Hello everyone, Hooded-Nerd again!
To start things off, I would like to say, that it was a bad idea to end things with a cliffhanger when you don't even got anything written for the next chapter T-T
It took longer for me to update than I expected, but that's what you get for not having a single word to start the next chapter.
As for updates I would like to say that I'll try to update soon but don't get you're hopes up (I'll explain more at the end) but as of now I'll try to update soon enough that you won't have to wait as long as with the actual SIH manga {Believe me, I'm waiting too O.O}
That's all I have to say for right now, enjoy!
*I DON NOT OWN SEKAI-ICHI HATSUKOI* only OC ._.
"O-Oda" the man spoke in a low, breathy tone almost missed by the ears of the pale man before him.
Stopping in his tracks the brunette stared at the mortified editor, "O...da?" he repeated with a slight tilt of his becoming more obliviously innocent than before.
Finally snapping out of his shocked state the editor had finally regained control over his own body just to then walk to short steps and wrapped his arms around the brunette's petite frame.
"Ta-Ta-Takano-san, w-what are y-you doing?" the brunette stuttered in complete and utter confusion.
Burying his face into the shorter's shoulder, "I thought I lost you forever," the editor whispered.
"T-Takano-san! I don't know what you're talking about?!" the brunette exclaimed with a fiery red face,
Grabbing the small, fragile shoulders of the brunette's, causing the young librarian assistant to squeak under the sudden grip, Takano looked straight into the younger's eyes. Honey amber meeting clear emerald, it was undeniable to the editor this was his first love.
Trying to distract himself from the intense eye contact he was given by his neighbor the brunette shifted his gaze to many things in the room, unlike there was anything left to look at. Glancing from wall to wall face glowing red, noticing how close the older was to his face the brunette stuttered, "Y-You're t-too c-c-close T-Takano-san."
"You really are Oda," the editor mumbled as continued staring ignoring the brunette's statement.
Blinking rapidly trying to gain the concept of this situations, "E-Eh?"
Realizing how the brunette was at a complete loss with no hint of recognition sparking in those familiar green eyes, he questioned why the brunette could not remember him.
Taking this moment to escape the situation the brunette backed away from the editor's grasp after realizing that his neighbor's grip loosened, "G-Gomen, T-Takano-san, but O-Obaasan needs me for arranging books," the brunette stuttered clutching his chest, oddly, out of breath, more than before.
Before asking what was the matter the flustered brunette slipped by before making a speed walk towards the main buildings doorway. Missing by an inch the editor went after the pale man still grasping why his first love didn't remember.
Walking through the door leading back into the main building, Takano found that the library was empty with a glaring old woman and no brunette in sight. Looking around the grand room in confusion the editor looked at the seemingly angered Librarian.
"Oi, young man, what did you say to Ritsu back there?" the old woman said with a menacing stare and voice of a overprotective mother, "The boy looked more confused than ever before and ran faster than I could blink with an expression I've never seen?"
"Hah?" the editor replied, dumbfounded of the current situation oblivious of what he stirred inside the brunette.
Sizing up the dark haired man once again, "Before you go after my Ritsu tell me what happened back there and quick for he can take his pills," the old woman remarked in an icy tone.
"Now why do you need to know?" the man retorted wanting to keep his personal business to himself.
Glaring daggers at the young man, "Now listen here, Takano-kun, this boy is not as healthy as he may seem. Spiking up his emotions can cause his heart to go wild and send his whole mind haywire, that's why he was kept here for his own safety. We might not know if he had already passed out from what you caused to stir within his mind. I have known that boy for nearly four years now and he wasn't the happiest sunflower in the field when we first met with an attitude and expression of a near suicidal. Having to get close to the boy was hard and now he seems to be like a son I never had, so anything involving with Ritsu is always my business!"
Staring wide eyed at the woman seeing a mix of anger, concern, and worry in her steel gray eyes for wanting to keep a man she didn't know her whole life but after sharing many experiences felt the need to protect not caring who she was lecturing or shouting at just for the protection of a sick man who grew to feel like a son.
Feeling quite ashamed of himself the editor finally spoke, "I believe we met during high school, Ritsu was a very important person to me but-"
"Wait, you met Ritsu in high school?" the old Librarian interrupted with eyes wide revealing shock, "As in a Tokyo, Japan high school?"
Noticing the seemingly shocked expression the man nodded in response, "Yes, we went to the same high school in Japan? He being a first year and I being a third, but due to some unknown circumstances he disappeared without leaving a clue of some sort telling where he went."
Silent for a minute the old woman continued staring at the editor with eyes wide as an owl, "Was Ritsu around the age of fifteen when this said 'unkown circumstances' happened?"
