At the request of a review, I've made this chapter a bit longer than the others. I also apologize in advance for any spelling or grammatical errors that you may encounter. There are probably a gajillion of them. o_~;
Chapter 5: Luctus Maero
"Get out. Get the hell out and never come back..." The words played over and over again in Misaki's head. He had left the minute Usami told him to. He wanted to go back, to confess everything and to revel in his selfish desire to be held and loved by the man he no longer deserved. Even if it was to save Usami and Kamijou's reputations and lives, Misaki had gone far enough as to intentionally make Usami hate him. He reasoned with himself that it was for Usami's own good that he did. He knew it was good that Usami was hating him. Usami would never have to know about Takehiko and the images and Misaki would continue letting that man use him. It was a brave choice to sacrifice himself for the betterment of other lives. He could truly be too selfless at times.
Misaki didn't know where he was going to go, but he knew he couldn't go back to Usami. If he did now, he'd let Usami know everything that had happened. He needed to stay strong and the only way he knew to do that was to distance himself once and for all. He wondered where to go and realize that he hadn't brought anything with him but the clothes on his back. His wallet, keys, and phone were all back at the penthouse with Usami. He could go to Sumi's and stay there for a while until he figured out his next move. Even if he didn't like what Sumi had done to Usami that one day, he was still one of the only friends Misaki had. He had let the issue of being used slide off his back in lieu of throwing a huge fit about it. Besides, Usami wasn't his anymore... technically.
Halfway to Sumi's, the dark sky opened up as if to cry for the pain and sadness surrounding he and Usami's lives. The raindrops were like ice against his flesh and they stung in bitter reminders of where his life was at now. He deserved this much for having done so many wrongs over the past few weeks. He had allowed that man, willingly or not, to put his hands on him and do what he wished to Misaki. While Usami's hands were cool, but kind... Takehiko's hands were warm like a raging fire that lapped at Misaki's skin in anger. Everything that was wrong in Takehiko's life had been taken out on Misaki and even when there was nothing to complain about, Takehiko found some form of an excuse to pin against Misaki. The was psychotic and Misaki feared if he angered him too much, he'd make good on the mumbled thread of erasing Usami's life. The mere thought of bodily harm to Usami caused Misaki to shudder and shake the images from his mind.
By the time Misaki arrived at Sumi's home, he was soaked through to the bone and his face was red and swollen with the tears he had been shedding the entire time. Misaki knocked at the door and tried the bell while he waited for Sumi to swing the door open and welcome him in with a warm cup of tea and that fake, annoying smile. Minutes stretched by and when nobody came to the door, Misaki tried again. He rang the bell and knocked in a slow rhythm for the next hour until he finally let himself realize that either Sumi was angry with him too or he wasn't home. He was reluctant to leave but finally allowed himself to wander out into the rain again. Since Sumi wasn't home, maybe gong to visit his brother didn't sound like such a bad idea. He didn't want to explain to Takahiro why he was out wandering in the rain, but he needed to know he was still loved by at least his brother. If at least one person could still love him for who he was then maybe, just maybe things would be okay.
Misaki almost didn't remember how to get to his brother's home without being on the train, but somehow he had managed in the end. It was dark and the lights were off but Misaki hoped that maybe they were just sleeping and weren't out for the night. He repeated the process of knocking and ringing the bell like had at Sumi's. He waited for his brother to throw the door open, to drag him inside and to tell him everything was going to be alright and that he'd take care of him. He wanted to be selfish and accept the warmth and comfort from the ones he loved instead of remembering the words that Takehiko spoke to him. Takehiko never failed to remind Misaki that he now belonged to Takehiko and anything Takehiko wanted... it was Misaki's job to provide that.
