It was a cloudy day…according to the weather report, there's a storm coming.

J gets a letter and reads it before throwing it on the table.

"Hah?! A challenge letter?!" Haruto yells.

J nods before sighing.

"You aren't going, are you?" Hotaru asks.

"It's obviously a trap…" J states, "But I still have to go."

"Huh?"

"If you know then…" Haruto wants to argue but is interrupted.

"If Senpai wants to end this, then I should end it…" J says, his face blank.

"But…" Hotaru frowns.

J smiles, "I'll be fine… I'll call after I'm done, so don't worry."

Haruto sighs, "Fine…but after 16:00 if we don't hear from you…"

Patting his friend on the shoulder, J says, "I know…"

As the others leave, J walks to his challenge.


At an abandoned warehouse…

J enters, and sees his Senpai along with several thugs. Ten…twenty…thirty…fifty thugs.

"Welcome! You made it!" Senpai claps his hands.

Sighing, J says, "Let's get started…you said you wanted to settle this, right?"

Senpai smiles, "Oh…I intend to… Get him!"

The thugs surround J and start swinging their fists, weapons, etc. J's skilled enough to dodge them and fight back.

That is…until one of them pulls a knife on J and stabs J in the back. J turns around and kicks the guy off, the knife slipping out and falling onto the ground as J bled.

The blood stained J's clothes before flowing onto the floor. Angered, J's red aura comes out and he goes all out on the remaining thugs.

When the fight as over, J was covered in bloodstains, his clothes ripped up in places and dirty, but still standing, panting.

The thugs, however, were either knocked out cold or groaning in pain. Senpai was trembling in fear facing J, who looked like a monster to him.

"You…what are you?" Senpai yells as he tries to find a way out.

J only sighs, "Does this settle our score yet?"

Senpai nods furiously, "Yes! It's settled! You win…so…I'll leave you alone, OK?"

J glares at him, "Scram…other than school…never let me see your face again."

"Hai!" Senpai yells as he runs away.

Shaking his head and sighing, J runs a hand through his hair, feeling a cold sweat. As he walks toward the entrance of the warehouse, he sees that's it's already raining heavily.

As the adrenaline was starting to wear off, J walks out, the rain feeling good on his face. He went into a nearby wooded area, and leaned against a tree, his back aching in pain. Panting, feeling all the pain he suffered, J rests against the tree, the rain thoroughly soaking him.

Closing his eyes, 'I'm tired…closing my eyes for a minute should be OK, right?' J passes out right after.


Meanwhile…

Haruto's pacing inside Café de Wayne, anxious. He checks the time. 16:30 PM.

"J…I hope he's OK…" Haruto frowns.

"What're you worried about?" Tachibana asks.

"J…got a challenge letter today…and he hasn't come back yet…" Haruto explains, "It's 16:30, he should be back by now…"

"Well…don't worry. J's strong. He can handle himself in a fight. Maybe he just forgot to call you…," Tachibana tries to assure him.

Haruto sighs, "I hope you're right…"


Meanwhile…

Hayakawa was finishing his last delivery when he sees something shiny in the woods. Curious, he went toward it, only to see J leaning against a tree, his eyes closed, uniform dirty, soaked and shredded, blood on the corner of J's mouth.

"J?" Hayakawa calls out to him but gets no response. He went up to J and felt his pulse, 'Still breathing…' he sighs in relief. He hauls J off the tree, leaning his head against his shoulder…when he noticed the wound on J's back, he narrowed his eyes. 'Stab wound… but it's not very deep. I'm surprised he hasn't bled out yet…'

Picking J up, he runs home.


When home, Hayakawa put J gently onto the bed, J's head on a pillow before stripping him. His clothes were soaked, and so was J, his black hair dripping water. Getting the first aid kit, Hayakawa treated J's wounds, applying disinfectant and bandages. J never even stirred once.

Once done with the treatment, Hayakawa felt J's forehead, which was burning hot. 'Fever…probably from being in the rain too long.'

