Updated~~ It has been a month since my last update. I did too much programming for 3 of my courses' mini projects after the last update that my eyes suddenly get too sensitive to light. I turned to get dizzy easily when exposed to light. Even now, I feel light-headed...

So, for this 14th chapter... and it seems like Haru turned into an otome game's heroine ! LOL... XP Anyway, I hope that you enjoy reading this chapter ! If it feels somewhat weird or boring then forgive me. I still have a long way to go in writing stories... ^^" Thanks for those who supported this fanfic by faving, following and reviewing ! They're really precious !

From : Rin

Subject : Wanna tag along ?

Hey, Kisumi. I'm going to visit Haru around 5. Wanna tag along ? It's okay if you can't.

Kisumi's eyes shone in happiness as he saw the text from Rin. How wouldn't he ? Rin contacting him is a rare occasion – well, everyone contacting him is a rare occasion. The only ones who would always contact him are his manager, his fan girls and Haruka. Maybe he should put Haruka in a different list since it's him that loves to contact the stoic-looking guy. 'If only Haru is awake by now… He would scold me for sending him this lots of texts…', the peach-haired male thought, smiling upon looking the unread texts he sent to Haruka. He didn't stop sending texts to him even though he already knew from Sousuke that he's being hospitalized – he chose not to. Haruka could scold him later and he's ready for it.

Even though Haruka seems like he doesn't really like him, never once did he ignored his texts and calls like the others did. Sometimes, he even invites him to come to his house for dinner, though it's more like he's using him as his lab rat for his new recipe. Kisumi doesn't really care about that – so far, the foods that Haruka cooked are edible. He just loves being by Haruka's side so he doesn't care how that water-lover treats him.

'Oh my… Did I just thought that I love being by his side again ?', Kisumi thought, burying his face into the palm of his hands.

"Kisumi ! Last one !", the assistant shouted, signaling the peach-haired male to make his way to the site he is supposed to stand for his last photo shoot.

"O-Owh, okay~~", he responded. 'Stop it Shigino Kisumi ! Now focus !', he thought while heading to the site shown by the assistant.

Relieved sigh escaped his lips as he finished all his paperwork right on the time he set – an hour before 5. Since he became accustomed with doing lots of work in a time, he didn't have any trouble finishing his paperwork and Sousuke's within the limited time he set on his own. 'If I had done this before, Haru wouldn't have to be alone too much…', Rin thought as his mind wandered off to his husband. He stood up from his chair then put the papers he has printed into their respective files before arranging those files on the shelf. Those that he needs to send to another department has been neatly arranged on the desk so that they won't mix with each other. As he put the last file on its place, he paused for a while, staring at his hand.

"I hit him… with this hand… huh ?", he thought. He still remembers Haruka's emotion from back then – an emotion filled with questions, disappointment, sadness and disbelief.

"I don't think there's a problem with me managing our household expenses.", Haruka firmly stated his opinion.

"Yeah, there's no problem at all but I don't like it. At least let me help with the rent and utility bills.", Rin replied, starting to get irritated with Haruka's stubborn self. It has been 20 minutes since they started the discussion but Haruka's decision didn't change even a bit.

"Then come up with a very strong reason on why I should stop doing that. If it's just because of your pride, then you better forget it.", Haruka replied calmly, staring deep into Rin's eyes. The crimson-haired male kept silent after hearing his words but Haruka could see the change in Rin's expression – nothing good will come when Rin got that expression. 'Great… I just hit a nerve… You better be prepared for his anger, Nanase Haruka… You're the one who started this…', he thought, still keeping his focus on Rin's face.

"Tch…"

"Really, Rin… You should stop being too prideful in everything you do…"

"Hah ?! Dare to repeat that again ?!", Rin said, glaring at the smaller male, his fist clenched tightly.

"You should stop being too prideful in everything you do."

"So you're saying that all this time, I'm being prideful ? As if you're not !", Rin started to raise his voice.

"I didn't say that I don't. It's okay to have your pride… but in some situation, you don't need it.", Haruka replied, trying to keep his calm.

