Dear all readers, Thanks a lot for reading and telling me your opinions about my story, I deeply appreciated your constant supports! I'm dedicating this longest chapter in the story for OTAKU911 aka Fan-chan, my beloved friend who's going to celebrate her birthday this month. Thanks for inspiring me to write stories… This is for you, Fan-chan! ^^
Have a pleasant reading :)
Warning: As you guys probably noticed, I'm changing the rating to T, because of some "moments" in this chapter, just to be on a save side And it's a long chapter, please be prepared :D
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Disclamer: I had a long dream where I own Maid-sama, but when I woke up, I realize that it was just a dream and will never come true *sigh*
Flashback from the previous chapter…
He then buried his face in her raven hairs while placing a chaste kiss on her shoulder. His act tensed up her body even more and as expected, she started struggling to break free from his tight grip. He didn't let her go, he tightened his embrace even more instead, but careful enough to not hurt her. Takumi rest his chin on her shoulder, and said.
"Please pardon me for one more thing, Misaki… For lying to you…"
End of flashback…
Misaki's expression changed in an instant. She turned her head to face him in confusion. "What do you mean? You're lying? About what?"
"Will you promise me that you won't be mad if I tell you?" He replied in his usual stony expression while leaning backwards, loosening his grip on her waist.
Misaki moved to sit on his side to get a better look at him, hoping to find any hint from his expression, but she found none. She hated it when he made that kind of expression, it was impossible to read what was going on in his mind. Although he had been her closest person for the last one year, Takumi remained an enigma for her.
There were some moments when she thought that she could finally understand him, but after a few seconds, she lost it again. She always wondered, was it because she didn't pay enough attention to him or he was just simply someone who was hard to read? But most of the time, she ended up making a conclusion that he was simply a perverted alien, which was why she would never fully understand him.
Now, of all time, he showed off that kind of face yet again and she knew that she would never be able to decipher him, so she sighed and gave up. "Fine, I won't be mad. What did you lie for?"
"I said that I want you to come here to help me with the packing, but the truth is… I don't need it."
"What do you mean by you don't need it?" She asked curiously.
"They said that they have prepared everything for me there, so I don't need to bring anything from here. It's not like I own anything in here anyway… Except you…" At the last two words, his signature grin plastered perfectly on his gorgeous face.
The hidden meaning of his words and his handsome features altogether worked all too well to successfully making Misaki's heartbeat rattled twice faster than its usual speed, which quickly sent an increasing heat to her face that appeared beautifully on her cheeks in the form of pink blush.
"I…Idiot! I… I don't recall saying that I'm yours!" Her pink blush turned to a bright red as she stuttered her protest over his statement.
"Mm… Really? Then… Do you want to?" His emerald green eyes glinted mischievously, in contrast to his sweet innocent face.
"S…Stop saying such things, Pervert! Then what am I doing here if you don't want me to help you packing?" She asked, intentionally changing the topic.
"Is it wrong for wishing to spend my last day here alone with my girlfriend?" Takumi pulled out his right hand to slowly caress her smooth jet-black hair. His fingers played with her hair as he observed her beautiful golden eyes sparkled, flattered by his sweet words.
"N…Not that it was wrong, but… Why didn't you just ask?"
"I guess I was afraid that you won't agree if I ask you to spend the night with me here…"
"Silly… Why do you think so? I won't mind… Wait… Wha… What did you say?" Her face flushed furiously and uncontrollably as her mind finally digested his last words.
"So you don't mind? Geez… I should have asked you directly in the first place. It would have saved me from this guilt." He smiled as he was intentionally letting her denseness moved the conversation to a whole different direction.
"N…No! I… I didn't mean it like that! I…I didn't hear it right just now… I mean… I…" She stuttered as she desperately tried to withdraw her spilled words. Her flushed face got more severe as she continued struggling to explain her misunderstanding, but her remaining words melted away as she felt Takumi's warm hands holding her own.
"It's okay, Misaki… No need to explain it. I understand… Sorry for teasing you like that..." He smiled warmly in understanding, then he softly let go of her hands, and ruffled her head as he stood up.
