A/N: Time sure flies! Exams are already here *Don't tell, I haven't really started studying...*

Anyhow, this is obviously a continuation of the previous chapter where Akihiko calls Nowaki up! Though with this chapter I'm not sure if anyone is still going to like me... I'm sorry in advance. I still promise a happy ending, really, really happy! Please keep reading :)


"…Yes…" why on earth was the famous author calling him of all people? Nowaki's heart was racing, either because he was anxious or scared. There was absolutely no connection between himself and Akihiko aside from knowing Hiroki. A million reasons for the call raced through his mind as he listened to the static on the phone, or rather the soundless call and the author's breathing.

"Have you spoken to Hiroki at all?" the man finally asked, his deep voice somehow surprising the younger.

"We haven't." Nowaki replied.

"Ah I thought so." The man said simply, "I met with him earlier this week and thought I should call."

To say the least, Nowaki appreciated a call from someone but Akihiko Usami was definitely the very last person he'd expected a call from. Hiroki was the second on the list of least to call. Still, hearing that the man saw Nowaki's previous love was unsettling. Had something happened between them and the man wanted to let Nowaki know? Personally he didn't need to hear something like that.

"That's very thoughtful of you…" Nowaki attempted to sound sincere but failed.

"I'm sorry, I seem to have given you the wrong impression… I'm merely passing on some news that I believe you should consider, as I have." Akihiko began, "I'm sure you've done something and regretted it so badly you wanted to take everything back and start over, right?"

Nowaki despite being confused answered, "Yes?"

"Hiroki is about to do something awful to himself. I tried talking him out of it the whole night because I know he'll live to regret it for the rest of his life." Nowaki wanted to get to the point, the author continued, "Earlier this year, his parents sent him marriage candidates. He's chosen one."

"…What? Is this some kind of sick joke? I'm sorry, but this isn't very…" Nowaki couldn't believe it.

Hiroki marrying someone? Nowaki's heart was racing faster and faster than before, he felt sick to his stomach.

Hiroki, sitting in a small café, read a thick leather-bound book. He was dressed casually but at the same time formal. He inwardly sighed when he was distracted by something passing; realizing that reading in public was harder than normal. Since taking a break from teaching, he found himself with a certain peace of mind. There was plenty of time to think about the details of his everyday life. He still kept in touch with the university to keep track of what was being taught in his absence.

"Hello." A voice spoke from behind him, he turned.

A young woman, long wavy black hair neatly flowing behind her, looked down at Hiroki with her brown almond shaped eyes. She offered him a small smile before sitting down in front of him.

"You must be Noriko." He said before closing his book and looking up at her.

"Yes, and you Hiroki." She laughed, "I'm glad to finally meet you in person."

"Same." He nodded, kept nodding until he realized he still was.

I obviously can't do this… it's so damn clear that she'd have to be stupid not to notice. This is the worst…

"Are you alright?" she asked, probably not to embarrass him.

"Yes I'm fine." He smiled, "I'm sorry, I suppose I just feel out of it. I took time off from work and I'm not used to it…"

"Ah having time to think to yourself? All of a sudden you're surrounded by noise and then, bam, there's absolutely no sound at all. Right?"

She spoke from experience she explained. She'd done the same a few years back when she was unable to fully concentrate on the many things going on in her life. Admitting at the same time she found it lonely but quite helpful.

"Anyhow…it's not about me this time," she laughed, "it's about us."

The word shocked him, us, us…

Hiroki looked around the room slowly, seeing nothing but couples cuddling or just talking. He never thought he'd actually go through with his parent's wishes and somehow regretted getting the girl before him involved in his own problems. She was nice and evidently very caring but… how could Hiroki put it? It just didn't feel the same way. Her eyes wandered his way for a second, Hiroki's meeting hers before she looked away suddenly.

Am I crazy? Why do people even do stuff like this? Marrying someone without even knowing them or dating them… what would Nowaki think of this? Heh, he'll never know that's for sure.

"Are you feeling alright?" Noriko asked with a tilt of her head, allowing for her black hair to fall over her shoulder, "We can come back."

"No, no…" Hiroki assured her, "I'm just a little distracted is all."