"Great ! Fine ! You're the best ! Thanks for the advice, Mr. Perfect !", Rin yelled, hitting his fist on the table, causing the smaller male to jolt a bit.

"R-Rin ! ", Haruka tried to talk but Rin didn't let him to do so.

"Don't talk like you understand what I'm feeling ! I'm not like you, so carefree, having no problem and worries in your mind… You don't even give a damn on what people say about you ! About your image ! Well, I'm not like you ! I care about a lot of things ! What do you understand by living in that small world of yours ?!", Rin started to stand up from his seat.

"Yeah ! I might don't understand ! But I know I can help you ! I don't have a lot of problem like you do… T-That's why I'm trying to help you ! I can manage our household expenses and you can focus on solving the other problems !", Haruka finally raised his voice.

"I didn't ask for your help ! All that you wanted is to show off to all people that you're better than me, right ?! That I'm unable to take care of you ! That I'm unable to solve my own problems !"

Haruka gasped as he heard those words – he couldn't believe that Rin had always thought of him that way. Never once did he mean to do that to Rin. All he really wanted to do is to help the dearest person in his life. He could feel that his heart is shaken by Rin's words, his chest starting to ache. "R-Rin ! I never-"

"Just shut your fucking mouth up !", Rin shouted while his right hand went right onto Haruka's cheek.

Haruka was completely shut up with the sudden impact on his face and he didn't even move his face from facing his right – the result of Rin's strong slap on his cheek. It happened in a split second that he didn't realize what was really happening to him. It took quite a while for his brain to process that the person in front of him just slapped him on his face. He didn't need a mirror to see how red his right cheek was since the painful sting on it told him everything. 'Rin… hit me…', he thought, tears started to flow down his cheeks without his consent. That hand that had always been gentle on him has finally hurt him. Slowly, he moved his face, looking down, letting his bang to hang down and covering his upper face.

Even Rin was surprised by his own acts but he couldn't deny that his hand has reached his lover's face harshly. He could feel some light sting coming from the palm of his hand. He could see tears starting to stream down the smaller male's cheeks and he could see his skin that turned red after he hit him. He hurt Haruka but he didn't mean to. He just couldn't control his anger.

"Haru… I didn't mean to…", Rin said, his hand reaching for the place he just slapped on just now but Haruka pulled away from him.

"It's okay…", Haruka muttered, standing up from his chair, walking away from the living room. Rin immediately chased after him, calling his name but Haruka didn't stop walking. As soon as he opened the front door, Rin hastily grabbed his wrist, not letting the smaller male to step out from the house.

"Haru ! I'm sorry ! I was-"

"I said it's okay !", Haruka raised his voice, pulling his hand harshly so that it leave Rin's strong grip. "Do whatever you want to… I won't disturb your life anymore…"

With those words, he left the apartment, sprinting as fast as he could, sneaking in every alley he knows so that Rin wouldn't be able to chase after him. He didn't know where to go but he also didn't want to see Rin's face, not right after what he just went through. If it was just words, his heart can still handle the pain but what happened was too much. He was not that strong to accept it. Never did he think that Rin has such negative thoughts about him when he was just really wanted to ease his burden and never did he imagine that Rin would hit him. Sure, Rin is a bit hot-headed, prideful and sometimes emotionally unstable but all Rin has done before was his usual yells and shouts. 'Just where did I do wrong…?'

"Hah… What have I done to him…?", Rin muttered. Even after the incident, he keeps on hurting Haruka without him realizing it. "Firstly, the unsolved question right now is… where did he go after the fight ?"

He wasn't in his late grandmother's house in Iwatobi, not in any of his friends' houses and obviously not in their apartment. He might went to any of his family's house but where ? Did he even have another family member aside of his deceased grandmother ? If he could survive living for a month without his important things, then he was certainly staying with someone, right ? With those questions swarming his mind, he finally realized something – something he should have realized from the start. "It has been nine years but Haru… never told me in detail about his family...", Rin muttered. All that he knew –based only on what Haruka had said– until now is he was living with his grandmother.