He puts a blanket over J before getting medicine. Then, he gets a phone call, "Hello?… Yeah… Actually, J's with me… Did he now?… Hai. I'll take care of him here… You're welcome. Bye."

Sighing, Hayakawa goes back to the room where J is with the medicine. Sitting on the bed by J's side, Hayakawa watches him sleep. "You've very troublesome…" he says before opens J's mouth, popping a pill into it. Getting some water, Hayakawa gulps some before closing his lips on J's, making J drink and swallow the pill.

"Haa…" Hayakawa pants he parts his lips from J's. J still isn't responding… Putting a hand on his head, 'What am I doing?' he asks himself before going to take a hot shower.

The rain was still pouring heavily, and thunder sounds.


When J woke up, he slowly opened his eyes, "Where am I?"

"In my bed, in my apartment," Hayakawa answers.

J looks to the side, seeing Hayakawa shirtless on the bed, right by his side. Sitting up, J blinks, the sound of roaring rain in his ears.

"Are you OK?" Hayakawa asks.

J puts a hand on his head, "Yeah…" Then he notices, "Why am I…"

"I found you passed out and leaning against a tree…You were soaked, so I put your clothes in the laundry after I patched you up," Hayakawa says as he puts his hand on J's forehead, "Good…your fever went down."

"Thank you…" J mutters.

"Care to tell me why you went to a fight with no backup?" Hayakawa frowns.

J chuckles, "You can't protect me forever, you know… Besides, I handled it."

"By 'handled it' you mean getting stabbed, injured, and exhausted to the point that you passed out and got a fever?" Hayakawa glares.

"That's not what I…!" J tries to retort.

"But it happened…" Hayakawa sighs, "Why can't you let me help and protect you?"

J keeps silent, gripping the sheets. Hayakawa asks again, "Why can't you let me protect you? I need a reason, J…"

J trembles before he says it, "If you died…if you died protecting me...because of me...I'd never forgive myself! I hate myself enough for not being strong enough …to protect myself or you…so, I'd rather you not protect me all the time, or at all!"

Hayakawa's eyes widen in shock at this before frowning, "J… I'd protect you even if you didn't need or want it. That's how devoted I am to my vow."

"Don't protect me out of duty," J glares, red-faced with tears threatening to spill.

Hayakawa smiles as he puts his hand on J's cheek, using his thumb to wipe away the tears, "It's not just out of a sense of duty…" He kisses J, deepening it as J closes his eyes, giving in.

When Hayakawa pulls back, he pants heavily. J stares at him, blushing from his cheeks to his ears.

Hayakawa smiles, "Do I need a reason to protect the one I love?"

J hides under the covers, making a cocoon around himself, making Hayakawa chuckle, "I fed you medicine for your fever too…"

"At least it wasn't a suppository…" J mutters.

"Ah…I actually do have those. Do you want…" Hayakawa teases.

"No!" J yells.

Laughing, Hayakawa prompts a hand on his chin as lightning flashes. He reaches under the covers, pulling J into his arms.

J's frozen stiff before Hayakawa licks his ear, causing J to shudder. Sighing and giving up, J relaxes in Hayakawa's hold.

Hayakawa smiles as he pulls the covers over them, "Just know that if you get sick again, I'll use the suppositories."

"Just let me sleep…" J mutters as he ignores that and closes his eyes, quickly falling asleep.

Hayakawa nods, "OK…" as he too falls asleep.


In the morning, the storm had passed, the sky blue and sun shining. There was even a rainbow out.

J woke up first, still trapped in Hayakawa's hold, but comfortable. J blushes as he pecks Hayakawa's cheek…then he feels a hand squeezing his. Hayakawa smiles at him, sparkling.

"You were awake?!" J yells as he puts his face in his hands, embarrassed.

Hayakawa says, still sparkling, "Yeah…You're very cute."

J groans as Hayakawa took J's hands and kissed his fingers...before giving J a good morning kiss.

Later, the two end up dating. That Senpai also got expelled and was never heard from again. As for the suppositories... Well, let's just say J did get sick once again, much to Hayakawa's pleasure.