Misaki didn't know how long had passed... if it had been minutes or hours. Nobody came to the door and there were no arms that openly greeted him. It felt like the world was shunning him for what he'd done to Usami and for what he had become. He wondered if he even deserved to be loved at all. He was nothing now and not even his brother wanted him. Usami didn't want him, Sumi didn't want him, his brother didn't want him and Takehiko only wanted him to use and abuse. He didn't know of anyone else who cared about him or wanted except for maybe Haruhiko Usami. Misaki's mind thought back to the night in the hotel and the flowers he'd received. Haruhiko had also been nice and given him strawberries too. Even if Haruhiko had 'kidnapped' him and locked him away, at least he had had told Misaki he cared about him and wanted to steal him away from his brother. Maybe if Misaki went there he'd be welcomed in by Haruhiko and Tanaka. Usami was already angry with him and hated him now so if he went and saw his brother, where was the damage in that?
His journey through the rain continued and he'd had no idea how much time had passed or where he even was now. He was angry at himself for not remembering how exactly to get to where Haruhiko lived. Of course, he'd only been there once so far and he had been paying more attention to Haruhiko than to where the streets were taking him. Even on the way back to the penthouse in Usami's red sports car, Misaki hadn't paid clear enough attention to what streets they took. In the end he was left to wander around town until his limbs felt frozen and it was hard to move. There was no place else left for him to go except to make the trip to his brother and Sumi's place again. He made it back to Sumi's again and another round of knocking and doorbell ringing left him still without an answer. With each passing hour he felt more and more like an outcast who wasn't wanted by this world. He'd do so many wrong things and it was only himself to blame that had led him here.
So cold and numb from the rain, Misaki thought about going to his University to rest until he go could back to Takahiro's. The school wasn't too far away and he might be able to get inside this late. He just needed to warm up so his limbs would work again. He'd left without a coat and the rain had turned from feeling like ice cubes against his flesh to feeling like chunks of ice were slicing into his bones and preventing him from going anywhere. Misaki's stubborn nature and unwillingness to give up was the only thing that led him safely to the school. The lights that shined through the window seemed welcoming enough and he was able to step inside the doors to be greeted with the rushing warmth that he so sorely needed.
Misaki wondered if Kamijou might still be here. Maybe he could talk to Kamijou at least for a little while. His teacher wasn't always nice, but when Misaki did good on a paper, he got complimented justly. If he could just be complimented and told he mattered to at least someone for something, then everything would be okay. He kept telling himself everything would be fine if he could just get someone to let him know his life was still worth it. Manami, Takahiro, Usami, and Sumi had abandoned him already. Maybe he at least had his teacher left to care about him. He made his way back to his classroom and pulled the door open with numb hands. What awaited him wasn't Kamijou at all, but Takehiko himself. If it had been at all possible for Misaki's nerves to ice over any more they would have. With a knowing fear in his eyes, Misaki took two stumbling steps back when Takehiko's eyes rose to meet his own.
Usami hadn't moved from his spot for at least an hour after Misaki had left. He couldn't believe the words that Misaki had said; that he'd been cheating on him and spending his time with another man. He had never had anyone love him back and while he knew Misaki must've loved him back, the fact that Misaki had never outright told him had made him think that Misaki hadn't loved him in the first place. Did Misaki love this new man more than he did Usami or was there something more to it? He sat in torment until his mind snapped to where he had sent Misaki to. He'd told Misaki to leave and never come back but it was no telling where Misaki had gone or what trouble he could've gotten into. There was a chance he had gone back to the other man, but what if he hadn't? Misaki was stupid enough to roam the streets. Almost immediately Usami looked out of his window and noticed for the first time that a heavy rain was pelting down. Fear snaked into his heart and with trembling hands, he began to dial numbers to see if Misaki was perhaps at Sumi or Takahiro's.
"Dammit, dammit!" Usami yelled and slammed his phone down into the cradle. There was no answer at the Sumi residence Usami wondered briefly if Sumi wasn't the man Misaki had been out with. He knew better but it didn't stop him from wondering. The only way to know for sure if Misaki was there was to go back and look for him. Cheating on him or not, Usami couldn't stand the idea of being without Misaki or knowing Misaki might be out wandering in this rain. With a few more curse words sliding off of his tongue, Usami pulled his his coat on and bundled up to face the cold weather outside. It was finally then he noticed that Misaki's coat and shoes were still sitting by the door. Had that idiot left in his socks and no coat? Usami swore when he found Misaki he was going to wring his neck for being so careless.