"Come on, Haru ! Why does everything about you a mystery to me ?", Rin said in frustration, pushing his forelocks backwards. His mind was in a mess – a really big mess that he felt like he could get angry over every little things happening around him. "Well… It's time to pick Kisumi up…"

To : My Cutie Haru-chan

Subject : Finished my job

Haru~~~ I missed you~~~ just finished my modeling job for today ! It was tiring, you know~ L By the way, that fashion designer you modeled for has been asking for you these days. He said that it would be good if we could model for him together. We're a 'good combination' he said. Isn't that great ?

Hey, Haru. I'm going to visit you after this. I'll text you later. Love ya !

"Haru~~", Kisumi greeted the sleeping male as soon as he entered the silent room. Silently, he made his way closer to the bed to look at him better. "You look paler than usual. Do you skip eating again ?", Kisumi asked, trying to sound like his normal happy self. He couldn't take it. Even with his easy-going personality, he couldn't take this one well. "Haru… Why do you have to be in this mess…?"

Rin kept his mouth shut seeing Kisumi's reaction – not that he could do anything to sooth the other male up. Besides, he knew what Kisumi was feeling since he experienced it way earlier than the rest. For that time being, he just let the taller guy to do what he wanted to. 'This is the first time I saw him cry though…', Rin thought, changing his gaze to the window. He didn't want to catch Kisumi's sadness or else he's going to cry as well. He might cry later but not in front of the other male.

"Rin… I have something to tell you.", Kisumi said out of blue, looking serious, staring deep into Rin's eyes. "I think… I've fallen in love !"

The second sentence made Rin chokes on the water he was drinking, causing him to cough for a few times before he could speak. "Hah ?! Why do you suddenly tell me about this right now ? More importantly, I thought you've had a few girlfriends already ! Well, you keep sending texts whenever we hang out."

"Uh… I'm not straight, you know…", Kisumi replied.

"But you were saving the girl's address by the name 'My Cutie Haru-chan'.", Rin said, resulting the peach-haired male's eyes to widen.

"How do you know with whom I was texting ? Prying my privacy, I see.", Kisumi said, pouting.

"Ahaha… My bad… but if you want to blame someone, blame Sousuke. He was the one prying."

"But that's not a girl… actually… It's Haru…"

Rin turned silent upon hearing Kisumi's confession; he didn't know how to react with it. Kisumi fell in love with his husband. The most important part is the person whom Kisumi texting the whole time during their hangouts was Haruka. It never occurred in Rin's mind that the stoic-looking guy would reply to that lot of text since he knew that Haruka hates doing that activity.

"So… You're telling me that… you love Haru ?" , Rin asked, raising one of his eyebrows.

"Yeah…", Kisumi replied, looking at the sleeping male with a smile.

"Well… I don't know how to feel with this…", Rin said, pushing his messy forelocks backward.

Kisumi didn't reply immediately, but instead he took a long gaze at Haruka's serene face. He already knew that he shouldn't get too involved with the sleeping beauty but his heart won't let him. Just from the joy of seeing his reactions to his teases, jokes and pranks it turned into something else – something he hadn't even thought about it. He loves Haruka but he already belongs to Rin so he couldn't do anything about it. He has to forget about his unrequited love. After all, loving is not all about having but it also meant to let go if it's the best for the one you love. As long as Haruka is happy, he would always support his decision.

"Uh… Rin. I have another thing to tell you."

"Don't tell you've done it to him…", Rin said dryly, staring at the taller male threateningly.

"Ahaha ! Come on, Rin ! I haven't done anything weird to him. I just wanted to say that I'm jealous of you.", Kisumi replied with a smile, slightly regained his usual self. "He cares so much about you."

Rin turned his gaze downwards, staring at the floor – he knew what Kisumi meant by his words. Nagisa did the same before. Just how many people would lecture him about this thing ? 'Yeah… I'm the worst…', he thought. He couldn't find the right words to reply since he knew he was in no place to deny it.

Kisumi let out a chuckle looking at Rin's troubled expression. "It's okay, Rin ! I know you can change for the better after this."

"Thanks…", Rin muttered weakly.

"Ah ! By the way, you don't know that Haru sometimes does modeling, right ?", Kisumi asked cheerfully, trying to change the mood.

