Chapter 2

Ijuuin woke up that morning, and the first thing he thought of was breakfast. Sometimes his assistants were with him in the morning, especially when it was close to the end of the cycle, but he'd never cared about making breakfast for them. Shizuko was another story, though he wasn't sure why. So as he scratched at his beard, deciding that he could wait to shave it until after they ate, he tried to do a mental evaluation of what he had in his fridge that would still be edible.

He didn't need to, though; when he went out into his living room, Shizuko wasn't on the futon. He also wasn't in the kitchen, and he certainly hadn't been there in bed with him. Not that that part surprised him; he would've been more surprised if Shizuko had been willing to share a bed, actually.

Not that he didn't have people who would be willing.

His assistants would be back soon, and Ijuuin considered himself in a hall mirror as he headed back to the bathroom. He had at least changed into new clothes after his shower the previous night, but since he'd slept on his hair wet, it had dried at odd angles against his pillow. Not that anyone would comment about it. He knew very well that even when he was completely sane, people still thought he was eccentric.

Maybe he should've been more forceful when he told Shizuko to stay there with him. For all he knew, the kid had fallen asleep halfway to his apartment and was laying there on a sidewalk in the city, getting stepped on and who knew what else.

And who would know to save him but him? Without another thought to the otherwise, he wrote a quick note saying he had errands to run before heading out.

xxx

It was noon when Japun got a call from Ijuuin's studio/apartment. Takahashi was the one to pick it up, eating lunch on his feet; he was the closest to Kirishima's desk, since the man himself was taking his lunch somewhere else.

"What do you mean he's gone?"

Shizuko looked up from his work, his eyes blank. He didn't know who was calling since he hadn't answered, but the fact that Takahashi was panicking meant he was either so much more dedicated to his job, or a certain author was starting his Hell Week descent early. As Takahashi continued panicking over the phone, not even trying to come up with a solution, Shizuko sighed and picked up the phone. "This is Ishi. What's the problem?" He took a second to put his hand over the bottom of the phone and said, "Takahashi, take a break."

He at least hung up, but he was still hovering around the office like some kind of bee on crack, vibrating in his nerves and wringing his hands as he drifted from Kirishima's desk to Shizuko's and back. Shizuko couldn't tell if he was actually listening to the conversation or not.

"Ijuuin-sensei left a note saying he had errands, but he's been gone since this morning."

Any other person in the world, that would've been a good thing. It would mean they were out in the world, doing things normal people did. For Ijuuin, however, the fact that he went out without anyone with him probably meant he was lost in the middle of Tokyo, had been mugged, or both. Shizuko's blank look turned into a frown, and he stood, the landline still to his ear.

"I'll go look for him. You guys do what you can for the chapter on your own." Not that it was much; Kirishima had approved the color pages, but they still had to work with the rest of the manga, which meant they would probably end up changing between then and the final product. Still, it was better for him to go look for Ijuuin than them, mostly because he seemed to have a knack for finding him. He wasn't sure if it was luck, or he actively avoided his assistants when he wandered off. It very well could've been both.

As soon as Shizuko hung up, Takahashi jumped about a foot in the air and went to grab his bag. "Don't worry about it, Ishi-san; I'll go look for him." He was about halfway to the door when Shizuko reached him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Sub or not, I'm still his editor." His eyes were back to blank, and Takahashi jumped in surprise again when he looked back. He still wasn't used to Shizuko, it seemed, and no amount of respect for the man could cancel out fear for him. Shizuko pushed past him, and Takahashi was completely rigid as the man did so. "I'll go look for him. Let Kirishima-san know if he comes back before I do." For all he knew, Ijuuin would come waltzing in like Marukawa had been his destination the entire time.

Takahashi frowned and rubbed at his shoulder where Shizuko had brushed him like it had caused him immense pain. He looked torn, and probably was: Ijuuin Kyou was his favorite manga-ka, and he wanted to do everything he could to keep him safe and make sure he got his work done. On the other hand, Shizuko was right. And on that same hand, there would probably be a rather unpleasant evening ahead of him if certain people found out that he'd spent his work day looking for Ijuuin, and then was alone with him for however long it took to convince him to go home.

