; Akihiko's cousins, Eri Aikawa; Akihiko's editor, and of course, the man who was giving the eulogy; Usami Fuyuhiko; the father of Akihiko who initially disliked Misaki because he wanted what's best for his son's happiness.
"To all of you who knew Usami Akihiko; whether you're his family, friends, fans..."
Fuyuhiko made eye contact at the emotionless Misaki who waited for him to finish his sentence.
"...And partner," Fuyuhiko included and then directed his attention to the audience. "I'd like to thank all of you for taking care of my son who is no longer with us today. I reflect on my history with Akihiko and it makes me wish that I could have gotten along with him even more. I feel that I failed at being a father for not fixing our relationship. It's an understatement to say that 'we realize how much we love someone when we lose them.' In the end regardless..."
Fuyuhiko's monotone voice drifted away as Misaki's inner voice resonated even louder. 'I wasn't home! If I was I could have done something! It's all my fault. First my parents died because I was sick and I asked them to come home and now my own lover is gone cause I visited my brother! I'M CURSED! I'M HORRIBLE!' Misaki sprung out of her chair gathering everyone's attention and making Fuyuhiko halt with his eulogy. Without any hesitation, she sprinted from the front the room to the back leaving everyone struck. Takahiro instantly ran after Misaki. She slams the backdoors open. It nearly hit Takahiro on his way out as the doors closed. He chases the fleeing girl out onto a bridge in the bright daylight.
"Misaki wait!" Takahiro yelled. Misaki ignored her brother and continued running.
"STOP! STOP RIGHT NOW!" Takahiro shouted as he started catching up. Misaki was starting to run out of breath and began slowing down. Once Takahiro was close behind, he yanked Misaki by her arm and held her close. Misaki started screaming and shoving her brother trying to free herself.
"GET AWAY FROM ME! YOU MIGHT DIE TOO!" Misaki whaled.
"MISAKI, GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF!" Takahiro fought back
Pedestrians walked and stared at the siblings wrestling each other. Misaki's struggles began to weaken as her brother's strength got the best of her. She sunk to the ground losing strength in her legs. She finally gave up.
"Nii-chan..." Misaki's voice began to lower. "He's gone! First mom and dad, and then Usagi. It's all because of me! I'm cursed." She wept in her brother's arms. Takahiro began to pet Misaki's head.
"Misaki, we're all hurt," Takahiro replied. "We all lost Akihiko. But one thing for sure, you're not the bastard who killed Akihiko. And you're not the one who got our parents in an accident. You're not cursed."
"But he's gone...He's gone."
Misaki felt wet drops fall on her scalp. It wasn't a raindrop. It was Takahiro's tears. "He's not gone. He's here with us. He's watching us over like our parents are." Misaki calmly looked up at her brother who weakly smiled at her.
"Come on Misaki. Let's go back." He helped Misaki on her feet and guided her back to the funeral.
One month passed since Akihiko's murder and several people came to the acceptance that Akihiko already became another star to the sky. Misaki however, spent her days in misery at her brother's apartment which is her new home. Every morning, she waits in her bed expecting Akihiko to kiss her good morning. Every night, she expects Akihiko to try to fool around with her. Everything reminded Misaki of Akihiko, but one morning, one particular thing stood out.
Misaki was quietly washing the dishes. Mahiro stared at her back; curious to why his aunt who used to be so cheerful was now silent. All he could hear was the water run continuously and Misaki putting dishes in the drainer; one at a time. He slowly tiptoed to Misaki and tugged on her sweatpants.
"Mitaki?" Misaki heard a little boy's voice call. She turned her lusterless green eyes to him to notify him that she got his attention.
"Can we play?" Mahiro asked.
Misaki turned her head back to the sink and continued to scrub the plate. "I'm busy."
"Mitakiiiiii~" The boy whined as he continued to pull on her sweatpants. Misaki sighed and turned the faucet off. "Alright, what do you want to do?"
"Let's go!" He playfully grabbed Misaki's hand with his two tiny ones to guide her to the front door.
"Eh, you want to play outside?" Misaki asked as she walked towards the door. "Let's get some shoes on first." Before Misaki could even bend over to touch her shoes, she heard someone knocking on the door. She stood straight and looked through the peephole. It was Haruhiko. Misaki's eyes widened as she reflected on her past encounter with Haruhiko; the man who was in love with his little brother's lover. Misaki slowly opened the door to he who stood in front of her in a suit.
"Hello...Misaki."
His voice was deeper than Akihiko's. Anytime he talked, his voice drifted in Misaki's head. Even though she had no romantic feelings for him, she can't help but feel the awkwardness in his presence even though Akihiko was no longer with her.
"Usagi Aniki."