She tucked her hair back and smiled, "Well if you say so…" before leaning forward excitedly, "So any past girlfriends I should know about?"

"Err…" when had he actually had a long lasting relationship with a girl? Nowaki was by far the longest… "Why the sudden question?"

"Curiosity, after all… we hardly know each other. I thought this would be a good place to start." Again she flashed him a smile, "I've had plenty of relationships, though nothing even close to being serious. You?"

"I've had one serious," Hiroki leaned to the side, "we went out for seven years."

Noriko's eyes widened, "No way! That's like, almost being married!"

Somehow the picture of Nowaki and him married bothered Hiroki, but made him laugh inwardly.

"I suppose." He answered.

"Why… didn't you marry her?" Noriko asked grimly.

"She… perhaps wasn't the right person." He replied, not meaning it at all. Surprising himself at how he really didn't mean it at all.

"Oh…" the female nodded, "That's too bad."

The evening continued on for quite some time, later than Hiroki originally thought. Noriko apparently had lots to say about her life and simply everything about her job and living style. She even went as far as the clothes she wore when not working. Hiroki listened the whole time but eventually couldn't help but zoning out and thinking of other things. It'd been around that time Noriko admitted with a small smile that she should have been going home. He offered to take her home but the girl politely refused and told him she'd be taking a cab on the next busy road. Feeling bad he waited until she grabbed a taxi.

Before getting in, she turned to him, "I had a really nice time tonight."

"Me too." He smiled before being surprised by a peck to his cheek.

She giggled at his expression before jumping into the taxi and driving off.

"What are you doing at my door?" Hiroki asked.

A familiar man looked at him from his leaning position on the wall next to Hiroki's door. It'd been a while since seeing the other.

"Huh Shinoda?"

Shinoda chuckled, "Oh nothing. Found out from a little birdie where you just so happened to live."

Hiroki sighed and breathed in sharply, walking to his door quickly. The very last person he needed to see was Shinoda or anyone for that matter. It was already enough he'd agreed to marry to please his parents. More distractions… he hardly needed that.

"Please Hiroki," Shinoda leaned on the door then, "I came here to apologize. I was truly wrong taking advantage of you."

"Fine. Now get out of my way." He tried shoving the other away, only to be stopped.

"I thought I should tell you something." Hiroki waited for the other to continue, "Your old boyfriend is going out with someone now."

Nowaki going out with someone hardly concerned him… it was the boy's business to go out with whomever he wanted to. Hiroki had broken up with him.

"Great. Move."

"Ah, ah…" Shinoda placed a finger to Hiroki's lips, "but it hardly means I'm finished with you…"

"I am." Hiroki affirmed roughly, pushing everything of Shinoda away, "I'm getting married, so stay away."

"Married?" Shinoda scoffed, "That hardly stops me!"

"Get the hell away from me!" Hiroki shouted, "I'm tired of having to deal with all of these mixed feelings! Weren't you the one apologizing to me about all the things you did?"

Shinoda, suddenly changing from mocking to serious, nodded. He scratched his head and momentarily paused before standing up properly. He made a move to Hiroki before looking away and turning completely from the other man.

"I'll leave."

"Huh?" Hiroki said skeptically.

"You're right. I'm making the same mistake as then… except now I'm not taking pity on you." Shinoda explained, "Perhaps you'll understand my feelings later. As for the marriage, good luck with that. I hope you aren't using her as an escape route in attempt to forget everything you've done."

The moment Hiroki wanted to turn back to yell at the other, Shinoda was already long gone.


A few days later Nowaki stared up at the building before him, in his mind thanking Usami Akihiko for the address. Without the famous author he would have never found the place hidden by trees and other business buildings. He supposed it was like that saying if one needed to hide a tree it was better off in a forest… perhaps.

As he made his way to the door someone stopped him.

"Can I help you?" she asked, her black hair tied in a high bun.

Nowaki pointed to the door he stood in front of, "Do you live here?"

"No, I'm only visiting for today." She smiled sweetly, "My boyfriend is the one who lives here."