"Takahashi!" Someone called out from the depths of the office, and Takahashi spun around. "Get me some coffee, would ya?" About half the office agreed, and coins were tossed at him for the vending machine. He frowned and kneeled down to pick up the ones from the floor he hadn't caught, and when he had them all in his pocket and turned back around, Shizuko was gone.

xxx

He had his cell phone on him, so he was sure he'd get a call if Ijuuin showed up at Marukawa or went back to his apartment. He went to all the usual places he'd been found in the past, though, and nothing. Along with no phone call, he was actually starting to get worried.

Not that it showed on his face.

He'd been out for two hours, wandering the city and going on various train lines when he did finally get a call, but looking at his caller ID, it wasn't the office, Kirishima's phone, or the landline at Ijuuin's apartment. It was Ijuuin's cell phone, and Shizuko's frown was the only expression on his face as he answered it.

"Kiwi!" Ijuuin said before Shizuko could even say hello. "Where are you? I've been sitting outside your place for hours now."

"…I was at work." For any other person, it would've been an obvious answer. It was Friday, but it was still a work day. Of course he'd be at work. Then again, Ijuuin had a spontaneous schedule and had for years. He didn't have to have another job because he didn't need one; his manga sold more than enough for him to be comfortable in the lifestyle. Or as close to comfortable as you could call him.

Shizuko let out a long sigh as Ijuuin went on and on about worrying about him being passed-out somewhere between their apartments, something about getting stepped on and mugged and raped (all three at once?), and then he realized he was heading for the subway to go back home.

"Stay there," he said as he descended and got in line for a ticket. "I'll be there in about ten minutes." Lucky for him, the train he needed was already waiting for him.

It was, true to his word, exactly ten minutes when he got to his apartment building. Ijuuin was sitting there outside; he knew the key code, or at least he was supposed to in case he had to go see Shizuko. He knew the code to Kirishima's apartment building, too. But knowing him, he didn't actually know the numbers by heart and had a slip of paper he took whenever he needed them.

"Kiwi!" At least he looked excited to see him, scrambling up from his position and going to meet Shizuko while he was still there on the street, staring at him and trying to decide if he should be happy to see him or try to think of a punishment for wandering off. Not that Ijuuin would see any time spent together as a punishment; he seemed to enjoy Shizuko almost as much as he enjoyed Takahashi.

That made Shizuko frown, realizing that if Takahashi had been the one to go out and look for him, Ijuuin would probably have been even happier. Not that the kid needed to know where Shizuko lived, or why Ijuuin would be sitting outside his apartment building, looking like a hobo with his unshaven jaw and circles around his eyes. He had no idea how many hours of sleep Ijuuin had gotten over the night, but it didn't matter. It took him effort to not look like that most days, especially when he was in direct sunlight.

"Sensei, you need to get back home and get to work," he said as Ijuuin smiled down at him. "Kirishima-san is going after you if you don't." He didn't know, but he was pretty sure the man would. He was laidback and treated his authors well, but Ijuuin pulled this kind of thing for no other reason than to get a reaction most times, and he was tired of it. If he weren't a big reason Japun was still a competitor with the shoujo department, he probably would've lost his freedom a long time ago.

Ijuuin looked mildly put-out that Shizuko wouldn't even say hello to him. "Can't we at least have lunch, Kiwi? I'm starving."

"I've already eaten." He started off, thankful that Ijuuin just followed him as he continued to complain instead of standing there like a child. "Besides, the sooner I can let the office know you're safe, the quicker Takahashi will stop freaking out."

That seemed to get him, and Ijuuin's lips tipped up in his crescent moon smile as he picked up his pace, finally catching up to Shizuko's side. "He's worried about me?"

"Everyone is." He shrugged, indifferent, as if he didn't know just how obsessed Ijuuin was with Takahashi Misaki. Everyone in Japun knew, in fact, and it was why Shizuko's job hadn't involved searching him out as much as it should have. Kirishima always sent Takahashi to look for him or after pages if he was around.

If he had any kind of ego, he knew it'd be crushed. And if he had any kind of courage, he would've approached Ijuuin by now and told him how he felt.

But it didn't matter.

"You can work in a conference room in Marukawa if you really want," he muttered, his voice low and barely audible above the various sounds of the crowd around them. "But please get back to work."

Ijuuin nodded, taking out his cell phone. Shizuko didn't pay attention to him, but guessed he was calling his assistants so they'd know to go to the publisher's office. As much as he hated it, he was glad that Takahashi was there. At least it was a guaranteed way to get Ijuuin working. Even if it did hurt his mostly nonexistent ego that he wasn't that reason, and probably never would be.