He sped through the rain and dialed Takahiro's number on his cell phone. Getting no answer on their home phone, Usami dialed Takahiro's cell phone number. It was lucky for Usami that since the news of Manami's pregnancy had surfaced, Takahiro had made sure to keep a cell phone on him for emergencies concerning his wife. Usami chewed on the end of a cigarette in his mouth impatiently and when he heard Takahiro's voice on the line, Usami prayed to the Gods that Misaki was with him.
"Takahiro, is Misaki with you?" Usami sounded like hell.
"No. I haven't seen him since... Ahikiko, is something wrong?!" Of course Takahiro would panic.
"I don't know. He's... missing." Usami couldn't tell him that he'd drove Misaki out. He was ashamed of himself for his outburst and for potentially creating a dangerous situation for Misaki. If Misaki were hurt, he'd never forgive himself for letting it get like this. He'd kept his distance from Misaki because it had been demanded of him, but he knew he shouldn't of listened. Misaki was the type of guy who might not admit if something was going wrong with him because he wouldn't want others to worry. It was in this very moment that Usami debated if Misaki really had been cheating on him or not. It was a glimmer of hope that something else was going on that drove him to try even harder to find Misaki. The taste of the situation was bittersweet. If Misaki really hadn't been with another man, then where could he of gone?
"Manami is going to head home to see if he shows up. I'll look around here to see if I can't find him." At least Takahiro was acting sensible enough to actually look for Misaki instead of panicking and heading straight over to the penthouse. Usami was thankful that at least one of them was having a calm enough head about all of this.
"I'm heading over to his friends house. I'll keep looking around this side of town. Let me know if you find him." Usami hoped sorely that Misaki was either at Takahiro or Sumi's. It was all he could think in order for him to not break down over what he had done.
"You call me the instant you know anything." Takahiro demanded and with a click in Usami's ear, the phone conversation had ended for now. He arrived at Sumi's and swore he might knock the door down with his fist pounding against it. He let himself pound at the door for a few good minutes just in the case that they'd be sleeping inside. When nobody came he ruled it out as nobody being there and perhaps that Misaki was out somewhere with Sumi. Thinking that maybe Sumi had a cell phone, Usami was thankful he'd grabbed Misaki's phone while he was out. He flipped through the numbers on Misaki's phone and thankfully found a number for Sumi's cell phone.
"Hello?" Usami could tell it was Sumi's voice on the other line. Hoping above all that Misaki and Sumi were out somewhere getting a bite to eat or something, Usami tried to control the emotion in his voice. It was difficult but somehow managed.
"Have you seen Misaki? Is he with you?" Each word seemed more desperate than the last.
"No, I haven't seen him since class this morning. Did you two have a disagreement? Need me to comfort you?" Usami didn't seem too worried and it grated on Usami's nerves. Usami reminded himself to be civil and with great effort to control his tone, he replied.
"I don't have time for your games. If you see him, please give me a call." With that Usami clicked the phone off and slid back into his car. He tried to go over any of the places Misaki might go. He went to each and every one of them with the same result. Misaki wasn't there or hadn't stopped by at all. Usami was terrified for the worst and the last person he could think to call was Kamijou. He nearly dialed the number until he realized he was fairly close to where he knew the man was staying now.
Usami pulled up to the apartment and once again took the stairs two at a time. Pounding at the door, his eyes scanned around the room when the door was opened for him. He had a faint hope that maybe Misaki had come to visit his teacher for some reason or another. Instead it was Nowaki who answered the door.
"Usami-san. Are you alright? Come in..." Nowaki muttered and stepped aside to let Usami in. Nowaki noticed he was soaked from head to toe and looked like he might've seen a ghost. He was pale enough that it worried Nowaki and he immediately moved to the side and instructed Usami to sit down.