"Now that you are here, I'll make something for dinner before I send you home. It's my last chance to cook for my girlfriend, isn't it?" He laughed a little, trying to sound cheery, but Misaki could feel the obvious sadness in his tone.
She just couldn't stand seeing him in that state, then as Takumi walked away from her, suddenly, she found the courage to release her suppressed feelings. She grabbed his hand before he could take another step. Takumi abruptly stopped his movement and turned around to face her.
Misaki's face was concealed by her jet-black locks as she spoke without looking at him. "Takumi… The truth is… I… I want to spend every last minute we have left together… I was just… confused… I was afraid to let myself being too carried away by this feeling… But… honestly… I just want to be with you…" Her grip on his hand tightened as she spoke, fighting the forming liquids in the back of her eyes from coming out.
Takumi's expression softened. He knew that it was a very hard thing to do for her. She wasn't the type of girl who would easily express her feelings in words. That's why he could understand her adversity to utter what she said just now. He moved closer to hold her trembling hands as he knelt before her. He pulled her closer to his chest and put his hands around her, enfolding her in his warm embrace.
"Misaki… You have no idea how incredibly happy you've made me… Knowing those feelings you hold for me… You know that more than anything, I want to savor these moments I have left with you, every bit of it is important for me, Misaki…" He kissed the top of her head while slowly closing his eyes as he pulled her closer. He wanted to capture the moment of having her in his embrace, the sweet scent of her hair, the smoothness of her skin, the blow of her breath that always tickled his skin in such a lovely way, every little thing that he felt whenever she was near.
They stayed still for some brief moments of cuddling each other, but then Takumi noticed something warm was starting to dampen his shirt. He opened his eyes and kissed her head once again, realizing what was going on. However, he knew that he shouldn't let those precious moments they have left to be spent in grief. No, he didn't want that. Then he pulled away as he cupped her face in his hands while slowly alerted her.
"Misaki…"
Misaki looked up to him as she heard him calling her name. Her golden eyes glistened with some traces of tears but before she could move her hand to wipe it with her sleeves, Takumi already wiped the tears off her face softly with his fingers. Misaki didn't say anything, slightly embarrassed for unintentionally showing him her vulnerable side for the second time that day.
"Can you promise me something?" Takumi suddenly said, still cupping her face in his hands.
"Mmm?" was the only voice that managed to come out from Misaki's mouth in confusion as she heard his sudden request.
"Please don't show off such an adorable expression so carelessly…" Takumi said earnestly yet mischievously.
"Wha—" She was going to convey her protest when suddenly Takumi spoke again.
"You know that I can't stand it when I see that kind of expression coming from you, right? For your own safety, you shouldn't be provoking me…"
"Who…Who is provoking you, Pervert!" Misaki's face reddened in embarrassment as she unconsciously moved a little farther away from him.
Takumi smiled in satisfaction for successfully leading her to get rid of her sad expression for a while. He didn't want her to remember that day as a remark for their separation, but he wanted her to acknowledge the day as a new phase of their relationship, filled with hope and trust, which in the end will bring them closer to each other. Besides, nothing beat the fun of teasing his cute little maid.
"You are, obviously… I told you before, didn't I? Do you want me to repeat what I said this morning?" He answered, chuckling while remembering the things that he whispered earlier that morning to her ear which turned her face to tomato red in no time.
Misaki didn't want to remember those embarrassing words she heard earlier, but her brain wouldn't cooperate. The words replayed in her mind without her command, burning her cheeks instantly.
As she remained silent, too busy to control her blushing cheeks, Takumi continued speaking to her. "In case you don't remember, I'll say it again. I said that when I saw your adorable crying face for the first time, it makes me want to see your—"
Misaki forcefully covered his mouth to prevent him from saying it out loud, but he didn't stop. She could still hear the words 'mine', 'scream', 'bed' in between her struggle to stop him, which made her even more panic. And as she heard him saying 'naked' she pushed him down a little too hard that made both of them fell onto the carpeted floor, with Misaki on top of Takumi.