She noticed a huge brown bag and a smaller brown bag Haruhiko was holding in his right hand. He opened the big bag and pulled out something huge in front of Misaki. She gazed at the large brown bear Haruhiko was holding. Tears instantly rolled down her cheeks. She recognized that bear. It wasn't just any bear. It was Akihiko's favorite stuffed bear that he kept at his house, Suzuki. Haruhiko cleared his throat as he handed Misaki the large stuffed bear.
"My family and I were sorting his things," Haruhiko explained. "Then I found this. My father thought about taking it, but I thought it would be better if you had it. To my understanding, your or him changed the bows daily, correct?" He held the smaller bag closer to Misaki. "These are all the bows I could find." Misaki ignored the bag and buried her face into Suzuki. She rubbed and shook her face on Suzuki's stomach. It still had the same smell as Akihiko's apartment.
"Thank you," a muffled response emitted from Misaki's covered mouth. Haruhiko pat Misaki on the head. "Stay strong, Misaki." He then turns away and exits the apartment. Misaki lifted her face from Suzuki and then shut the door slowly. She felt someone tugging Suzuki by its leg. She looked down only to find Mahiro trying to take the bear from her.
"Let go, Mahiro," Misaki growled.
"I want it!," Mahiro demanded. He pulled even harder.
"You're going to rip its leg. Let it go!"
"YOU LET GO!"
"NO, YOU LET GO!" Misaki yanked the bear out of Mahiro's grasp making him fall forward on his knees. Mahiro looked up and gave Misaki one long teary stare. Mahiro whaled making Misaki's angry expression softened to a face of regret. She dropped Suzuki on the ground and picked up Mahiro. She caressed the sad child and sweetly whispered in his ear, "I'm sorry, Mahiro." She sadly looked at Suzuki sitting on the floor. The bear slumped on its side, hitting her head on the floor. Mahiro's loud crying voice faded away as he started to yawn. Misaki looked at the boy rubbing his sleepy eyes. She then shifted to her brother who approached her.
"Who was at the door?," He asked.
"Usami Haruhiko," she answered. "He came to drop something off."
Takahiro looked at Suzuki who was on the ground. "Suzuki?"
"And he dropped her bows off."
"Oh. Well your cell phone kept ringing so I answered. It was this guy named Todo Shinnosuke. He wanted to talk to you."
Misaki swallowed as soon as she heard his name. How long has it been since she talked to him? The guy who had common interests with her; A fellow fan of her favorite comic series. Why did she stop talking to him? She hands Mahiro to her brother.
"Mitaki…," Mahiro uttered weakly.
"I think it's time for his nap," Misaki told Takahiro as she walked to her room.
Once she was in her room, she plopped on her bed and and grabbed her cellphone. She opens her contact lists and stared at the [Todo] kanji. She tapped his name and waited to hear his voice.
"Takahashi?," Shinnosuke answered.
"Hi Todo," Misaki responded in a monotone voice.
"It's been a while. Are you doing okay?"
"Yeah, I'm doing fine."
An unpleasant moment of silence passed. The shy girl clutched her phone and bit her lip not knowing what to say in order to break the silence.
"You want some coffee?," Shinnosuke offered. "And maybe some doughnuts?"
Misaki loosened her grip on her phone. She smiled, "Coffee and Doughnuts sound good."
The sounds of footsteps and conversations filled the peaceful air at Mitsuhashi University. The students and staff were lively as they continued their peaceful days on earth. However, at this table at the cafe of Mitsuhashi, Shinnosuke and Misaki sat silently letting their coffees get cold. She bashfully destroyed the doughnut with her fingertips; bit by bit.
"So uh," Shinnosuke nervously started. He tried his hardest not to say anything to make Misaki sad or uncomfortable. "How's everything?"
"Good…" She immediately responded.
"You eating okay?"
"Yeah…"
"Alrighty then…"
Shinnosuke took a sip of his bitter black coffee watching Misaki impale the cream filled doughnut. He watched the cream bleed out of the treat and sully Misaki's finger.
"You know...Usagi liked doughnuts too," Misaki finally spoke. Shinnosuke broke into a sweat as he listened to Misaki mumble while molesting the doughnut she was supposed to be eating.
"When he was younger, he was prohibited from eating doughnuts so he could live a healthy life. So one day, I bought a box of doughnuts. He was so happy, he got too excited."
"R-really?" Shinnosuke exhaled at the sight of the doughnut being maliciously fingered by the female attacker.
"That day, he took my favorite doughnut out of my hand and held it with his mouth. He knew I couldn't resist taking a bite of like a dog being teased with steak. So I did it."
Misaki's finger movement's sped up as she continued to talk. "I took one bite of the doughnut and the cream filling busted all over his face and clothes. He was so sticky. But we didn't care. We just continued eating doughnuts. He finished mine before I could finish his."