"I don't have that sort of time. Is Hiroki here?" Almost on cue, Kamijou appeared from around the corner with a perplexed look on his face. What was Usami doing here?
"What's wrong, Akihiko?" Kamijou demanded. He knew his friend long enough to know when something was going terribly wrong. The last time he had seen Usami like this was when that boy of his, Misaki, had fallen ill.
"Have you seen Misaki today?" Usami questioned impatiently.
"Not since class. He left as usual with his friend." Kamijou offered.
"Usual friend... Sumi?"
"Eh? No. He left with Ishikawa today." Kamijou thought nothing of it. After all, Misaki and Ishikawa seemed to be rather good friends.
"Ishikawa?" So it was true that Misaki was seeing someone else? Usami looked ready to tear something to pieces and cry at the same time.
"Yeah, they always leave together. Why? Where's Takahashi?" Kamijou ventured.
"I said something stupid and he left. I don't know where he went. He's still sick and he went out without wearing his coat or his shoes. I can't find him anywhere." Usami looked defeated. Kamijou admitted to never seeing Usami look so haunted before.
"Maybe he's still with Ishikawa." At least Kamijou could offer some sort of help.
"Is there a way to find out where this Ishikawa lives?"
Kamijou knew better than to think Usami would take no for an answer. Drawing in a large breath, Kamijou scratched his hand aside his head. "Give me a minute and I'll find out." Kamijou knew that his boss, You Miyagi, would still be at the school. He dialed up the number for his office and was delighted when Miyagi actually answered the phone.
"I need an address for one of my students." Kamijou grumped.
"Ka-mi-jou-tenteeiii! How wonderful to hear your voi..." Miyagi wasn't able to finish before Kamijou was snapping at him.
"I need that address now! It's important, you bastard!"
"Yeah, yeah... what's the name?" Miyagi knew better than to argue with Kamijou when he was like this.
"Takehiko Ishikawa."
Minutes passed by and Usami tapped his foot impatiently. He wished he had brought his cigarettes with him. He nearly demanded Kamijou give him update until he noticed that his long-time friend was scrawling down an address. He listed to the two of them exchange their goodbyes and nearly snatched the address from Kamijou when he handed it over to him.
"Akihiko. Don't do anything stupid, you got it?" Kamijou warned and went back to drying his hair. His eyes turned up to see Nowaki and that adorable look of worry on his face. Sometimes Nowaki wanted to help too much for his own good. He already knew what Nowaki was going to suggest and he knew telling Nowaki no was next to impossible.
"Hiro-san. I'll go with Usami-san. He said Misaki is still sick and he might need my help. Usami-san is it okay for me to go with you?" Nowaki's looked down to Usami and pleaded with his softly.
"Hurry up. I'm not going to wait for you." It was the kindest way for Usami to thank you. Honestly it was probably for the best that Nowaki decided to go with him. Nowaki was the closest thing there was to a doctor outside of the hospital. If Misaki had been wandering around the rain while being sick like this... there was no telling how much worse it
"Keep him out of trouble, Nowaki." Kamijou quipped and helped his lover slip his coat on. It was only seconds later until Usami and Nowaki were speeding through the streets towards Takehiko's home.
"Ta-Takehiko-san..." Misaki nearly whimpered out. He hadn't expected Takehiko to be here at all. He knew he was in trouble. Takehiko didn't take well to thing that didn't go according to his plan. In Takehiko's plans, Misaki was supposed to go home with him each night and then when Takehiko said he was done with Misaki, he drove him home and dropped him off a block from the penthouse.
"Ah, if it isn't Misaki-kun. You're drenched. That wont do... no, not at all. We'll need to go home and warm you up properly." There was no compassion in that voice, only a snarl of anger and frustration.
Misaki had only gone back to Takehiko's apartment with him because he was threatened again with Takehiko's promise to kill Usami. Misaki believed every word of it and so they were back at the apartment where it had all began.