Misaki's eyes widened by the shock of having him so close to her, especially in that kind of position. She didn't even realize when Takumi snaked his hands around her waist while pulling her body closer to his. "You wanna do it already? Misa-chan is so sly…"
"Sh… Shut up, idiot pervert! I was just… Let go of me!" She tried to stand up, but her movement was restrained by Takumi's hands around her body. Her shout didn't make him loosened his firm clasp on her waist. His earlier perverted words and their current position made her heart pounding so hard that she could hear it in the back of her ears.
"No, can't do… If I let go, you'll run away from me… I don't want that…"
"Y… You're being ridiculous!"
"Tell me, Misaki… Do you hate this?" All of a sudden, Takumi's countenance shifted. He looked her in the eye emphatically with his enchanting emerald eyes, leaching her resistance away.
"…I… don't…" She answered hesitantly, yet honestly.
He smiled at his girlfriend's timid demeanor, he found it very appealing. Then he moved his left hand to her head while carefully rolling their body over on the floor, switching their sides. Takumi positioned his body on top of Misaki with his left hand cushioning her head and his right hand on her waist. Their faces were only a few inches apart.
Slowly, Takumi leaned in to capture her lips in his for a soft and warm kiss. The kiss they shared was sweet and innocent at first, but gradually became more and more breathtaking as both of them were lost in their passion for each other. Misaki's hands caressed his soft blond hair while pulling him closer for a more intense kissing. They responded equally and harmonically which made their kiss lasted for so long, they didn't even realize it until their lungs desperately screamed for air.
Takumi pulled away but continued dropping kisses along her jaw line and slowly moved down to one side of her neck. The touch of his lips on her skin made her shiver as she felt some extraneous yet pleasurable feelings spreading through her veins. Her body stiffened when burning desires triggered her consciousness as she reached her limit.
"Ta…Takumi…"
Misaki's voice alerted Takumi and he understood immediately that his kisses were too stimulating for her. He stopped trailing kisses on her neck and gave her a brief kiss on her cheeks before he pull away. He then rested his forehead on hers, looking at her beautiful eyes while giving her a mind blowing smile.
Misaki smiled back at him, loving the gentleness of her boyfriend. He had never forced her to do anything she didn't concur. Being in a relationship for a year, she understood enough that he was a very gentle man. He respected her more than anyone else she ever encountered. Despite of his perverted nature (only to Misaki), he had never done anything that she would come to hate. She cherished him more than what met the eye, she simply didn't have any words or actions that would enough to represent her feelings for him.
A few minutes later, Takumi stood up while carrying her in his strong arms. She was surprised by his sudden move, but stayed still in his embrace until they reached the couch. He placed her gently on the couch and kissed her forehead as he said. "Wait here, I'll prepare dinner for us."
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It was already dark outside by the time they walked down the street towards Misaki's house after having dinner. Misaki was still confused by Takumi's decision to take her home even though she said that she would stay with him for the night. He just smiled mysteriously and asked her to come with him. When they reached her house, Ayuzawa Minako, Misaki's mom, greeted them by the door.
As Misaki opened her mouth to explain about her delay, Takumi grabbed her hand to stop her. Misaki got more and more confused by his behavior, but she didn't say anything.
Takumi turned to Minako and started speaking with a rather formal tone.
"Ayuzawa-san, sorry for disturbing you this late, but may I speak with your for a few minutes?"
Misaki looked at him, startled by his unexpected action. Then she turned to her mom, who was having the same confused expression.
"Ahh… Usui-kun, no need to be that formal… Okay, let's talk at the kitchen for a while. Misaki, go see your sister at the living room. She said she wants to ask you something about some postcards."
Minako then led Takumi to the kitchen and shut the door behind them. Misaki didn't know what to say, she had completely no idea what was going on. She then sighed and walked towards the living room.
Minako and Takumi sat down at the dining table, facing each other. Then she noticed an unusual sad expression on Takumi's flawlessly handsome face. That's when she realized that he was having some kind of problem, so she looked straight into his beautiful green eyes and started asking him.
"I've never seen such a troubled look on your face, Usui-kun… What happened to you?"
"Ayuzawa-san… I am going to reveal everything to you, and you only… I'm hoping that you will understand my decision and give me your blessing…"
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"What did you two talked about?" Misaki asked Takumi as he came out from the kitchen with her mother after they talked for about half an hour.
