Hearing his name in a very quiet voice, Mikoto's amber colored eyes shifted downward, only to find a pair of exhausted looking hazel colored eyes looking up at him. He was actually surprised that Misaki had even woken up so soon, and if he were to be honest...the poor boy really did look pitiful. His cheeks were flushed due to the fever, his hair was a complete mess, and his eyes were red from all the crying he had done. Heck even his voice was just barely there. Mikoto had just barely heard Misaki calling out to him and he was literally right beside the smaller boy.
"Hey...you should be resting…" Mikoto spoke lowly, only to bring a hand up to lightly ruffle Misaki's ridiculously messy hair. He wasn't often one to show any kind of affection but he was making an exception for the ginger due to the current situation he was in. Shaking his head softly, the red head gently pushed Misaki's head back down to where it was once again resting against him.
"W-what time is it…?" Misaki asked once his head was back down. He felt like he had been hit by a damn train. His body was heavy and everything was spinning around him, probably from sitting up too soon. He still didn't know how sick he was but judging by how he was feeling...it must have gotten pretty bad.
"It's almost 8 in the morning now…You don't need to worry about that right now though…" Mikoto hummed lowly while continuing to carefully run his fingers through the ginger's hair. He was hoping to keep the other calm to prevent him from having another panic attack or break down if thoughts of last night crossed his mind again. "Go back to sleep. Kusanagi will have some medicine for you to take soon and also...he's going to be cleaning out the extra room upstairs for you…"
"Huh?" Hearing that had taken the ginger by surprise. Why were they cleaning out the extra room for him? He had a place to stay...he had… "Oh...um… You guys don't have to do that…" He mumbled softly. He didn't want to be a burden like that, not to the others.
"The decision has already been made, Yata. After that panic attack last night, we don't want to leave you by yourself right now. You still haven't told us what happened to you last night...but you don't have to force yourself to talk about it right now." Mikoto then moved his hand from Misaki's head, only so he could use his fingers to light the cigarette he had pulled out.
"N-no...really it's fine, it's…" Misaki's words ended up getting caught in his throat. Mikoto could feel the younger boy shaking against him once again. Dammit...he did not need this kid doing this right now. "It's fine…"
"Dammit, Yata...you're going to have another panic attack-" Mikoto had started talking, but his words were cut off once the younger clansmen beside him started coughing violently. Shaking his head a bit, Mikoto took his cigarette between his lips in order to use both of his hands to sit Misaki upright before patting him lightly on the back. "Dammit, kid...breathe for me.."
"S-sorry...I'm fine now…" Yata coughed out as he brought a hand up to place it against his rather warm forehead. He was normally pretty warm anyways but this...he actually had to pull his hand away in surprise when he felt how warm he was. "But I still don't think it's necessary for Mr. Kusanagi to go through all that trouble for me...I still have my apartment…"
"Yata, do you really think it's a good idea for you to go back there?" Mikoto asked, sounding a bit more stern than before. It really seemed like the boy wasn't grasping what he was trying to tell him. He knew, Kusanagi knew...if they were to let Misaki go back to that place where no one could watch him, he would probably slip further down hill. That was exactly what they were trying to avoid. "We want you here for now. If you prove to us that you're managing to cope with everything that happened...and you make us believe you, then we'll talk about you going back to an apartment."
"But Mikoto…" Misaki had started to protest but his words were cut off by harsh coughs once again. He really didn't want Izumo and the others to go through all that trouble just for him. Sure he was pretty messed up after what happened last night, but who wouldn't be? Just because he was broken up about Saruhiko leaving didn't mean he needed to be watched like a child. He could get through this...at least he hoped he could.
"No buts, Yata. There's no room for discussion or arguments." Mikoto had to lower his voice a bit and he ended up having to give the sick little ginger a rather harsh look to get his message across. Sure enough, the moment Misaki had seen that harsh look in Mikoto's golden eyes, he slumped back down and went back to resting his head on the other's leg.
With Misaki going silent once again, Mikoto placed his hand back on the ginger's head and shifted his head to look toward the ceiling. Hopefully Izumo would be back soon so they could give the ginger something for that fever before it ended up getting out of hand. After all, taking the boy to any kind of doctor wasn't necessarily something they could do unless it was their last option.