"Ah…" was all he could say before scratching the back of his head; "I-I must have the wrong place then…"

"Here come in, you can ask Hiroki- my boyfriend- about whoever you might be looking for." She pulled him in, Nowaki stammering as he walked in with her.

The girl with her arm linked with his, pulling him in… so it was Hiroki's fiancée. Nowaki stared at her cheerful face from the corner of his eye. She was familiar, probably because he'd seen her picture among all of the ones Hiroki had left lying around.

She pushed him further into the decent sized apartment, dropping the bag of groceries that Nowaki had failed to first notice in the kitchen.

"Noriko?" a voice inquired from another room, "Is someone with you?"

"Sorry I came a little earlier Hiroki." she began, "This man is looking for someone, so I thought you'd be better to talk to him."

There came a sigh in response, "I only just moved here…" before he came into sight.

As he walked in, Hiroki immediately saw the other. Noriko stood next to him with her arm still linked to his. Nowaki on the other hand, felt as if he'd made a mistake by showing up. Especially when the other's fiancée was present. How was he supposed to talk with him?

Suddenly Noriko noticed the exchange of odd glances and clapped her hands together, "So you were looking for Hiroki- weren't you?"

Hiroki sighed again and scratched his head, "We were… friends in college."

Nowaki smiled, "I heard the news from Usami-san. I thought I'd drop by since we haven't seen each other in a while."

"H-he told you? What an idiot." Hiroki frowned, "Well I'm glad to see you again."

"You sure don't look the part." Noriko grimaced and went towards the kitchen, "I'll make dinner for all of us… so you two go talk about everything!"

The two walked to the balcony, Hiroki quickly closing the door so Noriko wouldn't hear their conversation. For quite a while they stood leaning on the ramp and enjoyed the breeze, both liking the silence and calm atmosphere.

"When did he call you?" Hiroki asked suddenly.

"A few days ago," Nowaki replied, "he gave me the address as well but… well, I didn't expect to see…"

"Noriko." Hiroki breathed.

"Hiro-san," the other flinched at being called that name, "why are you doing this?"

"Moving forward." Came the cold reply, "I told you to do the same, so why aren't you?"

"I am!" the younger cried, "I'm doing everything I can."

"No, you're moving back. Coming to see me is proof of that."

"Hiro-san…" Nowaki wanted to hold the other, but refrained, "I still love you, so much but…"

"But what?" Hiroki laughed bitterly, "I told you didn't I? We're done."

"I'm sorry… I don't accept it." Nowaki whispered.

"Well you'll have to."

"I won't."

"Why the hell are you so stubborn about this? I'm so damn tired of seeing you and hearing whether you accept or not. We don't go out anymore." Hiroki kept his eye on Noriko in the kitchen, who appeared to be oblivious to their talk and waved every now and then. Hiroki knew they had to keep their voices down.

"Shut the hell up!" Nowaki shouted all of a sudden, making the other jump, "You know you can't stop thinking of me, like I can't stop thinking of you. The person who claims he loves me wants to become a replacement for you but how, how can he do so when I merely think of you?"

Nowaki had basically said something similar in the past, when he and Hiroki had first met. Back then he thought of his love for Akihiko and Nowaki wanted to replace it as much as possible. Now Nowaki was in a similar situation.

"Then why don't you start dating him or her?" Hiroki mumbled.

"I can't." replied the younger.

"Why not?"

"You know why."

"Nowaki, I'm getting married." Hiroki huffed.

"Which is why I'm here to stop you." He took a step closer to the other, making Hiroki panic.

"W-what are you doing you huge idiot?" he stammered.

"Could I stay here tonight?"

"Huh?" Hiroki appeared confused, "Of course you can't!"

"Why not Hiroki?" Noriko asked while opening the door, "I'm not staying over."

"You aren't?"

"No I just got asked out by a bunch of my friends from school I haven't seen in years. So why don't you spend the night with Nowaki-kun who came all the way here?"

"Uh… yeah, I suppose that's fine." No it wasn't fine but Hiroki couldn't possibly say that to Noriko.

"So what have you been doing lately Nowaki?" Hiroki asked later when the two were sitting on the couch.