'Yes, I believe so," the editor answered trying to keep things to a minimum.
Examining the only standing man the old woman spoke in a hushed tone, "Did Ritsu get involved in a accident before said 'unknown circumstances' arrived causing him to 'dissappear' from you?"
Eyes widening once again the man stared up at the aging woman, "How do you know that?"
"I told you before, Takano-kun, I became fairly close to the boy and we have no secrets to hide. Now go get Ritsu and I'll go prepare some tea we need to talk things through," the lone Librarian stood from her seat as Takano began striding towards the door exit. "Oh and Takano one thing I need to tell you, since you probably met him when he was in the hospital that boy has still not remembered a thing from before the accident occurred, Ritsu doesn't even remember how the accident happened. So keep in mind that the boy has not remembered you or whatever kind of relationship you two use to have."
Staring as the old woman walked towards the door leading into her so-called 'home' the editor stood in disbelief. Having to finally remember that his first love had actually forgotten him when he woke up from his small coma in shock and sadness the teen was told to only visit the recovering brunette only when he was asleep for it won't put a strain on his healing mind.
Remembering that one memory and what he was told the editor felt like he had scared the clueless brunette and should have explained better to what was going on in his head then automatically heading into conclusion.
Keeping that in mind the editor soon enough was already outside the isolated building. Turning left instead of right for heading right would lead to going down the stone stairway, Takano went towards the small lush forest that grew around the building and seeing as the colors of the trees were changing from red, brown, yellow, and orange from the Fall season arriving the editor could hear the crunching of leaves under his feet as he stepped on old, dried out, fallen leaves.
Searching through the coloring trees, Takano stood still when he noticed a little pond near a single tree dyed the color orange. The small pond took the shape of a lima bean with rocks instead of soil as it's walls and flooring a good four feet at length and one and a half feet at width with the depth being half a foot. Solid rock stood at one corner of the pond with a small slit between the rocks where a clear stream of water flowed out like a miniature waterfall creating a soothing sound of running water. Walking closer towards the peaceful the editor realized that there was a small fished swimming in the pond living off bugs or the algae growing off the rocky interior of the pond.
Noticing a very pale hand resting on the dying grass from the chilling weather, the shojo editor walked towards the tree to notice a limp brunette resting against the lone tree. Head lolled to his left shoulder hair lightly swaying in the light wind and breaths softly entering and leaving out his slightly parted lips. Lashes still long and luscious, fluttering every now and then from a dream he would be having. This scene brought back memories to the editor during his high school days, no matter what the situation his first love would always sleep in the oddest times and circumstances but after ten years it only seems that the brunette had slept more often.
Crouching down to the brunette's level, Takano brushed a strand of the pale man's hair from his long bangs, the hair keeping it's quite soft and silky feel from long ago, smiling sadly the man could see the same youthful teen face that he fell in love with. Thinking over these things the editor wished he should have taken more time to cherish small things like this back when they were teens and still in high school.
Noticing the brunette beginning to stir the editor knew he had to stop for this moment would have surely freaked the waking brunette out. Standing erect again the dark haired man looked down at the pale man before taking a slight breath to speak, "Oi, Sakurai, wake up," tasting weird in the man's mouth after figuring out the brunette's identity, Takano forced himself not to say the man's believed to be actual surname.
Eyes snapping open at the realization of the owner of the voice who spoke the brunette stared up to see an emotionless face, at that the brunette suddenly stood up to create a good distance between the two for he was still unsure what his neighbor was thinking but the editor stopped him.
"I'm very sorry for scaring you back there but I promise I won't do it again, so don't act like I'm a crazy monster," the taller man promised.
Staring at the dark haired man for a few seconds, Ritsu believed his neighbor's words and got close enough to not enter the other's personal space. Still slightly frightened from the man's doing the brunette mainly focused on calming his racing heart, he was lucky enough that he didn't pass out but managed to ease it to a nap.
"Tsubaki wants you to go back into the building for you can take your pills and talk, so if you want to stay 'stable' go back now," the editor spoke in the same low and serious tone before turning around and heading back towards the front entrance of the library.
Following the taller man, the brunette held his head down not knowing what to say in this moment feeling that the atmosphere between the two had suddenly changed ever since his neighbor had told him nonsense. Thinking back over what the shojo editor said, curious of what he meant in his words, the younger clutched his fist before pausing in his step, "Ta-Takano-san w-what were you t-talking about b-back there?"
Stiffening at the question asked by the brunette, the editor stopped walking and stood still, "Why you're asking?"
Jumping by being answered with another question the younger replied, "B-Because y-you seem to have really c-cared for O-Oda," he stuttered.