"We'll need to take your clothes off. You can't dry properly with those sopping rags on." As soon as Takehiko finished his sentence, his hands were grabbing fistfuls of Misaki's shirt. He tore it apart all the way down the front and tossed it aside. Takehiko smirked at the job he'd done to Misaki's skin. Cuts, scraped, and bruises adorned Misaki's chest. He thought it suited Misaki very well. Such flawless skin was an eyesore and with the masterpiece Takehiko had left on Misaki's body, he was nearly satisfied. It needed a few more finishing touches before it could be complete.
"Ah, now comes the fun part." Takehiko chuckled and brought his fingers to his lips. He snaked his tongue out along his fingers and reached down to grab Misaki by the arm. He hauled Misaki to his feet and pulled him towards the back of the apartment. Takehiko dragged him to his bedroom and threw him down against the floor. He reached over to his dresser and pulled a knife into his hand. He'd always kept the knife there as a toy to play with when Misaki came over. He'd already left memory on Misaki's body from their playtime, but more playtime couldn't hurt.
"Now stay still or we might have an accident. We wouldn't want that now, would we?" Misaki stayed silent knowing that if he spoke, it was dangerous. Takehiko didn't like him talking and if Misaki talked at all, he knew his punishment was going to be much worse. He opted for silence instead. He wanted so bad to push Takehiko away from him and run. Even if he wanted to, his body was so numb from the cold that he could barely even move his fingers or toes.
The knife came down against Misaki's jeans and his eyes glued to the blade in the horror of memories. Takehiko had cut him many times with the blade and always blamed it on Misaki. It was always Misaki's fault. He knew if Takehiko cut him now, he'd blame that on Misaki as well. All he could do was watch and hope that he wouldn't be cut by the blade. He wanted to cry but knew tears would get him nowhere with this man. Takehiko hated tears unless he commanded them. All Misaki wanted was for this to be over and for Takehiko to have his fill for the night.
"Oh no! You're moving too fast! Looks like there'll be blood all over this time." Misaki hadn't yet moved nor was he cut so he was confused until he felt the sharp pain in the side of his leg. He looked to the side to see Takehiko stab the knife into the side of his thigh. A scream of pain ripped through Misaki. As soon as Takehiko withdrew the knife, Misaki managed through pure adrenaline to pulled himself to his feet and limp across the room. Misaki couldn't tell whether Takehiko was angry or if he found it rather amusing that Misaki had defied him by running away from him. Either way Misaki knew he had made a mistake. A torrent of angry laughter was spilling from Takehiko's lips. Misaki watched him raise the knife to his tongue and lick Misaki's blood from it. The man was insane and Misaki was afraid he might've pushed him over the edge.
"You're so feisty tonight... it pisses me off!" The laughter was gone from Takehiko's voice and he was rushing at Misaki. Misaki shrank back away from the wall because he was unable to go anywhere else in the small room. Takehiko crushed Misaki against the wall and crushed his lips down onto Misaki's. He kissed him angrily and bit Misaki's lips when Misaki protested him entry to his mouth. Misaki was forced to open his mouth to Takehiko's tongue. It was sickening and it made Misaki want to throw up. He couldn't breathe at all and he felt like he was going to pass out so he bit Takehiko's tongue. Takehiko withdrew from Misaki's mouth with a yelp of pain. Misaki sucked in a breath before he felt Takehiko's fist connect with the side of his jaw. The force knocked him off balance and he fell to the floor with a groan of pain from his leg.
"You ungrateful little asshole!" Takehiko spat out at him and tossed the knife aside so he could lean down and drag Misaki back to his feet. Takehiko tore the shreds that were left of Misaki's pants from his waist and snarled down at him. "Would you like me to teach you what happens to ungrateful little assholes like you?!" Takehiko spat and grabbed what little Misaki had left of clothing and ripped it off. Misaki felt repulsed to be bared before this man. He felt so weak and cold and he could barely move at all. His leg throbbed with pain but otherwise felt numb. Both legs went out from beneath him and he slammed into Takehiko's chest.