"Don't pull my legs, Shigino Kisumi ! I bought those fashion magazines every month but I haven't seen him even once.", Rin said, scratching the back of his head.

"That's because he's wearing a wig and contact lenses during modeling. You do know that he doesn't like to be the center of attraction. He doesn't need it.", Kisumi replied, beaming a gentle smile at Rin then continued talking. "He just wanted to help you, he said. So that you would always smile like you always did. He didn't want me to tell you though. You know how stubborn you are, right ?", Kisumi said, caressing Haruka's hair gently.

"Yeah…", Rin replied slowly, that the peach-haired male almost missed the word that came out of the shark's mouth. Seeing Rin's eyes turning watery by time, Kisumi left his chair, heading to the couch where the crimson-haired male sits to comfort him. Rin was wrong but he could change after this – Kisumi was sure about it. Hugging his friend tight, he muttered, "It's okay, Rin… When he awakes, treat him the way he deserves it. It's not too late to fix your mistakes."

Rin didn't give any visible response toward his words but Kisumi could feel his shoulder getting wet by time and he could hear some stifled sobs coming from the man he hugged. 'Yeah… You were right, Haru… Rin was just lost… It'll be fine after this…', he thought, smiling to himself while patting the crying male's back. Now Kisumi understands why the blue-eyed male has always been protective over this big crybaby in his arms. Blaming everything on him is not a wise decision, not when it only cause further damage to Rin. He is hurting. The incident has really tormented him mentally so adding his emotional burden wouldn't help the situation to get better. He waited until Rin's breath getting calmer then slowly pulled away from the hug, cupping Rin's wet cheeks with both of his hands.

"Rin… Haru wouldn't like to see you like this, so stop being a crybaby !", Kisumi said then pinched his cheeks hard.

"Oi… That hurts…", Rin replied, trying to regain his normal self. Kisumi was right. He wasn't too late.

"Hehehe~ Feeling better now ?"

"A bit better… Thanks…"

"You're always welcomed~ I'm your friend, you know… I love both of you ! I love Haru more though. It's okay for both of you to rely on me when you need help !"

"Even someone like you have a matured side in yourself, huh ?", Rin said with a mocking tune in his voice.

"Eeeh… What's that supposed to mean ? I'm a full-fledged adult, you know~~", Kisumi whined as he heard Rin's word.

The room that was gloomy has turned lively again thanks to the peach-haired male whom everyone always thought to be annoying. Somehow, Haruka's words suddenly came across his mind – everyone has their own different sides. 'Haru… You're right…'

It was already 12 in the midnight but a melody from a lonely violin could still be heard in the silence of the big house. With only 2 people living in it, the house felt enormous and cold. The head of the family is always busy so he rarely stays home. The older brother has married so he and his wife stayed in a different house in a different city where he's managing the company's branch.

"Aren't you going to sleep ?", a woman in her mid-40 asked the second son of hers who was playing the violin.

"Ah, mom ! I'm going to but later. I suddenly missed big brother, so I played the song he taught me back then. Hehe…", he replied, grinning at the older woman. She smiled at her son's response, walking closer to where he was sitting.

"Which big brother, is it ?"

"Haru-chan, of course ! Hokuto onii-san has always been too busy… so I don't really miss him.", he replied, carefully placing his violin into its casing.

"Hahaha… You're calling him Haru-chan again ? He'd pout if he heard you."

"Ehehe~~ I don't really care~ He's cute that way. By the way… Did he contact you ?", he asked then threw his body at the empty space beside his mother on his bed. "It has been 2 weeks without any news already."

"Hmm… No… Not at all, Haruki…", she replied, a worried expression appeared on her face. She just met the first person she gave birth to 4 years ago after abandoning him just because of her work and relationship problem. She didn't want to lose him anymore. Not after she finally can repay for what she did wrong when he was a child. Not after she knew that he doesn't hate her and he has long forgave her. Not after he said thank you for giving birth to him.

"Mom… Don't cry, okay ? I'll try to search for him so don't worry !", Haruki said, wiping the tears from her cheeks, trying to sooth his mother's feelings. "Now go to sleep, okay ? It's getting late."

Thank you for reading !

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