"Working at the hospital, I don't spend much time at home." He spoke quietly but sadly. He never wanted to spend time at home, always afraid of the dark rooms and silence.

He doesn't go home much even now huh? "I see… that's good."

"How about you?"

"You know, thinking to myself and arranging this marriage." He laughed despite knowing he upset the other by the minute.

"Hiro-san…"

"Don't Nowaki." Hiroki said, "I know what you'll say and I…"

Instead of talking, Nowaki simply leaned over to rest his head on the other's shoulders. Hiroki's eyes widened quickly, his body tensing up but soon relaxing when the other remained the way he was. His head lay close to Hiroki's neck, his eyes gazing at the reflection of the two in the window. As the moment went on they both ended up leaning back into the couch and staying the way they were. Nothing happened but the two felt their hearts racing faster than ever before.

Slowly, the younger reached for the other's hand. Aware of the movement, Hiroki slapped the hand away and was about to tell the other off. As soon as he moved his head his mind and heart froze. Small tears escaped the other, staining his mostly hair hidden face.

Nowaki wasn't sure if it was sadness or frustration. Perhaps both mixed together. The whole idea of a marriage made him want to hit the other man senseless but he knew he could never do it. After all, Hiroki's happiness was what mattered the most… but didn't Nowaki deserve some kind of happiness as well? As the tears slid off his face, it was all he could think of. He merely wanted the other back in his arms, to belong to him, to stay with him… Nowaki didn't want to be alone.

"H-Hey," Hiroki placed a shaking hand on Nowaki's head, "you okay?"

"Just tired…" he breathed out in a low whisper.

Hiroki adjusted his head so it lay atop Nowaki's, "Don't work yourself so hard. I'm not going to be there every time to bring you to a hospital."

"Haha…" the younger laughed weakly, feeling tears forming once more at the corner of his eyes. Had he ever cried in front of the other in their long relationship? He couldn't recall feeling upset since he had been truly happy… "I suppose not."

Then he noticed something on Hiroki's skin, where his shirt was slightly lifted. Scars. If they were the ones Nowaki knew, they most likely ran over his ribs. Horrible memories of their last moment together flushed through his mind, making his finger run along the lines. Hiroki shuddered before moving away and walking towards the small kitchen.

"I'm sorry." Nowaki lowered his head.

Instead of blowing a fuse, to Nowaki's surprise, Hiroki simply smiled in response before disappearing from view temporarily. He returned a few minutes later with an old looking book held tightly in his hands.

Keeping his eyes on it, Nowaki asked, "What is it?"

"Something I meant to give you a while ago… though I honestly just finished it recently." The elder laughed, "Don't read it here. I'll kill you if you do… it's nothing really that special, just something I've been putting together for the past seven years."

It was handed over slowly, Nowaki feeling the book's full weight in his hands. As he stood up, Hiroki wrapped his arms around the other. There was a long moment of silence between them. Neither wanted to ruin the minutes that quickly passed them by, both feeling more content than they had in a long time. Soon enough, too fast to Nowaki, Hiroki pulled away and turned away from the other.

"I know you came to stop me." He said quietly, "Akihiko was against it just as much as you are now. I never thought I'd be doing this Nowaki, since I thought my love life was completely screwed up in the past, especially with you showing up and turning my life into a freakin' tornado. With this wedding, many things are going to change."

Nowaki suddenly felt afraid, "Hiro-san…"

Still turned away, Hiroki continued, "I was sort of happy that you came to find me today, because I actually wanted to see you before…"

"No…" Nowaki took a step forward.

"With this," Hiroki turned to look at the other in the eyes, "I'm finally saying goodbye. No more lingering feelings or regrets. This is the last time we'll ever see each other."


A/N: Noriko is a character I made up in a few minutes, nothing really special there. She's like... the worst character I have ever thought up because I don't have much of a personality for her... *bows to character Noriko* I'm sorry but maybe one day I'll work on you further.

Shinoda is back to cause trouble and poor Nowaki gets a book and is told he'll never see Hiro-san again!

Anyone else watch Sekai Ichi Hatsukoi? I'm thinking up another drama for that series... including another FanFic for Misaki and Akihiko :3

-Aki