Glancing back thinking over the consequences of answering honestly the editor thought over his next words carefully before answering, "It's nothing, just mistaken you for someone else, sorry."
Raising his head the brunette stared wide eyed at the back of the man walking ahead, he was convinced that the dark haired man was hiding something but wouldn't say it aloud and also curious of why the composed editor was so fixated on 'Oda' the brunette asked, "Who is Oda? D-did he look like me?"
Stopping once again in his step, the editor didn't want to get too deep into the subject for it would only cause things to end badly or the opposite along with the old Librarian ordered to just bring back her assistant and nothing else, "It's nothing just come one, that old woman is impatient."
Telling that the man was attempting to avoid the question the brunette stood his ground, getting irritated by the way his neighbor was trying to avoid a subject that made the brunette jump when the editor mentioned it with a relieved expression. "Takano-san, you're hiding something aren't you?"
Letting out an irritated sigh the editor spoke, "Your 'Obaasan' would like to chat about this when we get back into the building so just be patient, and I told you before, I might just have been mistaken."
"I'm just curious, since you mistaken me for him so it's my business to know who he is, maybe I can help in finding him," the brunette remarked.
After a few seconds of silence, the younger man couldn't tell what the other was thinking and before he knew it he was staring into honey hazel eyes. Eyes growing wide at this sudden personal invasion, the brunette just stared back at the analyzing amber eyes.
"You really don't remember do you?" the editor questioned in an almost pained tone.
Staring back at the older man, Sakurai was at a loss of words, "R-Remember?"
Shaking his head the editor turned away, "Nevermind, just come on," the man replied coldly.
Going after the suddenly cold editor, the brunette reached out for the man's hand, realizing that he was more involved then he originally thought he was, the brunette grabbed for the other's hand, "Takano-san!"
Just when the brunette grasped hold of the editor's hand, the older man finally snapped. As if the whole world around the two shifted into slow motion the editor turned his head with hand still clinging onto the other's and leaned in pressing his lips against the others in the spur of the moment.
Shocked at the other's action all the brunette could do was stare at how close the other's was to his unable to break the other's hold and focus at how much meaning the kiss held. This kiss to the brunette was seemingly his first kiss for he didn't remember if he dated anyone before the accident that lead to a very long-term amnesia.
Breaking the rather short kiss, Takano opened his eyes to meet wide green ones, "Yep, you don't remember."
"E-Eh?"
Smirking at the brunette's lost expression, "We use to attend the same high school before you got in that accident that lead to you to forget everything. We were going out by then but due to your own mental safety I was told to stay away from you when you were awake."
At a complete loss, the brunette continued staring in shock and surprise from a sudden lip contact kiss to claiming that he knew the pale man before the accident occurred. Realizing one of the words the editor spoke was still left in his head.
"W-Wait! G-Going out?! As in d-dating?" the younger spoke.
"Yeah-" the editor was cut short by the brunette.
"A-As in r-romantic dating or as in f-friendship?"
Rolling his eyes at the rather idiotic confirmation of question the editor replied, "What was that kiss a sign of?"
Face lighting up like a match, the brunette instinctively shielded his mouth out of pure embarrassment and with no recollection of his past it seemed as if his first kiss was taken by another man that he did not fully know.
"B-But I-I d-don't remember you Takano-" the brunette was interrupted then by the editor.
"So I'll help you remember, and as you remember your past I'll make you fall in love with me again," the editor declared with a confident smirk.
Yay! Update!
Like I said before I had nothing written for this chapter but had a vague idea of what it was about. So yeah near the end Takano was acting a bit weird and some parts seemed confusing (Well in my eyes) but hope you could understand this chapter.
Also with that little pond I mentioned, like I said with the scene of the public library, it's hard to describe things that are pictured perfectly in you're head T_T
And going back to the last chapter I probably suck with leaving it on a cliffhanger. I just felt like that chapter needed to end on a cliffhanger and I wouldn't say much at the end to create more suspense, hehe ^.^
But I'm glad everyone is getting into this story now, never thought it would get this popular.
***Concerning about updates I was talking about earlier.
So with the updates, I might get a summer job soon, so my time with writing probably will be cut there and with the fact I still want to watch anime, read manga, and draw also limits my time.
Before I wrote and published this story, I already had a planned summer ahead of me but with a summer job (might be) taking over as well, could probably, have made things even harder.
THIS DOESN'T MEAN I'M GIVING UP ON THE STORY! I'm just saying that the updates may become slower because my schedule is all screwed up and I really need a planner for my summer days T-T
This also doesn't mean I won't try to update as soon as possible 'cuz I will!
Hope you understand :), Bye!