Takumi turned and smiled at her mother, which in return he received a warm smile back at him. Then he turned back at Misaki and ruffled her hair while saying in harmony with Misaki's mom. "You'll know it when it's time, Misaki."
"Mom, you should be on my side, not his." Misaki whined to her mother, not believing the fact that she agreed to keep secrets from her own daughter and even cooperated with that certain perverted alien and her so-called boyfriend. Although she knew that her mother trusted Takumi and thought that he was a very perfect man for her, still she wouldn't have thought that they would be getting along that well, especially when she had no idea what was all that about.
"We'll talk about it later, Misaki. You have some place to go to, isn't it?" Minako shrugged her question off by turning the conversation to another topic.
"What do you mean?" For the nth time that day, Misaki had no clue of what was going on.
"I asked permission from Ayuzawa-san to take you with me for the rest of the night. You wouldn't want her to worry about you, right?" Takumi explained while shooting her an honest smile that she always loved.
Misaki was rendered speechless by his thoughtfulness. She didn't know how many times he had managed to elevate her trust and respect for him by his actions. That was one of the qualities that he had, which was able to obliterate her hatred against man and earned him her unconditional love. Yes, there was no other man that was able to occupy that special place in her heart except for him, and she knew he deserved it more than anyone.
Minako sent them to the gate of her house and watched them walking hand in hand away from her sight. Abruptly she remembered the conversation she had with Takumi just now, and she couldn't hold the tears that were beginning to stream down her face.
"God, why do they have to go through that huge impediment in such a young age…" She sighed while the things that Takumi said a while ago stirred back in her mind. I've never thought that someone as capable as him is holding such a heavy load on his shoulder… and what amazed me is the only thing that he always been worrying about is Misaki… Even accepting that kind of deal for her… He truly loves her… Usui Takumi... When the time comes, you'll have my full blessing…
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Misaki found herself staring at the soothing sight of limitless dark sky that was in contrast to the twinkling stars dotted all over it. She could feel Takumi's warmth wrapped around her body as she rested her head on his chest while lying down on the floor with his left hand around her shoulder. It felt so good to have such a nice and quiet night alone with him at their favorite place. The place where they carved so many great memories since the first time they met.
"Do you remember when I first confessed my feelings for you here?" Takumi said, breaking the silence between them.
"…Yes. Of course I remember. That was the stupidest thing I've ever seen someone ever do." She replied boldly.
Takumi laughed at her straightforward answer. It was really like her to say something like that.
"But… It was the best love confession I've ever had…" She added with a low tone, half wishing that Takumi wouldn't get it, but she silently knew that he would.
Takumi smiled, loving the way his cute girlfriend always managed to make him smile the way that he did just now. She was the only person who had that kind of influence on him. Misaki… You really are never failed to amaze me… He pulled her closer to him and placed a gentle kiss on top of her head while whispering to her.
"Misaki is really sly…"
Takumi then moved his right hand to hold her chin up and slowly leaned in for a kiss.
Misaki's cheeks heated up momentarily as she felt his soft lips caressed hers in such a way that she couldn't resist. She breathed in his intoxicating scent and found herself wanting more of his kisses and his touch on her body. She clutched his shirt tightly as he tilted his head to her side to deepen their kiss.
With his every kiss and touch on her skin, she felt her body heat increasing and her heartbeat raced uncontrollably. The feeling she had inside of her was almost more than she could take. The smell of his scent, the taste of his kiss, and the gentleness of his touch made her unable to detach herself from him.
Before she knew it, she already kissed him back while placing her hand around his neck, pulling him closer as if it was possible. They kissed each other so passionately, pouring out their feelings like there was no tomorrow, because they knew that when tomorrow came, they had to say goodbye.
They lost track of time of how long they kissed as neither one of them wanted to let the time passed without holding on to each other. It was at that very moment, they truly realized how afraid they were of losing each other and how they wished that the time would stop, so that they wouldn't have to be apart.