After about an hour or so, Izumo finally made his way back down the stairs that led to the basement where he had last seen Mikoto and Misaki. Sure enough, once he reached the bottom of the stairs, his hazel colored eyes fell upon the two who seemed to be passed out in the same position they had been left in. Misaki was still sleeping against Mikoto's leg and their leader was lounging in a sitting position with his head tilted back to where it was resting on the back of the couch. One of Mikoto's hands was still resting on top of Misaki's messy hair as well. It was honestly quite a sight...like a lion protecting a little kitten or something. Mikoto may not have been one to show how much he cared about the rest of the members of HOMRA, but he really did and was very protective of all of them.
Smiling softly, Izumo made his way over to the sleeping pair with a plastic bag in his hand. Inside it was the cold medicine that Akagi and Bandou had picked up for their clansmen, along with some cough drops and some ramen for the boy to eat on. Once he made sure Misaki took whatever medicine had been bought for him, Izumo planned on going upstairs with Rikio and getting that spare room cleaned out so that the ginger could make it his own.
"Hey...Mikoto, Akagi and Bandou are back… I brought what they got for him." Izumo spoke in a soft tone as he used his free hand to lightly shake the sleeping king's shoulder. To no surprise, Mikoto let out a low groan and closed his eyes a bit tighter before he slowly opened them, only to find that he was looking at his best friend's smiling face. "Did everything go okay while I was upstairs?"
"Hng...he almost had another panic attack on me, but I managed to calm him down...somehow... Then he had a bit of a coughing fit, and then he started to argue about staying here but...I think he understands now." Mikoto explained everything in a rather low tone to avoid waking up the ginger next to him.
"I kind of figured he would be a bit on the resentful side about being told to stay here but as long as he understands now, it shouldn't be much of an issue." Izumo hummed softly as he placed the bag on the coffee table, only to take a seat in the armchair next to the couch.
"Have the others help you clean that room out so you don't have to do it by yourself. Once it's all cleaned out, I'll take him to his apartment so he can get whatever possessions he needs." Mikoto then sighed lightly and gave Misaki a bit of a shake to wake him up. He really didn't want to wake the other up, but it was best to get the medication in his body now so it could start taking at least some kind of effect. After a few moments, a soft groan escaped from the back of Misaki's throat as he rolled a bit and started rubbing his eyes a bit. Slowly his eyes opened and he propped himself up on his elbows, only to see that Izumo had joined them downstairs.
"Mr. Kusanagi…?" Misaki asked while tiredly tilting his head to the side. "When did you get here…?"
"Just a few minutes ago, Yata. Akagi and Bandou went out to get you some medicine and some cough drops. Why don't you take this and we'll go get your stuff soon, alright?" Izumo gave the ginger a gentle smile and pushed the bag toward the other while he sat himself up with the blanket wrapped around himself. Once he was fully sitting up, he reached over and took the bag from the table so he could look through it. Sure enough, those two had managed to get something Misaki would actually take. He wasn't much for liquid medication, so thankfully they were pills. That and some honey flavored cough drops, along with some chicken flavored ramen. He would have to remember to thank the two of them once he saw them.
"I still don't think it's necessary for you guys to go through all that trouble for me… I'll be perfectly fine at home." Misaki mumbled softly. He knew it was pointless to try and argue with Izumo, especially after he had failed with Mikoto, but he still couldn't stop himself from trying to reason with the second in command. Unfortunately for Misaki, Izumo wasn't up for any kind of negotiations.
"Yata. You already talked about this with Mikoto and he already gave you an answer. You're going to be staying upstairs and there's no room for arguments. We want you to stay here so we can keep an eye on you for now. Don't try to argue with us, just listen and behave." Izumo gave the smaller ginger a bit of a smile and ruffled his hair lightly.
The smaller ginger started to open his mouth in order to protest once again, but he instantly went silent when both Mikoto and Izumo gave him a rather serious look. Sighing in defeat, Misaki hung his head and nodded slightly to show that he understood. It really was pointless to argue with these two, especially when they were giving him such a look. With that argument finally out of the way, Misaki finally took the medicine Akagi and Bandou had brought him before settling back against the couch. Meanwhile, Izumo had retreated back upstairs to gather some of the others so they could help clean out the spare room for Misaki to use. That just left him and Mikoto downstairs again in slightly awkward silence.
"Alright kid…" Mikoto finally spoke after several minutes of silence, causing the ginger to jump slightly before turning his attention to the red head. "Let's go get your stuff. It won't take them long to clean that room out." He spoke in a low tone while standing himself up slowly. He then shifted his tired looking eyes to the ginger on the couch before nodding his head slightly, motioning for the other to get up and follow him.