"Stand up or I'll kill your precious Usagi!" Takehiko bellowed and hauled Misaki to his feet again. He couldn't believe how obstinate the brat was being tonight. He was making it difficult on Takehiko to enjoy himself. He was really going to have his fun too. He debate cutting his own clothes off for fun but in in the end he didn't want to ruin his favourite shirt. Takehiko threw Misaki against the wall long enough to take his shirt off nicely. He didn't want to get blood on it either. His hands went to the buckle on his pants and before he could undo the buckle, the sound of the doorbell caught him offguard.
"Now I wonder... who could that be? Now stay here and be quiet. You wouldn't want me to kill our poor Kamijou-Sensei too, would you? I'll be right back, darling. I've got guests to entertain." Misaki was in no condition to move anywhere and he feared the man really would hurt them both if he said anything. His body sank to the floor again and he lay there shuddering in coldness and pain.
Takehiko slid his shirt back on and was quick to stuff Misaki's shredded shirt beneath the couch to hide it. He pulled his shirt back on and moments later he was at the door. He opened it slightly and wondered in the back of his mind if he wasn't just the luckiest person of the night. There stood Akihiko Usami and the man he knew was Hiroki Kamijou's lover. His face feigned pure innocence and he opened the door wide enough for them to peer inside but not so wide as to look too welcoming.
"Hello? May I help you?" Takehiko asked in his overly sweet tone.
"Misaki. Where is Misaki?!" Usami demanded and nearly made a move to shove past Takehiko. Nowaki restrained him and gave him a look that said to cool it. Nowaki took in a small breath and tried to speak for Usami.
"Have you seen him anywhere? He's been missing and we were told you were friends with him." Already Takehiko thought having the large male as a pet too would be fun. His mind reeled with scenarios but he stuffed them away for later use. He'd have this man too before too long; he'd make sure of it.
"Takahashi-san is missing? I haven't seen him since we left the coffee house this afternoon. Is everything okay?" Takehiko was great at masking his annoyance with a tone of worry. His act was flawless; he was a born actor.
"It's fine. I'm sure we'll find him. Thank you for time, Ishikawa-san and I'm so to have bothered you so late." Nowaki murmured.
"It's no problem at all. Would you like a quick cup of tea? You two look exhausted. I'm sure Takahashi-san will be alright. He's the stubborn type, you know?" Takehiko kept the worry in his voice and kept it as congenial as possible. If he offered the both of them tea but then reminded them that their dearest Misaki-kun was out somewhere then chances were they'd say no to the tea and continue to look for him.
"No thank you, but we appreciate the offer. Please call us if you find out any information." Nowaki said and scribbled down a couple of numbers for him to call. Takehiko thanked them both politely and offered the tea once more. Luckily they turned him down again and he let that be the end of it.
"Please let me know if you find out anything as well. Take care of yourselves." Takehiko said softly and as soon as the two were far enough away for his liking, Takehiko closed the door sweetly. His eyes peered through the eye hole long enough to watch the two of them get into a red sports car and speed away. Finally when Takehiko was satisfied that they were gone, his jovial face dropped into a mask of sheer anger.
Misaki, having heard Usami's voice had tried his hardest to get to him. He had made it almost to the door but his body was still too cold and refused to move too well. He couldn't help but begin to cry when he heard the door close and knew that Usami had left. At least Usami still cared about him to be here demanding to know where he was. Regret poured into him for his earlier words and he regretted them more than he had regretted anything in his life before. He just wanted to crawl into Usami's arms and go to sleep forever. He didn't want to have to do this anymore; he just wanted it all to stop.
"You told them where I lived?!" Takehiko yelled as he stormed back into the room. He grabbed Misaki by his hair and hauled him to his feet. Misaki stared at the man with fear in his eyes. He knew he was in serious trouble. He hadn't told Usami anything or given any clue as to where he had been. If Usami had been here, he had to of found out some other way. It wasn't Misaki's fault and he knew he was going to pay for whoever had found out.
"I didn't tell him... I don't know how he found out." Misaki braved.