"Takahashi?" Shinnosuke interrupted Misaki. Misaki stopped and looked at pile of crumbs and cream which was once a doughnut. Now the remains were all over her fingers. Misaki sighed and covered her face with her clean hand. "Sorry Todo."
Todo ran his fingers through his hair. "Look, it's only natural for you to feel lost and alone-"
"Long time no see doll!"
The two instantly jerked their heads at the man who interrupted Shinnosuke. He stood before the two slyly smiling like a fox.
"Sumi!?," Misaki shouted at surprise. Sumi picked up Misaki's sticky hand with both of his clean hands. She could feel the warmth of her familiar friend.
"I heard about the death your lover while I was in the U.S.," Sumi said sorrowfully. "You have my condolences." He placed Misaki's hand rubbing the cream and crumbs all over his cheek.
"S-Sumi! My hand is dirty!," Misaki complained. "Your face…"
"Don't worry about that," Sumi responded. "I've longed to be with you again, my close friend." He finished with a soft kiss on her dirty hand. Shinnosuke glared at the strangest greeting he ever saw. "Is this a friend of yours?"
Sumi shifted his attention to the unfamiliar boy. "Oh! I'm Sumi Keiichi. It's nice to meet you," Keiichi introduced himself while he shook Shinnosuke's hand with his dirty hands. Once he was finished, Shinnosuke looked at his dirty and sticky hand. "...Yeah. Likewise. I'm Takahashi's friend, Todo Shinnosuke."
"So, Misaki!," Keiichi grinned at her. "I'm only here for a week so I'm afraid I don't have much time. My friends invited me to party with them at this night club. Why don't you and your friend join me?"
"I... don't know," Misaki replied hesitantly. Keiichi crept towards Misaki and guided her up and out of her chair by her wrists. "I'm not taking 'no' for an answer. Join me!"
"Oh alright," she sighed.
"YAY! I'll be picking you up tonight~"
"I can just meet you and Todo there. I'll be okay."
"No! A pretty girl like you should never walk out in the streets at night by yourself."
Shinnosuke jumped out of his chair and chimed in. "Then I'll pick you up!"
"Okay then! It's settled. I'll text you the address Misaki. See you!" Keiichi walked away leaving the two alone.
"That guy is pretty clingy with you," Shinnosuke said watching Keiichi blending in the crowd of students.
"That's just how he expresses his friendships," Misaki responded. "I think he's gay because he once went through this whole plan to sleep with Usagi and date him."
"Seriously!," Shinnosuke shouted in disbelief. "Talk about a nerve-wracking encounter."
"Yeah, but he still cares. I'm sure he just wants to cheer me up." Misaki was unaware of the fact that Shinnosuke had his eyes on her. He was in pain knowing that the girl he cares a lot about is suffering.
In the evening, Misaki, Shinnosuke, and Keiichi were standing in the middle of the staircase in a room filled with light and color flying in all directions. The music was loud and people from all over the world filled the dance floor; dancing and shouting.
"Not that I'm complaining, but there sure are a lot of foreigners here," Misaki shouted at Keiichi.
"This is actually a popular tourist spot," Keiichi hollered back. "It's also a place where the possibilities of conceiving multiracial Japanese babies start~"
"Gross," Shinnosuke grunted.
"What!?," Keiichi whined. "You don't want any foreign women~ Or maybe foreign men if that's your thing?"
"I already have a girlfriend. Besides, why don't we just stick to dancing or something."
"I-I rather not!," Misaki stuttered. "I'm not much of a dancer! As a matter of fact, I'm thirsty!" The short girl began to swim her way to the bar through the crowd of tall dancers.
"Careful Misaki," Keiichi warned her. "A lot of men from overseas are into cute petite Japanese dolls~"
Keiichi was right. As Misaki traveled to the bar, she garnered a lot of attention from all kinds of men around her. They checked out all of Misaki's features including her chartreuse shirt dress, thigh high boots, wavy hair bound in a ponytail, lip gloss, and so much more. 'Why did I dress myself like this,' Misaki chastised herself. 'I'm getting all kinds of winks, stares, and whistles! They're probably thinking of having one-night stands. Do any of them even speak Japanese?' Misaki then started to think about her Usagi. If he was here, he would be giving everyone the death stare if they dare ever lay eyes on his woman. Misaki started to feel lonely again. She parked herself on the stool in front of the bartender.
"Good evening! What can I get for a pretty brunette like yourself?," the bartender greeted Misaki. One big beautiful green wine bottle sitting on the high shelf behind the bartender caught Misaki's attention. It was the same brand Akihiko introduced Misaki too. It brought up memories of all the times she was intoxicated by both the wine and Akihiko.