"Y-you don't have to come with me." Misaki shook his head slightly while carefully getting himself to his feet. He felt as if he had already troubled Mikoto and the others enough...so he didn't feel right letting his King come with him to handle something so simple. "I don't have that much stuff…"
"Yeah, but you're still sick and can barely stand up. I'm sure Kamaoto will come with us and give us a hand. Besides...you need to be watched for right now. I'm pretty sure we already discussed this and you know I don't like repeating myself." Mikoto replied while shaking his head slightly. "Now come on and don't argue with me. You should know better than to do that…"
"Right...sorry…" Misaki replied quietly while slipping his shoes on so the two of them could head upstairs. Mikoto only let out a grunt in response and they were soon back to the awkward silence between the two of them. Sure Misaki looked up to Mikoto and respected him more than anything but that didn't make it any easier to have conversations with the man.
Once the two of them had made their way up the stairs and into the main area of the bar, they were met by Izumo, who was giving them a bit of a curious look. Shaking his head slightly, Mikoto only sighed a bit before motioning toward the ginger beside him. That seemed to be enough of an answer for the blond bartender because he only nodded back before the red head once again motioned for Misaki to follow him. Huffing quietly, Miskai put his head down and followed the Red King out of the bar so the two of them could make their way to his now empty apartment. Going back there..it was probably going to mess with him emotionally, but he planned on trying to be strong. He didn't want to break down in front of Mikoto again...that had happened enough last night. As much as he wanted to get over it...it was damn near impossible every time he thought about it. His best friend had just walked away from him...so easily too. He still couldn't comprehend why that had happened...but there was no undoing it now. Saruhiko was now a traitor in his eyes and nothing would change that, no matter how much it hurt.
"Hey, Mr. Mikoto!" A voice called out once the two of them had made their way outside. Both looked up at the same time, only to see a chubby blond man making his way toward them. It was Rikio, one of Misaki's old friends and the one who found him last night out in the rain. Looking down slightly, Misaki turned his gaze away from the blond, not wanting to look at the other after how he had been seen last night. Seeing the smaller ginger shifting his gaze away like that, Rikio could only smile a bit as he made his way over and gently ruffled Misaki's hair. Despite what he saw last night, he didn't think any differently of the other.
"Kamamoto, are you coming to help get Yata's stuff from his apartment? With him being sick, might need help if he's got anything heavy." Mikoto said while casually lighting one of his cigarettes.
"Hm? Yeah I can come help. I'm not doing anything right now." The chubby blond gave his usual grin toward their King before looking back at Misaki. "How are you feeling, Yata-chan?"
"...Like complete shit...but I'll survive." Misaki mumbled softly as he crossed his arms over his chest. It was bad enough that Mikoto was coming along with him but now Rikio too? Jeez...neither one of them must have trusted that he would come back if he went alone. Shaking his head slightly, the shorter ginger went on and started walking with Rikio and Mikoto behind him.
As the small group arrived at Misaki's apartment, Mikoto almost instantly noticed a change in the ginger's body language as they stood on the outside of the door that led to the very empty apartment Misaki once lived in. It was as if the ginger was hesitating to go in, not wanting to face the fact that Saruhiko was gone and he wasn't coming back. After standing there for several minutes, Mikoto finally nudged the smaller boy in order to snap him out of his little daze. The little nudge got Misaki to shake his head slightly before a quiet sigh escaped him. It was now or never...if he didn't get his stuff, he knew it would end up being thrown out once the rent for the month wasn't paid. With that in mind, Misaki finally unlocked the door and pushed it open.
"Come on, kid. Let's do this and get you back to the bar so you can rest." Mikoto said as he stepped inside the apartment followed by Rikio, who gave the ginger's shoulder a gentle squeeze. It wasn't exactly reassuring, but it did get the boy to slowly make his way into the main area of the place he once used to call home, however as he started to make his way through the quiet living space...those words once again echoed in the back of his mind, causing him to cringe slightly.
'You'll hate me forever…'
Those words...they really were going to haunt him for the rest of his life...but maybe over time, he would finally accept it and they would no longer bother him. Until then...he would hear them every time Saruhiko crossed his mind.
'Saru...you damn traitor…'
Hello! Oh goodness...I'm so sorry this update took so damn long. The spacebar on my laptop quit working and I just now got an alternative for it! Chapter four is finally complete, and I'm sorry it's slightly shorter than the last one! I do hope to pick up on some updates again though now that I got everything all figured out! Thank you guys so much for your patience and support! You all are super freaking amazing TwT Anyways, thank you so much for reading and I'll try to update again as soon as possible! See you all next time! Bye for now!
~Rai-chan