"Don't lie to me, you little shit! I know you told him. I can't believe you betrayed my trust like that!" Takehiko was furious. He'd almost lost his little plaything. He snarled at how pathetic Misaki looked; he couldn't stand it. Misaki was still too ugly with his smooth skin; Takehiko felt he had to make his masterpiece more beautiful. Without warning his knee came hard enough into Misaki's chest to send the sound of cracking bones through the air. Takehiko found the sound to be heavenly.
Pain splintered through Misaki's chest and he found it difficult to breathe. He fought weakly to get out of Takehiko's grasp. He was afraid Takehiko would either accidentally or intentionally kill him.
"I'm going to have to punish you for telling that man where I live." Takehiko threw Misaki against the ground and went in search for his beloved knife. It always had a way of making his masterpiece perfect. Finding his knife laying across the room, Takehiko snatched it up and returned to heap on the floor. He'd never seen Misaki looking as beautiful as he did tonight.
"Now be quiet or I might make a mistake on my most beautiful of masterpieces." Misaki shuddered at the giggling he heard from the man above him. He could barely breathe and instead of feeling warmer, his body felt colder. He tried to move away from Takehiko and even managed to slap a hand out at the man until Takehiko flipped Misaki onto his back and leaned over him to straddle his waist. Takehiko was looking at him as if trying to figure out what he wanted to do next.
"Yes, that sounds right. We'll start... here." Takehiko took the tip of the knife and laid it across Misaki's cheek. Misaki struggled to get away from the blade but Takehiko tightened his legs around Misaki and pinned the smaller man into being nearly immobile. Misaki wanted to puke at the smirk that fell across Takehiko's face. He struggled to the best of his capabilities until he felt the sting of the knife's blade on his cheek. Takehiko chuckled and Misaki struggled even more to get away.
"Stay still!" Takehiko snarled and carved another small set of symbols into Misaki's cheek. Misaki kept struggling and finally Takehiko felt he'd had enough of Misaki's insolent behaviour. "I thought I told you to stay still. You just can't seem to listen tonight, can you? Do you know what happens to little insolent boys like you, Misaki-kun?" Takehiko chimed to him.
Before Misaki could react, he felt Takehiko's fist connect with his face again. His head jerked to the side and the familiar metallic taste of blood filled his mouth. In his defiance he turned his face to Takehiko and spit blood into Takehiko's eyes.
"Ah! You fucking little brat!" Takehiko screeched and pulled himself off of Misaki. Misaki's body snapped back into adrenaline mode. He hauled himself to his feet and tried his best to ignore the stab wound on his leg. With Usami in his mind, his hand clutched the knob of the bedroom door. He nearly twisted it completely around to open the door but didn't manage before Takehiko grabbed Misaki's hair in his fist.
"I think I'll have to retrain you. Oh what fun!" Takehiko spat out and slammed Misaki's face into the door once, then twice. Dazed and disoriented, Misaki's body slid to the floor again. Misaki could hear Takehiko pulling his clothes off and he knew what was coming next. All he could do was hope and pray it'd be over soon and that he'd be able to see Usami again.
"I don't like that bastard, he knows something!" Usami spat out as he drove around with Nowaki. At least the male was keeping him distracted even if he was angry at him for stopping him from bursting into Takehiko's home. He didn't like the man at all; something about him was wrong.
"I don't like it any more than you do, Usami-san but we can't just burst into people's homes like that." As much as Nowaki had wanted to burst in there too in search for Misaki, he needed to be the logical one for now. "How about we search around a few more places and if we don't see him, then we should check again to see if he went home." They'd already checked twice and this time Nowaki debated having someone stay at the penthouse while the other went out to search in the case that Misaki did show up.
"If' he's not there this time, I'm going back to that bastards place and I'll beat the answers out of him." Usami snarled and sped through a red light. He was in no mood to obey every traffic signal.
"You were so disappointing tonight, Misaki-kun..." Takehiko muttered and dragged the half-conscious Misaki into his car. He drove him to the usual spot and when Misaki didn't immediately move, he grumbled and moved around to the other side of the car to pull him out by his hair. Misaki's naked body hit the cement hard and it jolted him awake enough to cry out softly in pain.