"I'll have a glass of that Souviens-Toi de Moi," Misaki pointed at the reminiscent wine bottle.
"Coming right up!"
As Misaki patiently waited for her drink, she heard someone pulling a stool out right next to her. She tried not to face the man who was sitting on the chair next to hers. She felt a large hand being placed on her shoulder making her feel uneasy.
"You alright?" She heard a familiar voice ask. Misaki turned and looked at Shinnosuke feeling relieved.
"Yeah, I'm good," Misaki smiled.
"What did you order?"
"A glass of wine."
"Wine? At a nightclub, people normally order shots or tall mixed drinks."
"Yeah, but it's been a while since I had wine. I'd figure, 'why not?'"
"Here you go!" The bartender handed Misaki her glass and filled it halfway. Misaki took the glass and took a small sip of her flowing red memories. Screw it; that wasn't enough. She chugged the rest of the glass to Shinnosuke's shock. "Takahashi, that's not a very good idea."
"I'll be fine. I know my limit. More please!"
Shinnosuke nervously watched Misaki engulf her second glass. She started to blush and smile cutely while a drop of wine trickled from the corner of her lip. "That was good. I'm starting to enjoy myself." Misaki turned to Shinnosuke while wiping the wine off her mouth with the back of her hand. "Are you going to let me enjoy myself by myself?"
"I guess I'll join you," Shinnosuke chuckled. "I'll have a tall glass of the Western Highball!"
"Sure!" the bartender happily replied.
"Mind if I join the two of you?" Keiichi asked.
"Sure! Let's all have fun!" Misaki suggested as she rose her third glass of wine.
After hours of fun and countless drinks, the three finally emerged from the loud colorful room of careless fun. The trio giggled to their heart's content.
"Man I had a lot of fun tonight," Keiichi beamed. "It was pretty interesting watching Misaki get hammered." Misaki bursted out of laughter.
"You know what's really funny," Misaki slurred her question. "When I drink, normally I go nighty-night! the next morning, I wake up in a castle! And there...he was…"
"Who?," Keiichi responded. "Usami Akihiko?"
"NOPE! It was Sebastian!"
"Sebastian?," Shinnosuke repeated out of curiosity.
"Oh I'm sorry!," Misaki changed her voice to sound deeper. "It's Tanaka." Misaki giggled to herself at her own mistake.
"I'm not going to lie, I'm a little tipsy myself," Shinnosuke bashfully confessed. "My girlfriend is not going to be happy."
"Well don't tell her," Misaki responded. "What she won't know won't kill her. Finding out your boyfriend is drunk is much better than….finding out…..he's gone." Misaki was caught by Shinnosuke and Keiichi on each side before she fell and hit the ground.
"I knew this wasn't a good idea," Shinnosuke complained. "She's too small to drink that much."
"Let's take her to my hotel room at Teito," Keiichi suggested. He picked up Misaki's unconscious body. "It'll be better for her if she finds somewhere to crash for now."
After walking for about ten minutes, they finally reached Keiichi's room. Keiichi placed the sleeping girl on the bed while Shinnosuke plopped on the couch. "What a night."
"I'll say," Keiichi responded. "I'm going to the bathroom."
"Sorry for causing you so much trouble," Shinnosuke apologized.
Keiichi smiled and then turned away. "Hehe, your cute."
Shinnosuke and Misaki were finally alone in the quiet spacious room. Keiichi stared at Misaki while she slept.
"Takahashi?" Shinnosuke whispered. "I'm really sorry for your lost. I wish I was there for you."
"Nghhh…," Misaki moaned. "It's...not your fault, Todo." She slowly pulled herself up off the bed. Misaki struggled to walk towards Shinnosuke. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you." He wanted to help her walk but he just sat there frozen. His body wouldn't move. Once she was close, Misaki tumbled onto Shinnosuke's laps.
"Are you alright," Shinnosuke panicked.
"It'll be...alright," Misaki murmured. Shinnosuke placed his hand on top of Misaki's silky head. Misaki felt theShinnosuke's hand rub her head. "Your hand is cold, Usagi."
Shinnosuke jerked his hand back as soon as he heard Akihiko's nickname.
"I remember, I told you one day, I'll make the first move," Misaki said as if she was talking to Usagi. She planted her head on Shinnosuke's left thigh while she massaged his crotch.
"E-Ehhhh," Shinnosuke gaped. "Mi-Mi-Misaki! I'm not- You got the wrong-!" Shinnosuke froze as blood rushed from his body and gathered at his member. His girlfriend never did this to him. Misaki started to feel the rock hard target crying for attention. Her strokes immediately ended. Shinnosuke looked down wondering what made Misaki stop teasing his aroused manhood.
"Prepare yourself." She demanded. "I finally have the courage."
Ziiiiiip~