But as both of them felt the need for air, their senses brought them back to reality and they slowly pulled away from each other. Takumi smiled as he saw her gasping for air while covering her blushing face, suddenly felt embarrassed over her passionate reaction just now.
"Your blushing face is really cute, Misaki… Especially right now… You're making it difficult to control myself, you know…" Takumi said playfully yet earnestly.
"S…Stop saying such perverted thing at a night like this, idiot!" Misaki moved back while sitting up, turning her back on him as she knew that his words would make her face flushed even more.
Suddenly she felt his chest pressed against her back as he hugged her from behind, leaving no space between them. His warm breath tickled her ear as she heard his gentle voice which immediately sent shivers all over her body.
"Why? Is Misa-chan afraid that something might happen?" His voice was very tempting, and the blow of his breath in her earlobe made her unable to think clearly.
"Wh…Who said that I'm afraid?" She said hesitantly.
"Hmm… Really? Then you're not afraid if I do this?" Takumi leaned forward and kissed her nape gently, then continued brushing his lips against her bare skin in circular motion.
Misaki gasped while clenching her hand, startled by his sudden stimulating act. Her body got tensed as she felt his tongue started licking her neck. "Ta…Takumi…"
"If you don't want it, just say stop then I'll stop…"
Misaki didn't know what to do as she was conflicting in her mind. She was afraid that she might lose control, but she wanted his warm touch to remain because she wanted to feel it for a while longer. However, his touch was too stimulating that unconsciously she released a soft moan as he started sucking her sensitive skin on her neck.
He stopped right at the moment he heard her voice. Then he shifted and kissed her temple while chuckling. "You're too stubborn for your own good, Misa-chan…"
"It… It's not that. It's not because I want to prove that I'm not afraid… I realized that I hadn't been honest with my feelings for you… but I've decided for all the words that I didn't say, and for all the things that I didn't do, tonight I'll make it all up to you… I've spent some time thinking things through… And I know one thing for sure… I always end up wanting to be with you… That's why… When it happens, I… want it to be with you… because I really love you, Takumi…"
Takumi couldn't believe what he just heard. It was really a mind blowing confession, especially because it came from her. Knowing her, he knew that it all came from deep within her heart because she was that kind of person. She had never say things without meaning what she said.
He was deeply touched, and overwhelmingly happy to hear her words. Then he strengthened his hold on her and kissed her cheek. "That was the sweetest confession I've ever received, Misaki… But you know… I can wait… Until you are ready for that kind of relationship. I don't want to force you to do something that you might regret."
"How can you be sure that I'm not ready yet?"
"You were trembling. By the time you are ready, you won't be."
She was impressed by his attention to every little detail about her. He had always been like that. She just couldn't keep up to his way of thinking way further ahead. She knew that she couldn't be more proud of him than she already was.
Takumi shifted their position to face each other. He looked deep into her eyes while caressing her left cheek with his right hand and said to her."I have my reason too, Misaki… I don't want to do it now, because if we do it, I don't think I will be able to ever let you go…"
He then pulled her closer to his embrace, placing his chin on her shoulder and closed his eyes. It was an amazing feeling he had and he wanted to savor it for a while longer. Then he whispered delicately to her ear. "It's because I'm madly in love with you, Misaki…"
His words made Misaki thought that she was the luckiest woman in the whole world, to have someone who truly loved her and deeply cared about her more than anything. She promised to herself that she would do whatever she could to make him happy, like the way he always did for her. And if waiting for him was what it takes, she would do it without hesitation, because she knew, he deserved it.
To be continued….
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Author's note:
So that's the end of "The Goodbye".
I hope you guys didn't get bored for reading this long chapter LOL :p
As every human needs food to survive, this writer needs reviews to keep her soul motivated to continue writing (sounds so cheesy, but whatever haha :P), so if you don't mind, please leave your review by pressing the review button below. Thanks a lot in advance ^^
And I also need to say my apology to you all for excusing myself to have a break from writing because I'll be very busy especially within the next few months, so I'll only update my story when I have more spare time. I hope you'll be patient and still want to read my next chapter, titled….. Nah… I think I'll keep it because I don't want to disappoint anyone :p
Till next chapter, pals!
-Fin-
April 07,2011.