"Get lost. I'll see you tomorrow." Takehiko reached into the back and retrieved a small blanket from the back seat. Tossing it to Misaki in some failed effort of kindness, he left Misaki there and sped off towards his home. He wondered if he hadn't painted too much of a masterpiece in one sitting but decided in the end that it was okay. His art subject would come back to him. He always did.
The blanketed offered him no warmth but he took it more to cover his body than anything else. Every move he made hurt and he could hardly even manage to stand. Takehiko had hurt him more tonight than he had ever done. He knew he'd made Takehiko angry and he hoped beyond anything else that Takehiko wouldn't take his revenge out on Usami or Kamijou. Even if it killed him, he'd do it again tomorrow to ensure that Usami or Kamijou never suffered like he did.
For once in his life, Misaki was glad that there was nobody to see him like this. There was nobody there to try and offer him a helping hand or demand he go to the hospital. It was nearly like a ghost town and Misaki managed to slip into the building where he and Usami lived without being noticed. He wondered if it wasn't some sort of twisted charity from above that led him to the elevators.
The same time Misaki managed to step into the elevator that would bring him to the floor of their shared penthouse, Usami was whipping into the carport to check his apartment once again. He would make true on his threat to demand answers from that Takehiko bastard if it was the last thing he did. He didn't believe for one second that the man was uninvolved. If Usami had to guess, he'd say the kid had known exactly where Misaki was. Still, it wouldn't hurt to check the apartment one more time.
Usami opted for the stairs arguing to Nowaki that he could get there faster than it would take for the elevator to get back to the ground floor and pick them up. He took the stairs three at a time and didn't give himself the luxury of letting himself get tired up. He made it to the floor of his penthouse in record breaking time and didn't even spare a glance behind him to see if Nowaki was following him or not. It was a lucky thing that Nowaki was very fit or else he might've lagged behind Usami. He was lucky to keep in pace with Usami and he managed to gasp in a couple of breathes of air when they reached the top.
"Usami-san, slow down! Nowaki managed and followed after Usami again. He watched Usami stomp towards his apartment door and wondered if he had ever been like that too. He remembered the night he was supposed to meet Kamijou and ended up being late and reaffirmed that he knew exactly what it felt like. He manged a couple more breaths and began to follow Usami again until he stopped to let the people on the elevator out. What dragged itself from the elevator wasn't anything like he was expecting. "Usami-san, call an ambulance!" Nowaki yelled at him from across the hallway.
Nowaki was barely able to catch Misaki before he tumbled into a heap on the ground. The sudden stop from the elevator had disoriented Misaki greatly and he had nearly passed out. He was still barely conscious enough to know there were arms around him that weren't Usami's. He struggled weakly with Nowaki to get away from. He was caught in some horrible idea that Takehiko had come back for him.
Usami had nearly made it into the door of the penthouse until he heard Nowaki. He spun on his heels and ran to Nowaki's side to see what he was sure was Misaki struggling to get away from Nowaki. Usami quickly dropped to his knees and put his hands on Misaki to try and calm him. "Misaki. Misaki! Stop struggling. Stop it, you're only going to hurt yourself!" Usami commanded.
Misaki registered Usami's voice and immediately stopped struggling. Usami was horrified with what he saw. He was both angry and terrified at the state Misaki was in. He could barely see an inch of flesh that wasn't bruised, battered, or cut. Usami had never cried in front of anyone except for Misaki but he couldn't stop the tears now that spilled down his cheeks. He tore his coat off and wrapped it around Misaki tightly while Nowaki called an ambulance.
"Misaki, who touched you? Who the hell touched you?!" Usami's raged and tried to get an answer from Misaki. When no answer came, he let it go for now and simply held Misaki against his chest. He was going to kill whoever had put their hands on Misaki.
Ooch. Poor Misaki. Don't worry; I could never kill off Misaki, I love him too much! Stay tuned for chapter 6. It may be a bit longer since Youmacon is coming up. Yaaay!
